The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-06
AN IDIL OF THE lit.

1t is sunset at the 1T ranch. -Four or
five cowboys sit gloonily about. outside
the ranch house, awaiting supper. The
Mexican cook has Just begun his fragrant
task, so a half hour must eiapse before
these Arabs are fed Their ponies are
turned into the wire pasture. their big
/ Colorado saddles repOsa astride the low
pale fence which surrounds the house,
/ and it is evident that their riding is over
1 for the day.
Why are they gloomy? Not a boy of
them can tell. One is from Princeton,
/ too. They have been partners and com
/ paneros and worked the 1T cattle to-
gether for months, and nothing ever
came in misunderstanding or cloud
The ranch house IS their home. and
theirs has been the unity Of brothers.
A week ago a pretty girl, the daughter
of one Of the owners, came to the ranch
from the east. she was protected in
this venture by an old and gnarled aunt,
watchful as ferret. SOUR as a lime
Not that the pretty girl needs watching;
she is indeed in every move propriety's
climax No soft or dulcet reason woos
her to the west; she comes ON no love
errand. She is elegantly and profoundly
tired Of the east, that is all. and longs
for western air and western sights. She
has been at the HT ranch a week, and
the boys have met her. every one. The
meeting or meetings were marked by
awkwardness as to the boys, utter in
difference as TO the pretty girl. She
met them as she met the ponies, cows,
horned toads and other animals, domes-
tic and indigenous to eastern New Mex
leo. While every cowboy was blush
ingly conscious of her, she was purely
and serenely guiltless of giving him
thought.
Before this pretty girl came the boys
We're friends. and the calm tenor of their
relations with each other had never
ripple. She was not there a day before
each drew himself insensibiy from the
others, and a vague hostility shone
dimly in their eyes. It was the instinct
of the fighting male animal aroused by
the presence of the pretty girl. She,
however, proceeded on her daily way,
sweetlv unconscious of the sentiments
she had awakened.
Men are mere animals: women are,
too, for that matter. but they are very
different animals from men. The eff
fort the race makes to be the other. bet
ter or different than beasts fails. 1t al
WAYS failed: it will always fail. Civil
zation-culture-is the variest veneer
and famously thin. a year on the plains
cracks this veneer - this shell - and
leaves the animal exposed. This is by
the expanding growth Of all that is ami
malish in man: these attributes Of the
physical being fed and pampered by
plains existence.
The dark. vague, impalpable differ
encer which cut of each Of these Great
ures from his fellows ard inspired him
with an unreason;ng and unreasonable
hate had grown with the brief week of
their existence. \ philosopher would
look for trouble soon on the HT.
''What did you go and take my saddle
for yesterday, Bill!' said Jack Moore to
a boy by the name of Bill Watkins
"'Cause | allows I'll ride it some"
saws Watkins. Il thought it might like
to carry a high grade cowpuncher once"
"Well. don't take it no more" said
Moore, modify, ignoring the gay iuso-
lence in the reply. "Leastwi5e, don't
come a-talin' of it an sayin' nothin'
You can palaver Americana. can't Won?
When YOU aims to ride my saddle agin,
ask for it: if You can't talk make signs.
and if you cant make sign, shake a
bush. but don't go Injunin' off no saddle
of mine no more"
Whatever do YOU allow is liable to
happen if I take it agin tomOrry:' in
quired Bill in high scorn.
Bill was of a more vivacious temper
than the gloomy Moore.
"You takes it aCin an | mingles with
you a whole lot, mighty prompt, re-
piled Moore in a tone Of obstinate injury.
These BOYS We're brothers in affection
before that pretty girl came, and either
would have gone afoot all day TO lend
his saddle to the other Going afcot, 100,
is the last thing, let ne assure you, a (
cowboy VIII do.
"Well. don't you fail to mingle none"
said Bill. with cheerful ferociry." on ac-
count of its being me. ] crossed the trail
of the shorthorn Ike YOU, over on the
onct. an puts him n the IRE
an has plenty of fIn with him
stop the play now, right we're. said
Tom Rawlins. tie 1T range boss, who /
was sitting close ~ hama You al
spring t-ouble round we're an III be init.
the matter with all YOU peo- +.
pie anyway. You're like passed. Of sore
head dogs for mor@'n week DOW.
You're shorely too many for me TO sabe, /
an I cl'ar gives YOU up.
The boys started some gru1nbling re- /
ply. but the cook called them - supper /
Just then. and. one aninlsllsm becoming /
0versnadowed ~ another, they forgot I.
their rancor and vsgre sainosities IN /
thoughts OF supplying their hunger. To /
ward the last OF ti,e -epaSt RswliEs arose +
and going 10 another room began over 1
boxing some entries Il the ranch books. /
The pretty girl did nos est at the ranch 4
fable. She ned little bsnquets IN her Z
own room. just tEen she was ~ her I
own room ana began singing IN low /
tenor some tender htt4e love song that 4
seemed born Of q sign and tear. The /
boys at supper heard her. and their re-
sentiment Of eaoA otAer existence began /
again 10 fame in sa6ir breasts and burn 1
deeply IN their eyes. SoRe Of tnese saw |
ages was in the least degTee IN love with 4
the pretty SRI either. They might have 1
become 50. al or say Of them.
The singing went on II cooling. soft (
way thai did net bring YOU the words