Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-30
QUEEN OF MESrANZA,
a Good Horse Breaker and an Accom-.
plished Womsn.
CT Iouis ChyonfrIe

a Good Horse Breaker and an Accom-.
pished Womsn.
st. Louis Chronicle.
There was collected q crowd Of cowboys
and rsncheros, and motley gathering OF
natives, hali-oreeds, C.stillians and ten
derfeet, brought together on the Punta de
Aqua race course to see dash between
the pride Of Berendo, Lazy Bill and the
pet Of the Lower Country.
Il wss my first visit to New Mexican
crarers, and looked with interest at
everything, out most Of all at the clear
voiced, black-eyed, dsshiug little
Tilsna who was in smong the curveting
horses, Joking with the cowboys in un-
mistakaole southern English, rsttllng
away to half dozen Mex cans in their
soft, bastard tongue, jingling money,
earrings, fDger-rings snd spurs, in ca
pacious bag in which in the shape of bets
lay the trinkets of fllsgree and cunningly
wrought gold and silver, the treasurer of
many siglorita and muchacho who on q
race would stake life and liberty and yet
be hsppy If but spared the one and not
made to greatly feel the shackles OF q self
imposed slavery.
The gambling instinct is born II these
brown skinned people, and the loss Of
all Is compensated Dy the fierce celirium
of delight In risking. The horses were
called, the stsrter-the padre-hsd given
the "go," Ley Bill came forging down
the track laid cut and made famous by
Billy the Kid, and Lincoln's little brown
mare lost $4,000 for her losers that day.
Twas SO intent watching the wonderful
woman who wss at the finish, and gave q
veil that the good old horse seemed to
understand, for he turned his head and
gave q low whinny as his mistress
smoothed down his smoking flank. After
g time she came sauDtering up the stretch
leading slrlrg of horses, and gathered
10 revolvers, sombreros, "prOmises to
psyn in CO VS., sheep, goats, etc.
"That is Mrs. Miller, the Queen OF
Mestanzs,"I Ras informed, "the best
horsebreeker on the plain, the best all
night dancer, the best cook, and one of
the. very best women you ever saw. She
can rope yesrling, can 60 into the brand
ing pen and work alongside the boys; she
can take care of and break any colt
Miller's got, and che can tog out to beat
anybody IN these parts. Let me intro
duce you"
Imet Mrs. Miller and found her no less
Interesting as convers nationalist than l
had found her as plupger. She is, l
think, from Tennessee, her voice and &C.
cent being those Of the nomads of that
state who have by thousands settled in
Texas, have been called Lijsnos-Texsns
by the natives, who hate The Texan or
the man who comes over the trail from
the Lone Star state.
There is no trace Of the frontier woman
in Mrs. Miller's manner, nor q shade OF
masculinity. asked her how she had
ever been able to so enter into thu spirit
of the people as to sssimilate with them
and make them such strong friends-for
there isn't man, woman or child who
does not earnestly say "mi amiga" when
she dashes through the plszs mail nights,
her two spirited horses and rattlipg buck
board calling out every dog in the town.
"I don't know. like the people and
the life, the excitement and the unconven-
tionSlity, azd they sre not hard people
to make friends Of. You will like them
very much when you come to know
them"
Living near Mrs. Miller on the plain |
sre two other families, the women Of
which take an active part in the business |
Of each ranch. One of the loveliest, gen.
tlest, softest voiced, hospitsble 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 go an influence stronger, purer
and more lasting than all the preamblee,
resolutions, associations and the rest Of
1t, that my eastern sister will dabble with.
The women of the west are in no doubt
as to their rights, and the men Of the
west gladly accord them. forout here 1t
is good comradeship, common sense and
grit that make the woman the idol CT the
boys out in the line camps, on the plains,
riding in the face Of the storm hunting
drifting cattle, under pine bush watch
log the focks, ct the ranch laying on, in
the home where to husband and children
the ia indeed wife and mother.