Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-07-10
A COWBOYS STRANGE EXPE-
RIENCE.
III u. Z. PINKSEY, AUTHOR of 'THE SCHOOL
MA'AM OF GOOD LUCK"
Copyright, 1861

shall had parted, each felt, forever.
And the quarrel was all about Tom Loner-
gan, whom Beth was scarce nearer loving than
was VIII himself, only that ne, in his blind
Jealousy, could not see il, and she with her
angry pride. would not explain. For Tom Lon
ergan was the only of one of Colorado's cat
tie kings a man whose herds ran his wealth up
Into the millions; while Will was only young
lawyer, struggling to gain footing in Denver,
his income largely made up of hope. And Tom
though coarse of manner and unpreposSessin g
OF aspect, could enhance his attentions to his
favored lady friends by a lavishness of expense
that was positively sickening to impecunious
Will, as he saw the torrent of books flowers
and bOnbOns that suddenly began pouring into
the Griffith parIor. The happy son of CroeSus
moreover. frankly boastful, declared his inten-
ton OF establishing ms bride, when he should
marry, in style OF splendor calculated as
ionish all Denver: while for more than year
now Will and Beth had been planning when
they might afford the modest little suburban
cottage, beyond which their widest dreams
had never dared venture. No wonder if she
was tired of waiting for so poor a lot; that
she should wistfully consider the brilliant
future Tom Lonergan could give her. True she
had never limited a WEAKNESS of the long en-
gagement: nor could Will accuse her of openly
encouraging the richer lover, but there were
Lonergan's flowers always fresh in the parlor.
I'll am tired of seeing the tracks of that golden
.If you mean the flowers, think they are
very lovely tracks, and I'm not tired OF them in
The least. Beth good-naturedly retorted.
"NoT OF the calf itself very evidently" eX-
Claimed Vii, with Increased Irritation.
al don't think IT is very nice of You To speak
of Mir. LonerSan in that way" playfully re-
You cannot yourself speak of him as gen.
tlCm,In.''
He is too much of a gentleman to say hate
fui, sarcastic things OF people behind their
backs, sasned Beth, growing angry in turn.
AM stl4arA fllVtl dor nO
all his beet, To have ali the girls in Denver rum
ming alter him. 1t was vicious inuendo to
tairUw at her, he realized the instant the
words out of his mouth; but ne had
wrought himself up to a furious temper and
would not retreat I syllable.
~ hat do you mean TO imply by that re-
mark the girl demanded. with icy calm,
although he could see her hands trembling in
her zap.
II mean that your filtration with LOnergan,
considering that YOU have been engaged TO me,
has gone altogether too far cried Will, hotly
'Because / have said nothing before. YOU are
not 10y Any means To suppose that i have been
blind. / have seen il all. Heaven knows what
your motive has been. 1t may have been a
Childish vanity to exhibit your grand conquest
10 the envy OF the other girls, or perhaps Ii was
here Will he>itated turning little pale" it
may have been simply the deliberate calcutta
lation OF a mereenary woman won't insult
You oy assuming that You could by any possible
chance, tall IN love with the man..
AFTER i had once owned To falling in love
with You 1t could hardly insult me 10 assume
any thing as to my weak susceptlbility!' cried
Beth with angry sarcasm.
by which you mean me to- understand that
your engagement To me was "A folly OF which
You have repented, said poor Will, with tragic
calm.
"Your penetration does you credit" she tart
~ acquieSced.
.Good-by." cried he, making for the door.
"Good-by, SIR said she, taking up Lonergan's
bouquet and coolly smelling the roses.
And so they parted.
As Will entered his room that night he found
aletter thrust under his door. 1t was from the
manager OF cattle company with whom he
had been correspondins,t trying to obtain d stu
roundup Tor a young friend ut the East, for
whom the doctors had prescribed life in the
open air. n letter received that morning had
announced that the lad had gone with a survey
Ing party to New Mexico and now it appeared
there was An opening for the proposed cowboy,
coming late OF May. 1t was now the Il th and
viii perceived there was scant time Tor the
company 10 find a substitute Suddenly he be-
came possessed of a strange idea Why should
not he go as cowboy in the place of his friend
10 forget the sharp pain now Juggling al his
heart? The opening seemed providential.
