Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-12-28

when 1 will, as you may say, as good ~
| have my blanket.
These handsome skins of which speak
we're many of them gifts from young
Devil River renchman TO the lady of the
house and her daughters. The relations
| between people away out on a sort Of
! frontier like this are very friendly,
almost family like. They are de-
pendent on one another. These young
men, living away on remote ranches or
camping II large part of the wear sixty
miles from nowhere, nearly all OF them
poor, fOrlorn bachelors, are dependent
upon the few ladies in the country for an
occasional taste of home comfort. They
come through here aud stop for one or
two or Il dozen days. Mrs. makes
cough medicine for one, fixes up q sore
thumb for another, lends them all
novels. and makes jam and preserves for
them to carry away off to their jamleSs
ranch houses.
They bring, one handsome cat skin,
another a half a lamb or saddle OF an
telope. and another lot of coyote skins
to make a carriage robe Of. They
"help," too. They split kindling and
bring water and kill chickens. 1t is 4
pleasant illustration of friendly inter-
dependence, one that is a product OF the
present stage of development Of the
country, and will pass away with this
epoch, when the population Is less scat
tered.
Mrs. - has q fine lot OF young
chickens and turkeys, which are the
pride of her heart and the delight of her
guests lives. She wages a continual
warfare for their lives with polecats,
hawks, an occasional coyote, badgers
and all manner of varmints. External
vigilance is the price off, fried chicken
out here. The chicken house is abOu!
twenty rods from the house, but the
chickens have a blind and seuseless de-
termination to roost about the woodpils
and the kitchen door, where the var
minis would carry of every one OF
them.
So driving the chickens to roost is q
regular evening ceremonial. 1t is per-
formed by Mr.. -, q white-haired and
reverened-Iooking old party, Mrs. -
myself and Saudie, the handsomest and
most no account fool pup In Tom Green
county.
A ba rbed wire fence used TO run across
the yard about midway between house
and hennery; it has been knocked down,
dog holes and cacti to lend additions.
interest and piquancy to the chase
We usually get them with much head
ing, and vociferatlng and frantic rush
ing about and cackling, nearly to ms
silent factor when one young specklsa
rooster, who seems possessed OF very
demon of perverseness, bolts hyster!c-
ally. Sandie, the officIous, after him.
Ssndie ia knocked down and broughs
back and the chicken rounded up Win
great noise and commotion, only 10
break again.
"You,' says Mr.. -, 'you. Don
you come back here! III bust yer ear,
III knock yer teeth down yer throat
Thump! goes q chip just back oil inc
rooster to turn him, but he only rises
squalling in the air aud flies directly over
Mr.. IS head, back toward the house
Half the flock turn at this.
:You DEVILS poor old Mr..
Kisses between his teeth, he Skins along
in his rage like youth OF twenty, MIS-
. and / shooting and running. too.
"Oh, the fence. Johu,' cries poor
Mrs. -, but he's past hearing; hs
grabs his big hat off and SHES 1t at tn'
boiling chickens. Sandie runs into him.
over him, and leaves him in the wire
fence tearing his ht,ir and swearing tnat
every one OF those tends may be eaten
up by polecats before he'll STIR too',
while the chickens walk iuQuiringly back
to the house, and l sit down on tho
ground and hug that worthless pup 10
my bosom and weep tears of hysterical
Joy.
After this regular programme has been
put through Mrs. and / go anu
corner the bolter with our aprons, cateu
him and drive all the Others quietly
enough to the hennery.
But all the fun would be out OF II il
the wire fence were cleared away, the
bolter killed or cooped up, or sandie,
the senselsss, stsked out before the cams
opens. ALICE AAcGowAA-