San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-02-02
A FRONTIER BOHEMIAN.

The sun was setting on 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 a faint pink glow all around the hori-
zon that on its western threshold fingered
in feathery fiecks Of crimson and gold.
The brief twilight Of Texan ATTITUDES was
already fastening through the thin files
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 / had some excuse for the
sudden loneliness that fell upon me. 1t
was the first time in 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 a general
merry making at distant frontier town.
AS | had volunteered in accepting the
position of cook during the past three
weeks, and for that period had labored to
fill recurrent and appalling vacuum in
eighteen able bodied men, my efforts had
naturally been somewhat facilitating.
Amid that exuberance of society, in which
solitude seems myth, l had declined
conviyiality and elected repose. l was left
behind as custodian Of the ranch.
But as l stepped from the door for the
purpose of penning the buck herd, was
beginning to regret my choice. l realized
that la "tenderfoot," with only three
months residence in the state-was alone
upon an area of $4,000 acres without let or
limit; that my nearest neighbor was five
mil chor
sea, to be traversed only by aid of that
shifting guide, the sun; that my only
companions In this primitive wilderness
were thirty-flve merino bucks of contem-
plative and exclusive tendencies; shep-
herd dog which was immaturely ELUSIVE
and slobberingly demonstrative upon being
addressed as miss Flo,n and an ebony
cat that wore NANCY and somewhat dis
sipated exterior under the sobriquet Of
'Miss Emma A dearth of the consola-
tions Of female society apparently inspires
the native Texan to o courteous acknowl-
edgment of the sex of domestic pets.
When, therefore, I 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 a company of hook
nosed Jews; that their knees were sprung
with the rheumatism of age; that their
eyes were rheumy and infamed, 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 ap-
pearance that / at once dubbed the most
disreputable specimen "Fagin"-a bap-
tismal inspiration that eventually
achieved popularity. Then, with that
hypocrisy which characterizes man when
lonely, 1 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 long, low structure with a 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
feet. He was brick red, covered with
polka dots Of black, and had diabolical
leer about the eye. Tommy" however,
had now unaccountably 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 dived a1d hid his
diminished Hardship from view. Enter
ing the little cabin, and acting from a
feeling of generous hospitality that must
hove struck both as phenomenal, in
vited the companionship Of miss Flo"
and "Aiiss Emma" Then lighted the
lamp, and drawing the solitary chair of
the apartment to convenient distance
picked up a volume of "Macaulay's
Essays'' flor we were fortunately blessed
with an abundance of literature), and dis
posed myself to read. / remember think
ing, as / settled myself into comfortable
position, that ! would make amends for
my enforced isolation by profound literary
culture, and rather pluming myself upon
how much benefit ] should derive from
this prairie study. But made singularly
little progress that evening. found my
self entirely unable to concentrate my
attention. / was oppressed by an indie
Unable feeling Of dread that at last Gull