And thus three days later found our nero at
tired as a cowboy 10 the manner born. at a GER
tain small railway station liz Eastern Colorado,
lnquiring his way to the Hereford ranch.
IL was three miles away. across a dreary waste
Of sage brush, cactus. and alkaIi. Tormented
with gnats and embarrassed by his heavy boots
and unaccustomed chdpdrTcgos-stout leather
breecneS with myers up tue side, generally
called chaps" for short-three times three
Iailes Will iancied he had toiled before the
The crowd OF cowboys lounging about the
place all reused themselves to look the stranger
over with good hunored nonchaIance and one
directed him to where the foreman was. And
here was q shock for which hero was
wholly unPrepared The foreman Tom
Lonergan.
"How came you here?" stammers Will, halt
Ing, thunderstruck.
humoredly retorted, but with certain snarp-
hess oil glance that conveyed no enthusiastic
OUTFIT TOR ulis trip. that's all. NV fathers the the
silent partner of the concern, see? Now, what
brought you here?"
Somewhat incoherently Will explained about
MS friend and the young fellows change OF
plans, and his idea OF going out himself 1or the
ZIP.
Good scheme.' cried Lonergan with grin
tnat DID not seem altogether void cf malice
IL, eUuise You We peen COW punching before?
III admitted that he had not, whereupon
The foreman laughed loud and long.
but youn catch on all right, he declared
encouraSl nsiy.
As VIII walked away he felt that unbearable
Trouble had fallen upon him. To 20 on, IN the
company of this man he hated, seemed for the
moment Impossible. let To 90 back seemed
equally out vi the question. And although lie
h.'ted loIn LonerSan, he presently reminded
AIul>eI, NTH returning reason, he had
suTance That his ugiy feeling recipro1ated.
his engagement to Beth hau never been made
puo4Ic, ana quite likely LOnersan had never
given Two thoughts 10 a rival 50 insignificant.
quite likely, viii told himself with revivi ii:,
courage, he should nnd the man more disii-
sTeeabie than any one Oi the fourteen others ia
The outnt. There a certain ssitistac
moreover, in the prospect OF thus LavIn. the
fellow under his own eye a time, To be a.
sNred That Ne was not AT BeIh's in person.
no" altogether at the mercy OF Tom Ionergan
NE was 10 De for the Weeks to cOine lie could
not for a moment conceive.
lie was soon 10 gain Insight into the auto
ciacS Ol a Cattle company. ANA IL prom y
e'Iuent That he was not to De "a IavorIte Ior-
tune during the roundup vi 80. WHen. after :,
IL" days, the distribution OF horses was made,
each man, as Is usual, receiving seven a. his
string, II was found that nobody was 80 uI-
IIcky as Will Marshall. That his seven were
Possessed OF seven devils apiece he was lulIy
persuaded. Time and again he was thrown;
anu, though never seriously injured, he was Vet
constantly sore aud lame IrOIII the Wild antics
Ci which De was the daily victim. Ana when
anything peculiarly dIsssgrees,ble 10 be
done II appeared Inevitable that Marshall
should come in for u share. He could not ac-
cuse the foreman OF nI,iiciousIy inventing
Work To give him trouble. Nothing that he
was called upon 10 do but was a legitimate duty
cevoiv1nx upon somebody Of the outfit To per
1OrU. All the same IL evident that Mar
SNAIL WAS NO fSSOrite. 1t we'll. lie
Would have felt like sneak accepting fav ors
frOm this man he IoaIhed.
The company moved SLOWLY along the course
Of the South Platte River, camping at FREQUENT
Intervals w hen in camp W iiIs duty was gene
rally OH the "horse-cstrry,'' with {, couple o
others, driving the horses out ON the plains
and then herding them while they grazed. Ii
Wa, pleasant work wien the weather was fine
with The beautiful Colorado sky smiling over
Nj, ana the dull, brown plains taking u ten
Ger tinge OF green IN the golden sunshine.
Almost happy then was Viii he idly rode
small, sweet hope had stolen IN his heart. Il
Lonersan were her accepted lover, why was ht
leaving her for these long weeks of the round
up? II could not be. IL all q miserable