The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-04
T0RY OF A CAT HUNT
-uE NIGHT BEFORE NEW
, YEARS IN TEXAS.

W. Quarters - How the Boys
'S-e.ars" Disappeared, Likewise the
- GIRLS Eyebrows and Other Of
Anrurtenances - A Very Racy
n ' Of Frontier Incident
wrK,vrrr, TEX, Jan. 3.-Gentle
IL -,;,brened reader, did yoa ever hunt
. AZ not now have reference to the
s" "a deteriora:ed cat of civilization.
es's +bom there is nothing able bodied or
81" save his howl, but to the spotted
Fal '., wildcat, to catch whom there
90 incentives. The sport, first; bis
is 'D sosirsble skin, second; and his very
'd! o-Is habit of carrying off young
S '-a fowls, ETC., third
w. w. had often stalked the discordant'
W. o,',ans midnight cat Of the city alley or
N'i. Co., Uoodshed: had chased the par
81 domestic cat. known as the minis
u'-- .brough all the dizzy mazes of the
W 49, from "astute" to 'zealous;" but
Ap 51over hunted wildcat. | had always
o'- srficiently pleased that l was mo
We '...n and the wildcat wouldn't hunt me-
e ,.roe New Years eve at the Lopez
our Chriscmas festivities had been
Isl. .oIv sat upon by the weather, bitter
E, .sboT 10 ded with icy rain, having shut
W. 'a IN the rancho house and cut OIL all pu1
f.gie NJ the boidest of our expected guess
5.eT now il was fine and clear, we were IN
Du 'd numbers, and it was decided late In the
sU oou; quite out Of band. to go cat hunt
" There were good horses and good com
m Inv a prospect Of plenty OF hard riding
Pa99ii times. so | was full of enthusi-
inl IA IA anticipation, though l could not
tsa feet privately upon the gratultous
ggn;sb1ass of my deliberately going out
ms, ANYTHING which il would be so very
.r,yne on YOU fellows, and help saddle"
Aoutsd Albert Fox, who was general rustler
an ali occasions. kicking open the door OF
the bachelor room. ,,
VIZ sInst hold on till I take Queen Elizy-beth
;. orr nj the weather." responded Charley
W. Rrnnt We're playing casino for two
sit. a game, and I'm 81 and three bits out.
You drop tnaUE A.. IT. ,A o,+
ha tsbe went over: then enter Mr.. Fox,
dragging Char ey.
GIs~ley Van Brunt was figure. Hewas
,bont five feet three, and weighed some $50
nonrds. He had handsome, laughing black
ave, the funniest little short legs, the chest,
s6nlders and arms of Sampson, and there
wasn't al soul. ranca man, cowboy or b'oncho
buster in the country taat could handle him
but Albert Fox.
BE was Of a fno old Knickerbocker fam
ilv born to wealth and brought up amid
Dfoiigal luxury and affiIence. His harum-
carIm Imagination was early fired by
81 r.g.t
n his bent toward it were simply irresistible,
and as soon as he got loose from college he
CAM here Just as naturally as the tides fol-
low the moon, or the released spark flies up
ward. He bought ranche-the Dolores
0nlssimo-and a fine stock Of cattle. He
was the most generous hearted creature in
the world universal gallant and utility man
Of all the young ladies in the vicinity. He
had guns, dogs, horses, saddles, a blackboard,
and was always ready and at their service
for anything, from duck hunt or fox or
jack RABBIT chase to fuGeral.
He had { magnificent bass voice, dulcet,
magnetic, melodious, but with the force and
carrying power of a fog horn. When this
voic was heard at the rancho house, in one
of his regular yaz0o yells, or roaring out
with equal usto rollicking college song Or
a funeral hymn, probably a mile away
across the prairie, everybody knew the
next sound would be the rattle of the over
worked buck beard or the clatter of Blinker's
hOots at dead run. Then, farewell all
Sordid toll, all domestic duties; it was a
pecan hunt, a fishing expedition, with for
tuitous curlew, or quail, or plover; an ante
lope caase, or a dance at some distant
rancho
Meantime, things at the Dolores rauche
went swimmingly. His men were fairly
efficient and careful considering the boss
they had, ard any cattle or calves they
overlooked, bad me :" Mexican cattle
thieves, maverick branders or panthers and
timber wolves could always atte d to.
Inc rancho had been a pri cely one, with
Thousands If &C es If fl pasture, watered
BY TWO neverfailing streams, with their
borders OF pecan trees, and dotted with
clusters of live oak, and the stock OF cattle
that be bought very large and superior
one 1t wasn't particular about the mar
keis, enough beef would always bring some
money, a'd in an extreme pinch desirable
pasture could usuallyshe disposed of, or the
WhoIe property decorated with another
mortgage. 80, at the house the expensive
canned goods came in wagon loads, wine
ana Deer by the case, ard whisky by the
~ mere was nothing to do but to keep
isasouaoly tull and get hilariously drunk
% occasions. Tee rancho was, naturally.
the stopping place of al the prospectors.
Iecuators and capitalists travelling
trough, and there were besides, usually a
e1lec. on OF genial spirits from the
sast visit g Charley.
marcy was not steady drinker and not
s sUE!lhkard, but be bad no prejudice against
s'.lng drunk incidentally, in friendly
way IL is remembered to this day how
NV, wren there was more than usually
WI WUI'I'lal and blbulous crowd at the rancho.
gu ualds Went on prolonged tear. On the
sttehlng OF the second day hey were early
oo9r aud quite uncomfortable, SO the serv-
aIO girl was sent into the little store-room
"uere all the liquors were kept to procure
1me bracers. Some one was making a
sspeech-probably Charley--part of the com
ID was listening, few asleep, and sew
va II taought they were playing poker.
~ Upon tnls Jocund company suddenly burst
VIC noise Of a large-slzed explosion, and
, "nen tney rushed outside they found tie
s .ns DOM In flames, and all the eyebro VS.
auu lashes, and much of the hair aud cloth
lug, &nd large fragments of the original
structure blown off the servant girl.
IL was with the greatest difficulty the
Soase was saved; the girl was lastered up
a. well as the circumstances would admit
ai.i reimbursed for the eyebrows, etc.,
aa.''uough 1t was her own oiI-can-and-cook-
~ Eve carelessness that had ignited the Reg
Of whisky. '''O - 70
81 men they looked at each other in mourn
W. INQUIRY. Where were their bracers? A
,o.,4lc was put on fast horse with some
lf|IIeens Tor whisky, money, and instruc-
1ouS TO borrow or steal a fresh horse to
,olne back on. But, alas, the nearest town
"as sixty miles away! He couldn't be back
S7slore morning-not much before noon.
-,er Woody was all broke up with the drink
" b0uE and Tho E-i.-LAe..I ..----.A.a--