The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-12-20
n REAL COWBOY,
He Scorns tho Tendsrfoot Who Tries
Initiate Him.

b"ttbto Iths
"Ya'as," said the old cowman "Tvs
been east, been clean Lack to the tide
water; an I've seen seine strange sights
things that strike a man from the
plains as queer. There's a heap o Diff
renee tween things here an the same
things there.
"Take a cowboy, cor instance. A man
that is used to the everyday 'puncher'
of the range wouljn't hardly recognize
the article they have back in the
States as belonging to he same brood.
al never saw any of the gentry in the
flesh, but their pictures are everywhere.
A paper can't mention stock without
ringin' in two or three likenesses Of
Judge they was habitually on the prod
an huntin' a victim.
"Their rig is a paralyzer. 1t gener-
ally consists of a hat-sombrerer they
call it-of the Dimensions of an average
washtub; the same they wear pin'd up
In front an extendin' out behind like a
summer kitchen. OF course they all
wear Icing, curly hair.
Next comes the buckskin shirt an
pants, fringed and beaded all over.
This is generally understood to have
been done by an Indian mash. An
their boots-weli, they are something
to walk around and wonder al. Twenty
inch legs, and, as If that wasn't enough,
they have a kind of apron on that comes
up over the knee and buttons behind.
Naturally they have a spur to match
all this gorgeousness, and it is q hun
The shank is about four inches in the
clear, an on the end is hung q rowel
somewhat larger han the head OF q
tomato can. They drag it along the
ground an it makes a furrer you could
plant corn in.
"As is to be expected, this apparition
goes 'heeled, and at such odd times as
he hasn't got his gun in his hand he
wears it on his left side in a government
scabbard, with the flap buckled down.
They appear to have q dialect Of
their own. Say, stranger seems to be
the grand hailing greeting of the order.
al used to think the old Lone Star
trail had some pretty snaky-looking
specimens on it, but they was plum CIV
ilized compared with the average cow
boy Of the Eastern press.
Now, just compare the outfit of the
average ranch hand-one who knows
enough about his business to hold q
steady job-with the above. AS q rule
you will find him wearing q Stetson hat
with a four-inch brim that wouldn't flop
II the owner wanted it to, a heavy wool
shirt Of some dark color that won't show
dirt, maybe a handkerchief around his
neck, trousers or overalls worn outside
of his boots as often as in 'em, an, if he
is in a bushy country, a pair of chaps
over these, the whole making a costume
that is maybe picturesque, but gorgeous
hardly.
"As for q six-shooter, not one in ten
wear 'em, but the tenth man don't veal
his on the left side and tied down in his
scabbard. If he wants it at all. he
wants it where he can get it out and a.
barkin' terrible sudden.
''Of course, you will occasionally run
across a specimen rugged out to strike
terror on sight, but as a rule they are
driftin' around huntin' a job, or else are
kids who were weaned too young and
don't know any better.
1.-THE artists and writer's in the East,
in drawing their pictures of cowboys,
have gone a chip or two further over
the limit and got 'em mixed up with
the desperadoes and professional killers.
Nobody a deny that there are bad
men among the cowboys, but as q rule
when one Of them gets up a name as a
killer he quits 'punchin',' throw away
his white hat and spurs, and drifts to
the city, where he can exhibit himself,
and after awhile, IL he isn't killed off,
gets a steady job dealin' s%tud-poker, and
lives in hope Of some day going East to
help elevate the dram-er." - Chicago
Herald.