The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-05-02
Queen of Mestanza.


There was collected 4 crowd Of COW
bows and rancIaeros, and motely gath
ering of natives, half-breeds, Castillians
and tenderfeet brought together on The
Punta de Aqua race course to see dash
between the pride Of Berendo-Lazs
Bill and the pet Of the Lower country.
Ii was my first visit TO New Mexican
erarera and / looked with interest at ey-
erything, but most of all at the clear
voiced, black-eyed, daslIing little TIana
who was in among the curveting horses,
joking with the cowboys in unmistaka-
bic southern English, rattling away to
half a dozen Mexicans in their soft, bas-
tard tongue. jingling money, earrings,
iinger-rings and spurs, in capacious bag
in which. in the shape of bets lay the
trinketso of filagree and cunningly wrought
gold and silver, the treasurer of many a
sgnorita and muchacho who on q race
would stake life and liberty and yet be
happy if but spared the one and not
made to greatly feel the shackles of a
self imposed slavery
The gambling instinct is born in these
brown skinned people, and the loss of
all is compensated by the fierce delirium
of delight in risking. The horses were
called, the starter-the padre-had given
the ''go," Lazy Bill came forging down
the track laid out and made famous by
Billy the Kid, and Lincoln's little brown
mare lost 5000 for her losers that day.
| was so intent watching the wonder
ful woman who was at the finish, and
gave veil that the good old horse seem
ed to understand, for he turned his head
and gave low whinny as his mistress
smoothed down his smoking flank. After
time she came sauntering up the stretch
leading string of horses, and gathered
in revolvers, sombreros, promises to
pay" in cows, sheep, goats, etc.
That is Mrs Miller, the queen of Mes
tanza," | was informed, "the best horse
breaker on the plain, the best all-night
dancer, the best cook, aud one of the
very best women you ever saw. She can
rope yearling, can 90 into the branding
pen and work alongside the boys; she
can take care of and break any colt Mil
ler's goi, and she can tog out TO beat any
body in these parts. Let me introduce
you
/ met Mrs Miller and found her no less
interesting as conycrsaiionalist than |
had found her as plunger. She is, |
think, from Tennessee, her voice and ac-
cent being those of the nomads of that
State who have by thousands settled in
Texas, haze been called Lijanos-Texans
by the the natives, who hate the Tex
an or the man who comes over the trail
from the Lone Star State.
There is no trace of the frontier wo-
man in Mrs Miller's manner, nor shade
of masculinity. | asked her how she had
ever been able to so enter into the spirit
of the people as to assimilate with them
and make them such strong frionds--for
their isn't man, woman or child who
does not earnestly say mi amiga" when
she dashes through the plaza mail nights,
her two spirited horses and rattIing buck
board calling out every dog in the town.
Il don't know. like the people and
the life, the excitement and the uncon-
yentionality, and they are nota hard peo-
pie TO make friends of. You will like
them very much when you come to know
them
Living near Mrs. Miller on the plain
are two other families, the women of
which take an active part in the business
of each ranch. One of the loveliest, gem
tlesi, softest-yoiced, hospitable ladies is
Mrs Houston, whose husband is sheep
owner Such women as these never talk
of the rights of the sex, and from out the
west will 20 an influence stronger, purer
and more lasting than all the preaInbles,
associations and the rest of
it, that my eastern sisters will dabble
with.
The women of the west arc in no doubt
as to their rights, and the men of the
west gladly accord them, for out here ii
is good comradeship, common sense and
grit that make the women the idol of the
boys out in the line camps, on the plains,
riding in the face of the storm hunting
drifting cattle, under pine bush watch
ing the fiocks, at the ranch laying oil. in
the home where to husband and chill
dren she is indeed wife and mother
The HandSomeSt Lady