Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-07-24

added, as though with no particular
thought of changing the subject, indi-
eating tiny creature that was circling
round and round the team as they went.
keeping ever with them. "They are curl.
GUS little fellows, those buffalo birds, as
they are called They have a habit Of
following the stock about the range,
seeming to form attachments for partic.
ular horses and cattle, becoming regular
satellites. 1t is amusing to watch their
queer little ways When a couple OF
them happen to alight near each other,
they will bob their heads back and forth
like mockery of little old men saying,
How de do?' Then of sudden, per-
haps, they will seem to trump up some
imaginary otfense, humping up their
shoulders and wriggling their tails,
swearing at one another i'll pantomime,
as it were, sharpening their bills on the
ground, as though preparing for most
sanguinary battle. But it is all bluff,
for after trying to stare one another out
of countenance for a moment or two it
always appears that one is afraid and
the other dares not, and so the affair
ends by both flying away in sort of
shamefaced furry, never looking back. 1"
You have been very observing, she
remarked, almost with irritation. Why
was this man, in whom nature and ed.
ucation appeared to have worked to-
gether in the making Of a gentleman,
cut off from the world to which it
seemed he might lesitimately belong,
merely breaker of horses on these Wy
o,ning plains? Why, when she had so
pointedly given him all opportunity,
would he not explain himself?
"Some things have been rather forced
upon my observation, he said simply.
IT was line rider once for awhile. Then
the stock, the coyotes and prairie dogs,
rattlesnakes and birds were about all
the society had. Naturally I came to
know them pretty we'll. b"
"Line rider?"
"You don't understand, smiling at
her puzzled air as he spoke. "But you
must know that the Wyoming Stock
Growers association has had a fence
built along the eastern line Of the state
to keep the cattle from drifting over in
to Nebraska in the heavy storms, which
used to involve so much trouble and en-
pense in getting them back, to say moth
ing of inevitable losses And they en-
ploy four men to ride along the line of
this fence all the while, two to look
after the cattle and the others to take
care of the fence. 1t is dreary life for
the poor fellows, almost as bad as herd
ing sheep, and men go mad at that, you
know.
1T must be simply horrible" sur
veying the dreary expanse before them,
with shudder. II cannot imagine how
one could choose such life. -
"Few of us have the choosing of our
lives," he returned in tone which
seemed somehow to discourage question
ing or comment as to his own case.
"Fate rather keeps the game in her
own hands, you know. And if some Of
us happen to find ourselves line riders
in the course of events, if we are phi
losophers, we simply grin and bear it. "
Il should think it would be too much
for even philosopher to grin under
such circumstances, she persisted.
"Ah, philosophers grin at all things.
The know that it looks better than cry
ing, and that nine times out of ten it
goes Just as far toward relieving the
evil, he said, with a grim laugh.
They were now well out upon the
open plains, the road, crossed and re-
crossed with the deeply trodden trails of
cattle, mere wheel marks, at best but
little worn from travel, all so uncer-
tainly defined that Edith comprehended
fully Browns objection to undertaking
the trip BY night. 1t began to seem to
her wonderful that he could keep to the
way by day without a compass. Cattle
were scattered all about them in vast
numbers, looking up from their grazing
with heavy eyed curiosity, sometimes a
sullen faced Taurus moving little to-
ward them, as if with half formulated
thoughts Of battle, while from rise
ahead, so imperceptible that it seemed
that they might almost have risen out
of the earth itself, a band of horses pres
emily crossed the way, exquisitely
graceful in their 1.-THE, free motions.
1t reminded Paul Brown to speak Of
the roundup, and seeing that she looked
interested he went OIL to describe the
scene when thousands of cattle were
gathered together upon plain like
that, the wild, frightened creatures
cowed to momentary helplessness, but
ready to make mad break for liberty
at any moment. He told of the hundreds
of riders swiftly circling around the
herd upon the wiry little COW ponies, as
intelligently trained in the running
down Of all unruly COW as the riders
themselves. He described the routine Of
the roundup. its hardships and dangers;
the extempore circus, with bucking
horses scarcely moro than half broken,
which regularly begins the day; the
long hours of riding in the fierce sun-
shine, often where gold could not pur-
chase one drop of good water. He told
of the dreariness of the night herding,
when, worn with the labors of the Ions
hard day, the rest of the camp all Sleep
ing, the poor cowboys told off for that
duty must ride about the surly herd
hour after hour, always singing, partly
to keep themselves awake, but more to