The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1891-07-31
AN IDYL OF THE HT.


1t is sunset at lhe HT ranch
Four or five cowboys sit gloomil,
about, outside The ranch house
awaiting supper. The Mexican
cook has just begun his fraeran
task, so Il half hour must elapse
before these Arabs are fed. Theil
ponies are turned into the wire
pasture, their big Colorado saddles
repose astlide the low pale fence
which surrounds the house, and il
is evident that their riding is over
for the day.
Why are they gloomy? Not {
boy OF them can tell. One is from
Princeton, too. They have beer
partners and companions and
worked" the Hi cattle together
for months, and nothing came il
misunderstanding or cloud. The
ranch house is their home, and
theirs has been the unity of broth
erS.
A week ago a pretty girl, the
daughter Of one of The own
erS, came TO the ranch from the
east. She was protected in this
venture by an cid and gnarled
aunt, watchIul 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 reasons wOos her
10 the west she comes on no love
erranh. She is elegantly and pro.
loundly ilied Of the east, that is
all, aud longs for western air and
western sights. She has been at
the HI ranch a week, and the boys
have met her, every one. Tie
meeting OF meetings were marked
by awkwardness as TO the boys,
uIIerindIlierernce as 10 the pretty
girl. She met them as she met
the ponies, cows, horned loads and
other ANIMALS, domestic and indi
geous To eastern New Mexico.
While every cowboy was blushing-
ly conscious OF her, she was purely
and serenely guiltless OF giving
him thought.
Before tins pretty girl came The
boys were friends, and The calm
tenor of their relations with each
other had never aripple. She was
not there day before each drew
insensibly from the others,
and vague hostility shone dimly
in their eyes. 1t was The instinct
of the fighting male animal arous-
ed by The presence OF The pretty
girl. She, however, proceeded on
her daily way, sweelly uncon-
-cious 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 effort The race makes
10 be the other. better or different
han beasts, fails. 1t always fail |
ell it will always fail. Civiliza-
Ion-culture--is the veriest vc-
1eer and famously thin. A year |
IN the plains cracks this veneer
his shetland leaves The animal |
This is by The expand.
ng growth of all that is animal in
nan these attributes of the phys |
cal being fed and pampered by a 1
plains existence.
The dark, vague. impalpable |
differences which cut off each of |
,hese creatures from his fellows /
md inspired him with an unreas-
ming and immeasureable hatred /
Iad grown with the brief week Of |
her existence. A philosopher
would look for trouble soon on the
1T ranch.
"What did you go and take my
iaddIe for yesterday, Bill Z" said
lack Moore 10 a boy by The name
II Bill Watkins.
"'Cause | allows I'll ride IT
,ome,n says Watkins. IL thought
[ might like 10 carry high grade
once"
"Well, don't take it no more"
aid Moore, moodily, ignoring The
,ay insolenee in the reply. Least
wise. don't come a-iakin' of IT an
,ayin' aolhln'. You can palaver
4 americana, can't youg When you
aims 10 ride my saddle agin ask
or il; if you can'ttalk make sign,
md if you can't make signs, shake
, bush, but don't go Injunin' off