Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-01-15

cowboy. holds etiquette and the social
conventionalities. There was TO be a
dance at a diytant ranch, q real dance,
with real live white girls to dance with,
and two Of the Bar Y BOYS, through
some accident or neglect. had 10
white shirts. u was "no white
shirt, no dance and as the lat
ter alternative vas one not to be
considered at all they got on their POI
MES and rode sixty miles TO the one lit.
tie town in the whole country where
there was store. As it fell ont there
was only one white shirt in that little
store, and the hoy who happened 10 90
~ first got that shirt and rode ranch
ward rejoicing while his late companion
hung bacl, a little in much gloom and
bitterness Oi soul, not ut his cEum. but
just at fate poor, loW-down, panhan-
Ole. onc.Shjrt fate.
iIo WAS the better man OF the two
and had very much the better horse,
aud when they were about ten niles
from the ranch the fortunate one heard
rush from behind, the disappointed
one dashed up aloncaidc, sna'chel the
priceless white shirt from its fastcnings
on the saddle, went on to the ranch at
run. made hasty but magnificent toilet
and was off to The dance before the other
arrived q, home
WAS speaking OF the cowboys real
soft.hcarteducss dcepte al his outward
seeming rouchpc8s, when the manager
~ a biz Scotch cattle COMPANY told nc
about BIZ Thompson.
Blu was a most intrepid fellow, man
u endless nerve and courage, Who
wasn't afraid OF the devil. and whom,
indeed, Mr.. Johnston used to take along
as sort OF holy@uari when going
among cattle thieves and desperate cha
ractors. lie had put o certain matter IN
BIZ charge with The Injunction to him
not 10 get duuk-uOt 10 drink at all
TN fine bu.Iucs, was through with 50
ono dav when ne came upon him at the
door Of q saloon Just going in TO drink,
he flew mp in "a temper and spoke very
Sharply. whereupon Bill Just broke down
and biolo9ej. elf any other man had
.u9Ecn 10 HIM 50, sad Mr.. Johnston,
" me- would have knocked him down, Of
the least, bnt he thought n great deal Of
me. 80 he inst cried like a baby and
sail. Look here vou hurt nv feelin's
when you talk that way like you
an
COWBOYS ore the most iuveteratc
iokcrs Of any class Of people ] have ever
met the most Icsolute lockers upon the
funny side. think they would really
lie ashamed 10 take serious thing se-
rioulv- somebody might think they
minded, you know, II it were a joke.
now. | guess they wouldn't care-thcy
would Just take If seriously if they
wanted to- But all the hard or bitter
or sal things that bit man must be
made light Of and carried of with jest.
And they do so love a good Joke There
are all sorts Of wits and waPs and hui
morists and quizzes and practical jokers
among them,
TRIByLATIOYs OF 4 SADDLE.
I think there is the genuine favor Of
cowboy mmor in thisiuci1ent: A fellow
came out from the East all running over
and bursting withideas about how 10 be n
wild and woolly cowboy, and he brought
along with him fearful and wonderful
saddle he had had constructed after his
own plans and specifications, an i'm
mcnse affair. oil hrass-nail heads and
enclosing and glass jew-tlickers-an
amazing thing, such as the boys had
never seen before. When he got up
the first morning after joining an l.. y.
outfit he searched around for some time
for his saddle and finally found it staked
ont on the plain all spread out and stake
pins driven through every available
point. as though il we're some fierce,
wild thing.
Hc grumhlei awhile, but nobody
listened. Tho next morning the saddle
wasn't to he found at all He searched
the plain vainly, thinking TO find 1t
stakcd again. Finally he happened 10
look upward and saw il at the top Of a
great cottonwood. where the boys bad
laIoriouslv dragged and tied It, then
coming down sawed OF every single
limb rs they came close 10 the trunk,
20 that there wasn't thing to climb by.
The boss finally got some Of the boys TO
help him cut the tree down and secure
his saddle. after which he went back to
the East and left them to the folly Of
their wavs
Cowboy nomenclature is largely jocu-
lar. he calls the six-and-a-halffooter
"Shortv' or Littlcman,' the small
fellow Lengthy" the tiaxen blonde
FROSTY" lie loves to call his ponies
humorous or sarcastic names hiskey
Pete" Creeping Moses" "Rush, "
"White Man, 8" "Shcep Eye" Pap
poose, and, funniest of all, for a slow
fellow. BEAT and be Damned
There was an lrishmGn in Tascosa. a
great smoker. whom | never knew by
any other name than Mickey-Behind-
thc-Pipe; :" and knowing-lookinG fel-
low who used 70 he marshal Of old
Dodge City, whom the boys called
"Mvstcrious Dave. One Of the boys
who bad a good voice and used to sing
was called, half patronizingly, half de
risivelv, "Angrl Dickie :" the boy with
tho big mouth had no name but Coat
fish Rid, and any fellow who wore
glasses was Four-eyed Bill" or Pete,
or jim.
The cowboy on and off his horse
ALWAYS makes me think of the swan
upon the water and Off it. Once in his
saddle-his element, as water Is the
svan's-he is all grace, alertness, skill,
daring. He charms your eye and fancy.
But ont Of il and walking about in an
ordinary way ordinary people have him
at little disadvantage as a rule.
And so you have him-the Texas COW
boy,
NOT SMALL IN ANY WAY.
His faults, like his virtues, are on a
Good. big scale. He has in herding aud
trail work in fierce storms on the open
plain. holding cattle in cruel northers,
and in stampodes in cold and bitter wea-
Their all the savage hardships of cam
paigning soldiers life without It's ircen-
tiyes and no bears them oil, not Tor the
soldiers reward Of glory or praise, but
as matter Of course and because IT
is expected. If be sometimes gets
drunk-not al of him by any means,
but a good maryland plays faro
and monte, and even occasionally
does little facetious shooting
with harmless intent. remember