The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1890-09-15

Five thousand head of Texas cattlel
just think OF Ill A little sea OF long,
branching horns and thin, nervous
faces. A roar goes up now and then
from some home-sick animal, and here
and there two engage in a hooking
contest, tearing at one another's sides
as IL 10 infiict deadly injuries.
But ell the time the great living
mass is moving northward with an lr-
regular motion. while a score OF wide
hated herders. mounted on wiry, OK
citable broncho ponies, hang on the
aanks and sides
Ii is the annual cattle drive.
1t was In the middle OF the Indian
Territory that an incident took place
which gave q never-to-be-forPotten
thrill TO every man in the comu y.
We'll. stranger, are you thinking
of joining the army for good" asked
one OF the cowboys. riding beside the
emigrants wagon the day after 1t
joined the herd.
''We-uns Is goin' ter Nerbraslxy, y
was the surly reply,
We're goin' TO see gran'pa an
gran'ma. piped CHEEKY voice.
And the iaaxen head OF 6-year old
peeped out from under the canvas
cover.
sOhl you arel Well, little ons
whera.d you come fromPn laugbed slle
cowboy.
"Oh, just In here I'm papa's little
girl, you know, " the child replied.
II was the beginning Of friendship
between the prattling little Julia and
rough, reckless Mack.
The heraer had been for years an
exile from the society OF children, and
this fresh, sweet bit of humanity was
like an angel from heaven in his eyes
Looks like storm. /" said Mack
one day as he rode up TO the wagon.
The cattle seem uneasy" Then as
he looked around for his pet he add
ed:
Where's Juliaw
Don't KNOW said the father, de-
jectedly. Guess she must be some'ers
about She was around here awhile
ago.
They looked In the wagon and be-
meath IT. She was not 10 be found.
The father and mother became
alarmed. and searching with their eyes
the prairie, spread out like great
grassy sea, in the vain effort to find
the missing child.
Mack rode away 70 the herder's
camp, thinking she might have wan
aaFed there While he-Stfs PeeFiagg
among the low tents and the other
paraphernalia OF the outfit low rum
BILE was borne to his ears. 1t was the
sound OF distant thunder.
Whether Ii was the noise itself, or
some electric force In the atmosphere,
or something else that excited the
wild, untamed cattle In the cowboys
charge could not be told, but Mack,
upon viewing the herd. saw a sight
that sent as much terror TO his heart
as IL did to those OF his comrades.
A stampede was about tooccur!
A stampede Is q serious matter. II
means danger, and perhaps death te
the drivers With wild. unreason-
Ing impulse the mighty herds will
rush pell nell In one direction, scat.
tering as they go, those behind
pushing on those In front until some
times q dozen miles are put between
their starting point and themselves.
When they had s.bunched" In q
crowding. heaving horde the start was
made. Cowboys and dogs were paid
no more attention to than the flies on
their fiankH.
There 10 no stopping them, nor YET
ID there any guiding them. The
herders can do nothing but watch the
river OF horns and hide roll on 20 the
sound OF the bellows and hoofs beats.
Mack saw Il and he looked still
more anxiously for his httle golden.
haired Julia, to whom he was %
much attached. More carefully he
scanned the prairie.
Suddenly he saw, far of 10 the east
perhaps q mile away, white straw
hat
Ii was the chIld's.
The cattle were rushing togetheI
and moving In the baby's direction.
1T were wonderful said Julia's
father, In telling the incident a few
days ago. how cool he looked. The
other cowboys were that bad ratified
they couldn't stir. but he just stood
and thought like he was only going
across the street. 1t was out o. the
question FER him 10 git TO the baby.
bat In a minute there camo thought
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