Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1894-04-05
LIFE OF THE COW BOY.
II is Anything But Easy. and all
Young Men are Warned Against 1t.
Correspondence Of the Ledger.

Correspondence of the Ledger.
FORT RUSSELL, WYOMING, March so.
Some of my young friends would. no
doubt, like to hear something about
the life of a cowboy, whom you have
read of so often. There are plenty of
young men to-day who are pining for
the west and some of them even run
away from home and 60 out west to be
q cowboy; but young men, take my
advice and stay at home, for it is life
full of trials and temptations and dam
gers. Most of the cowboys are peeu-
liar class--in some respects like the
gauchos who live on the Pampas or
Great Plains of South America. The
cowboys are, as rule, smaller and
not so strong as the men who spend
their lives in the mountains or in the
backwoods of the west. Their faces
are tanned by exposure to the sun and
wind and they usually wear a hard,
haggard expression, caused by their
reckless habits of living. Theirs is
one of great hardship and many dam
gers aud, although they are generous
and hospItable, they care but little for
the common rules of civilized society.
Most of their time is spent in the sad
die, and there are few horses, howev-
or vicious and unruly, which cowboy
Is not able to ride. In loose coils hang
ing from the horn of his saddle the
cowboy always carries a strong hair
rope. This rope is used tor a good
many things, aud next to the horse is,
perhaps, the most valuable of the cow
boys possessions. Its chief use is that
of a lasso for the purpose of catching
will aYI rao hta catffa A ..nU-
boy who excels as q roper is paid the
highest of wages and is seldom fit for
anything else. Toward the end of the
summer the hard work of the season
begins. The beef cattle are gathered
together in droves of from one hum
dred to as many as thousand and
driven to the nearest railway station
to be shipped east. In the meantime
the COW boys who are left on ranches
are making up another drove, and
thus the work goes on until the blus-
teling winds aid binding SHOWS of
winter force all hands to stop work.
Then both the horses and cattle are
allowed to run at will and find their
scanty living on the plains until the
opening of spring gives the signal for
another seasons hard labor. Some
times large number of cattle perish
during the winter for the want of shell
ter and sufficient food, but the cattle
owners have to reckon for the loss and
the most of them make large profits at
the end of the year.
The buildings On different ranches
are of many kinds and styles, every
thing according to the taste and cir
cumstances of the man. Some ranch
men build OF mud and straw. The
straw is used in place of hair so as to
keep the mud from falling apart. Some
build of round cottonwood logs and
cover it with mud and straw. On large
ranches several of these cabins are
built in a cluster, while on the smaller
and newer ranches the only shelter is
a dug out, which is simply hole in
the ground covered with pales and
mud. Well, will close. But first let
me give you piece of good advice:
Young man, you had better stay at
home and not be hankering after the
life of a cowboy on the plains, for it is
full of dangers and you will be wish
ing yourself at home with mother.
Mother can patch your socks and darn
the holes in your pants and-well,
there is no place like home, sweet
home. If were only there again.
GEORGE E. HILL.