The National tribune., 1886-09-16
PLAYING COWBOY.
rApsrlsnee. of an AmbIl.oas Young Texan.


AieT. S,ceef. in Drsi>'s Trareuers nagasiael
The first time l ever attempted 10 play cow
boy Was when / waa n mere boy. a bright. intel
ligent child, in a town Oh the frontier OF Texas.
embezzled - feet ol rope from the clothesline
aud converted IL luEo a lassO then took po-
sition on the corner of the street and waited Tor
victim.
An aged Mexican caDe jogging along on a
pacing pony. and tllrewmy lasso, just as had
seen the cowboys do IL. / was nearly delrious
with JOY at catching, his horse by the hind foot,
WAS almost as happy as a man whose stylo-
graphic pen works for the first time in two
years As had tied the eud of the rope to my
wrist. there was no chance for him to escape.
had him by the back of the neck. so TO speak.
The next thing that attracted my attention was
jerk at my arm thai can only be compared TO
the shake Oft candidates hand during closely
contested local election, after which l trotted
mechanically behind the old Mexican. i mad
really no curiosity to know where he was going,
but, somehow or other. we went in the same
direction. IL was another case OF Mary and her
little lamb When the old Mexican Travelled
fast, humored his whim aud struck trot.
Although We had never been formally intro
duced, We were very much attached TO each
otheT,-mOre 50, in fact, than If we had known
each other Tor years.
/ was in hopes that he might stop before my
il il was an everyday occurrence. At last he
looked around and perceived, with cynical
smile. that he had caught boy. He slowly
dIsmOunted and took the rope of his horses
hind leg.
Then he began to haul me in. / strolled to-
ward him slowly and reluctantly. did not,
like comet, rush TO meet him at the rate OF
million miles a day, for there was an express
sion in the old AZtecs collection of features
that told me the interview wOud not be mutu-
ally satisfactory. Nevertheless, as i could not
disengage the rope, | felt myself irresistibly
drawn toward him. When he had brought me
within reach, he swung the other end of the
rope around his head, aud, as heat generates
motion, began to revOlve around him like a
planet around the sun, he keeping up tho con-
tTifugal force and the heat with the end OF the
rope. in which there WAS large knot. | re-
member that fact with CHASTITY distinctness.
Ny yells could be heard for blocks, and they
caused a taX-cOllector, whose office was near by,
to shed real tears. After both of us had taken
more exercise than was really good for us, the
old Mexican released me. and flew OF into
space at tangent. lie did not give me buck
my rope either, and IN the excitement forgot
10 ask him for II. but did not miss it. The
folks at home did miss it, however, so i got
some more rope-got 1t in the same place, too
when the discovery was made that / was re-
spOnsible for the shortage in the clOthesline.
After that i rel gi0usly a5stained from over
indulgence with the lasso for some time.
looked back upon my past career with horror.
/ reformed, aud made vow to lead a better and
a pureT life.
About a year afterwards the Mayor of the
town issued a proclamation offering p cents
for every unlicensed dog delivered at the pound.
Here was a chance for a live, energetic boy who
had had experience with lassO To turn an hon
est quarter. The necOlectiOns Of my former
indiscretiOn had faded out with the marks of
the rope. | got another daSso and watched for
a suitable dog. VI
The first dog saw was several sizes too large
TO suit me; besides. i was not sure that he
would follow me cheerfIlly to the pound, and
that was the kind / preferred. However.
threw the rope, and with my usual good luck
| il caught him around the neck aud / began Ia
| tow him gently in the direction of the pound
as gently as possible. for didn't want him Ia
| exasperate me. At first he did not understand
what / wanted. and he held back. like Re-
publican office holder whose resignation has
| been requested by the President, until | bad
nearly pulled of his he~i, when he suddenly
came toward me, wherehpOn i abruptly sat
down on the top of my head. But that was q
splendid dog to lead. The only fault i could
4 find with him was, that in passing me he mad
| veTtantly carried Otfsome of my clothes IN hi:
mouth He must have got taste of me in hi;
mouth. l felt that some OF me was missing
and suspected the dog He went on past ne
TO the end OF the rope, and began TO tow mC
down the street. This was not down in the
program. so, thinking to check him up little,
pulled the rope. | never saw such an easy dos
| 10 lead He turned right around and came
back at me with his mouth open rs wide as
barn door, as if he wanted the rest OF my
clothes and what there was left of the boy. IL,
was really very easy dog TO lead; but as haC
/ not tied the end Of the rope TO my wrists thi'
time, he did not succeed in overtaking me
| The affectiOnate brute would have followed IN,
up the tree if he could have borrowed a step
ladder. Finally, he went of with my iassO anC
the % cents didn't get Tor leading him 10 th'
pound.
Right then and there sitting on the limb o
| that tree registered some more solemn vow
never to play cowboy again. never will to.
with another ropo unless the Sheriff or tn
vigilance committee insist upon it.