Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-14
rcoRRFspoNpENcE OF THE prspArcH.l

| Sdlu tne COWBOY, as ne roUe along DeSlQe
me, 'them'll be interestin' and amusin'
pictures, when cowboys is played out, and
chuck wagons is played out; and that won't
be so long neither, the way the ranches is
being cut up and settled by the nesters and
grangera. Me and the other boys'll be glad
to get you all the coyote and loafer skins
you want If you'll send us some of the pho
tographs when you get 'em printed, so
when we all get to be ex-cattle kings and
bank presidents We can look at them an
ricollect wha. fggers we used to cut when
we was cowboys, and served on the hurri-
cane deck of Texas pony"
| A big bunch of cattle from one of the
distant pastures was coming in to be
| shipped, and we had received word in the
afternoon at ranch headquarters that the
outfit would camp that night not far from
| the house, and that we were formally in
vited by no less person than the cook
himself to take supper at the camp. took
| my camera along and got some pictures of
our supper group, the mess wagon, cowboy
cook, cowboys, ponies and ladies, all in a
bunch, and it was to these my companion
referred.
/ 1t was my first supper in COW camp,
and the conversation was absorbingly inter-
esting and diverting to me.
A Story About !. Mean HORSE
"He was about the meanest horse ever
had while was managing the Quita Que"
said Walter Dyer; "one of the best cow
horses in the whole outfit, bu. the meanest,
most treacherous bucking beast you ever
saw. He had bad eye, with lots of white
in it, and we called him Cotton-eye.
Well, Cotton-eye got to have reputation
all over the country. and finally it got so
that couldn't get hand to ride him at all
So that spring when was going to hire
lot of new men,>I said, Look here, boys,
this wont do; I got to change this horses
name; he's got so famous nobodv'll take
him-he's got to have a nom de plume
"Cotton-eye was sort of curious. He'd
hang around camp always and look as meek
and mild as an old cow; steal all the bread
out of the wagon, and eat from vour hand
some of the boys used to feed him biscuits
it was only when he got saddle and
bride on that he was devilish. So said
we'd call him Biscuit
"When the horses were being divided up
among the new hands, I said to one OF the
best riders in the lot, here you, Delk
Ransom, here's little horse you can have
in your string He's a good COW pony but
he pitches little sometimes What's his
name, Dver?' says Delk, looking hard at
Cotton-eye.
"'Name's Biscuit, says I.
"Tm glad of that, says Delk, I was
afraid he was that Cotton-eye pony II
don't want to get him,
"cNo,' says I, we aint got him any
more
s'The first day DeIk started out on the
range he caught up his Biscuit horse, and
as he was climbing onto him mighty pro-
miscuous and careless, I saws, Look here,
Ransom, you better tie your stirrups to-
gether, that pony's liable to jump good |
bit
"'What, this little old two-up horse, says
Delk; I don't want no stlrrups tied to ride |
him. and for wonder Cotton-eye went off |
all right.
'rrhe next time Delk got on him he let in |
to pitch, and he went off pitchin' for all |
there was in him as far as we could see 'em,
the boys all yelling, Stay with him, Delk!'
Go it, Ransomp sit to himp
'"That evening Delk came into camp
afoot, and the boys was hard to hold.
"Cotton-eye sort of strolled in nextmor
ing and stole most of the bread out of the
wagon before we was up. .Delk got him,
saddled him, and started out on him with
blood in his eye. When they came in in
the evening Delk says to me, Dyer, was
that Cotton-eve horse any meaner than this
pony of mine?'
"'No, not bit, said I.
"'Well, I can ride him, says Delk. I'll
bet you he don't never get me off againr
"The boys couldn't hold themse ives any
longer; they all turned in and told him that
was Cetton-eye, and how I'd give 'em all
dollar apiece to change his name and not
say anything"
+ asked what finally became of Cotton
eye.
to backing terribly the next year with
young fellow, a new hand that had his
stirrups tied He was staying with the
horse right we'll but pretty near wore out,
when all of a sudden after terrible jounce,
he hollered: o, boys my foot's fast! My
boots jammed in the stirrup!'
SIT was the new boy or the pony. He
was about ready to drop, the next hard pitch,
and knew Cotton-eye would drag him to
death over 40 miles of prairie, so 1 made the
boys get out of the way and the next time
he bumped himself to buck shot him
dead"
'There wasn't a single girl in Lloyd
county when we started the Quita Que, so
when all the boys got to talking about an
outfit that had moved in that had pretty
girl, and about nine-tenths of 'em was try
ng to marry her, thought that I'd like to
nave look at her. 1 went about 20 miles
,ut of my way one day to take in the place.
When got pretty near there says to my
elf, what am I going to say? guess I'll
ust ask the way to the ranch There was
nobody home but the girl, and she told me
he way to the Quita Que all right, although
he said she'd never been there herself L
vas getting along beautiful, when fellow
rom the Matador rode up and says, hello,
0yer!'
'"sWhy, It's man named Dyer runs the
9uita Que, says the young lady, walter
DYER told her that was my brother, and
was going down to see him, and the next
minute the Matador fellow walked in and
ays: what are you doin' away over here,
Waltz
st, was treed. She looked at me, not
moving whether to laugh or be mad, and
aid: what did you ask me such fool
question for?'
"'Well, wanted to get look at the
'nly girl in the county, and I didn't hap
'eH W tuiuh ol dnyLnlHS ciso W dSh,
ays. Say, Hunt! have YOU come to in
[uire your way to Matador? Or or you 60
ng to ask it the young lady's seen sky
,lue yearling with cardinal red polka dots
INTO it, blind OF one eye and got Roman
lose an hare lip? Or are you hunting
'ottle green cow-pony that wears eyeglasses
md walks with cane?-You must have
reap of such animals asked after of you, Miss
" tender-hearted ranchmen and cowboys
hats all broke nm nyer losin' 'eml Does