Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-26

through one Of the most untraveled portions
OF New Mexico-a tiny brook whose volume
Is no more than that of five-mile rivulet il
the East-watering and making green /.
pretty thread of a valley, but itself accurst
Hospitality Of the Cowboy.
The next days walk was short, but yer,
wearisome with that crushing load, and at
the sight of San Jose-a "town" of a SEQ
tion house and q ranch house-I decided tc
do no more without rest A long-haired
cowboy, with 20-pound buffalo gun acros.
the saddle, came Looping up as drew near,
greeted me pleasantly, made fast friends
with suspicious Shadow, and bade me over
to the ranch house for the night. My even.
ing in the wind-swept shanty with
him and the three other cowboys
then at headquarters-the rest being scat.
tered over the many leagues of the
range-was very pleasant one. Cowboy
hospitality is always genuine, though rough,
and one who has trouble with these wild
riders has only himself to thank. Here
got rid of one Of the most troublesome parts
Of my load-trading my venerable and bat
tered Winchester rifle for a splendid new
Colts six-shooter with all its trappings-a
perfect weapon which has since seen me
through many "close call" The exchange
was most welcome relief, and as for eff
fectlveness, / soon got SO handy with the
new arm that there was no need for the
rifle.
On the road to Ell Rito next dav met
two belated foes, my encounter with whom
illustrates the curious and unreasoning
prejudices which are born in us and will not
be gone. One was sluggish, half-frozen
rattlesnake, whose head I incontinently
hacked off with a unalarmed hunting knife
The other was a huge, dark, hairy tarantula,
lively enough, which jumped at me foot
at lift, and within a yard of which would
not have come for worlds.
Shooting a Tarantula In Two.
I cut his hideous body in twain from ten
feet away with a careful bullet from nv
forty-four. Snakes have always rather
liked and never had the remotest fear of;
but that Unborn horror of spiders l have
never been able to shake of-though in dis.
gust at the weakness I forced myself for
two years to catch and kill in my bare
fingers every spider found and suffered in
conceivably in doing it. But to this day a
cold chill runs down me whenever I como
suddenly upon one of these most devilish of
crea, ed things
Later in the day huge skunk crossed the
trail and a lucky shot in the eye saved me
his skin untainted.
1t was Christmas Eve when We reached Ell
Rito and its lone section house and I felt q
bit of hollowness under my heart. This did
not seem particularly Christmas like to q
graduate from the old New England fire.
place, with its pendent stockings, and from
the glorious Christmas dinner OF the old
home. But there was no use in moping
about it, and 1 strobe up to tho section
house to the usual wrenched supper. But
there was considerable surprise for ma
The section "boss," tall, angular, good
natured PENNSYLVANIA named Phillips,
seemed to take a shine" to me at once and
before supper was over he had invited me
to stay over tomorrow and eat Christmas
dinner with them. The s'boys" had
''chipped in" and sent to Albuquerque for
turkey and cranberries, and all the other
blessed old standbys, and it was going to be
'the real thing" I made feeble remark
about being in haste to reach San Mateo,
but Phillips suppressed me at once. '"Tain't
every day we kill pig and give the bristles
to the poor" he said, ''and you'll just stay
and eatP' CHARLES F. LUnrn11s.