Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-13
A FRONTIER BOHEMIAN.

The sun was setting en- the Maverick
valley AS | walked to the door of the
ranch few parthian arrows from his de-
clining bow splintered themselves among
the dusky tops of the live oaks There
was faint pink glow az around the hori-
zon that on its western threshold fingered
in feathery iiecks of crimson and gold
The brief twilight OF Texan ATTITUDES was
already fastening through the thin flies
of mesquite shat stood like struggling
pickets before the windows of the little
cabin. A silence was falling over the
hushed landscape-''vaSt, measureless,
complete"
Certainly | Mad some excuse for the
sudden loneliness that fell upon me. 1t
was the first time IA my border life that /
had been left upon the trackless prairie.
solitary and alone. The annual shearing
was just over. But an hour before our
entire outfit had departed for general
merry making at a distant frontier town.
AS l mad volunteered in accepting the
position of cook during the past three
weeks, and for that period had labored to
fill a recurreut and appalling vacuum III
eighteen able bodied men, my efforts had
naturally been somewhat facilitating.
Amid that eXuberance Of society, in whicE
solitude seems a myth, | had declined
conviyiality and elected repose. | was left
behind as custodian of the ranch.
But as | stepped from the door for the
purpose of penning the buck herd, / was
beginning to regret my choice. | realized
that Ia ''tenderfoOt, with only three
months residence in the state-was alone
upon an area of 30, 900 acres without let OF
limit; that my nearest neighbor was five
miles away, over chartless, emerald
sea, to be traversed only By aid of that
shifting guide, the sun; that my only
companions in this primitive wilderness
were thirtyfve merino bucks of cOntem-
plative and exclusive tendencies a shep-
herd dog, which was immaturely ELUSIVE
and slobberingly demonstratiye upon being
addressed as Miss Flo" and an ebony
cat that wore a NANCY and somewhat dis
sipated exterior under the sobriquet of
"Miss Emma" A dearth of the consola-
tons of female society apparently inspires
the native Texan TO courteous acknOwl-
edgment of the sex of domestic pets.
When, therefore, l had driven the
horned contingent of my associates into
their rude brush pen, and had fastened
the hurdle gate, | stood leaning against it
and seriously regarding them. 1t did not
add to the cheerfulness of my surround
ingS to notice that they bore an unmiStak
able resemblance TO company of hook
noSed Jews; that their knees were sprung
with the rheumatism of age; that their
eyes were rheumy and in1amed, and that
they appeared to be unusually afflicted
that evening with Snuffies and chronic ca
tarrh. Besides, they were so fresh from
the shears that the air of venerable wis
dom which their faces arrogated seemed
to be caricatured by the rest of their
bodies. They were so repulsive in APP
pearance that / at once dubbed the most
disreputahle specimen "Fagin''-a bap-
tiSmal inspiration that eventually
achieved popularity. Then, with that
hypocrisy which chSracterizes man when
lonely, | began TO patronize my much
abused dog, and even the feline antique;
for both had accompanied me in my pas
toral duties. After which | walked back
to the ranch. Here | encountered another
dubious object, that in my then detected
condition struck me as almost ominous.
This was pet lizard which, for the past
month, had inhabited the neighboring
kitchen-a long, low structure with can
vas roof-and which was now perched
upon the doorstep. But Tommy" was
On the present occasion very much out of
luck. He was not. under the most favor
able circumstances, prepossessing OBJ
ject. He was brick red, covered with
polka dots of black, and had diabolical
leer about the eye. Tommy" however,
had now unaccoUntahly lost his tail, and
was obviously so Inundated and dispir-
tied that he unconsciously infected and
aggravated my own melancholy
| opened the door of the kitchen, into
which he Immediately dired and hid his
diminished Hardship from view. Enter
ing the little cabin, and acting from
feeling Of generous hospitality that must
have struck both as phenomenal, ! in
vited the companiopship of Miss Flo''
and ''AIiss Emma" Then ! lighted the
lamp, and drawing the solitary chair of
the apartment to a convenient distance,
picked up a volume of "Macaulays
Essays flor we were fortunately blessed
with an abundance of literature), and dis
posed myself to read- / remember think
ing, as / settled myself into a comfortable
position, that I would make amends for
my enforced isolation by profound literary
culture, and rather pluming myself upon
this prairie study But made sinCularly
little progress that evening. ] found my
self entirely unable 10 concentrate my
attention. | was oppressed by an irlde-
Unable feeling of dread that at last Gull
minated in a nervous sensation Of being
observed. threw aside my book IN dis
gust, and endeavored 70 account for it.
II was now pitch dark outside. was
sitting at Little desk that, from the pov-
erty of our household furniture, was
obliged TO perform manifold duties. To-
night il was somewhat ovsrburdened with
frontier brlc-a-brac, conspicuous among
which was a large Colts revolver and
cartridge belt perceived that, as sat.
| was directly in line with the two win
dows of the raach--one on the south, the
other on the north side OF the house.
Partly from a feeling Of caution which
one acquires on the frontier, and partly
from this nervousness could not explain,
/ shifted my chair around against the
wall until faced the southern window.
In elTecting this change Of position / sue
ceedad in treading On Miss Emma and dis
eonmodinz Mss Flo, who, after locking
a. ne IL a gr.eved fashion, accommodated
herself TO another quarter with the usual
famine philosophy and c5rcgr2locGtion-
As / tilted ny chair against the door
and assumed a Aggressive atVIfGsas 20
ward the opposite window, / noticed few
drops Of water upon the psaes. and was
Then for the FIRST TINE aware that IL Wa
raining. a ncnsat sfte- q vivid fash OF
lightning Illuminated the darkness VITA