The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1893-11-10
CHAPTER VIII.

The gracious springtlme fingered low
ingly in the valley of the Colorado. No
where had it's advent been more vel
come, nowhere more apparent its trans
forming changes. Amid weeks of bril-
liant sunlight and odorous breezes and
the tuneful improvising of mating mock
ing birds the glad days came and went.
From twilight to twilight the sun smiled
benignly down from out the cloudless
blue, and the ef1h, tropical with flow
ers and verdure, accepted gratefully his
benedictiur. 1t was early in May. The
years resurrection was complete. The
prairie dogs bestirred themselves mer-
rily about their noisy housekeeping and
child the jocund season with their shrill
clamor. And even the dismal violin
playing of the elder Dallas seemed to
thrill at times with accents of joy.
One day, as if in answer to the old
mans invocation, the dallas range"
awoke to life and animation. Troops of
cattle Numbered through the little val
ley, driven on by bands of horsemen,
and converging upon large pen at its
upper end. The air was full of the cries
of lowing kline, the bleating of calves
and the shouts of pursuing cowboys.
The plain was picturesque with the evo-
lutions of the outriders, goading the ter
ror stricken bands and throwing the I'M
erring lasso. The advance guard Of the
'spring roundups" had reached the
dwelling of the elder Dallas. The bust
ness of branding calves and ''cutting
out the various owners property had
begun. In haste the aged cattle owner
discarded his fiddle, resumed his knee
boots, and mounting his sturdy cow pony
Joined the bOisterous cavalcade.
But the days passed drearily for Gym
thia She took no interest in the varied
features of the roundup. The bursts of
speed between the rival horsemen, the
exciting chase of some refractory steer,
the skillful cast of the sinuous lariat,
the shock and triumph of each sharp en-
rounter-scenes familiar to her indeed,
md in which she herself, mounted upon
her fleet little COW pony, had often
formed a conspicuous figure, compelling
the admiration of these centaurs of the
rein-these she witnessed with a listless
eye or did not regard at all. And if the
exciting chase interested her not, GER
tainly still less the more prosaic details
of throwing and branding the unfortu-
nate calves, the cries of the tortured cat
tie and the enumerating of the years in
crease.
In all of these interesting particulars
the elder Dallas manifested keen de-
light, exhibiting a skill in horsemanship
that those who were familiar with his
usual rheumatic mode of progression
could scarcely credit. He brought b or1e
with him to dinner at odd times certain
of the ''likeliest" of his companions
large limbed, deep ches.ed sons of the
saddle-introducing them to his charm
ing daughter with paternai flourish and
hopeful manner that gave place to a
mystified wonder when he noted the APP
athy of Cynthi2's greeting. He had an
ticipated no small degree of gratitude
for the opportunity thus afforded of dis
playing her destinations and had CON
graduated himself in advance upon the |
havoc she would accomplish in a COM
munity where the very scarcity of the !
fair sex makes their advances irresisti- |
bic.
But all these air castles of the elder |
Dallas were doomed TO speedy over
throw. To one and all Cynthia preserved
a consistent attitude of calm indiffer-
nce. The meal progressed in grave ST.
lence. The infrequent conversation had
no lighter topic than the incidents of the
and when at its close the adj
miring Alcides suggested: ''Ye might
bring ont yer banjo and shake il up
for the boys a little. Show 'em jes'
what a sumner We are at
pickin it," this accomplished perform
r replied with an excuse or instant
v escsped to the seclusion of her own
title room, wbereupon the embarrassed
,owInen ware compelled TO endure an
onslaught uppa the violin that should