Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-05-20
COWBOY 70 MILLIONAIRE.
impelIed to Mount Fortunes Ladder BY 4
Poem-Bis Light Shed by Small Candle.

Jack Mason was born and brought up
on a Texas ranch; that is to say so far
as he had any bringing up at ALL But he
mad no mother and not very much of a
father. so he Just roved over the great
prairies, knocked about with men and
cattle, and ''growed. To ssich as he
there was only one vocation oDen-that
OF cowboy. or. as they say in Texas.
COW puncher'-a name arising from the
fact that these boys carry long sticks
with which to prod the poor beasts and
Keep them forever moving on, says a
contributor to the Chicago Inter Ocean.
BY hook or by crook, Jack managed to
gel a sort of smattering of the three
K and was especially attracted to the
pleasing art of reading. He had now
ever. very little opportunity for indulge
ing his tastes in this direction, as the
very best book he had ever seen was an
old almanac. This he had read back
ward and forward until he could renea +
every joke. knew by heart All the dis
eases that the various patent medicine;
were advertised to cure. and could tell
you all about the changing phases Of the
moon.
When about sixteen Jack started out
one day with a comrade or two TO
round up herd of CATTLE as it il;
called. The animals when very young.
are each branded with the distinctive
mark of their owner. and then allowed
TO stray for months quite according to
herds belonging to different ranchmen
become intermingled. and the rounding
up process consists in collecting into
one herd all the animals belonging to any
special owner. You might suppose that
in this way man would run the risk of
having his cattle stolen but if you think
that you do not know Texas A curious
code prevails there to the effect that
stealing cattle is the lowest of all crimes.
one compared with which even murder
Is quite respectable. and to shoot man
down or hang him to the nearest tree for
this heinous offense is considered alto
gether justtiabe proceeding Another
curious unwritten code which obtains all
over these immense tracts of land is
that when rounding up cowboys are
at perfect liberty to enter any house en-
route and help themselves to ANYTHING
in the way of food that they find. the
only acknowledgment required from
them being that they shall pour wafer
over the fire before going away. This
of course, is to prevent any possibility of
fire after their departure. and the real
cowboy is as strenuous about this poi,lr
of etiquette as the society man is about
his party call.
One stormy evening. after a tramp of
many n weary mile, Jack and his com
rade came to one of these rude. deserted
houses, and thankfully awaited them
selves of its sheltering roof 1t was but
the work of a moment to possess them
selves of a light and fire, and finding both
pork and potatoes in the house they
eked out a very comfortable meal with
what they carried in their pouches.
An atmosphere of well-hred comtent
and cheer dominated the little room.
when suddenly Jack started up attract
ed by something which he thought he es-
pied on a shelf in the corner. No, He
was not mistaken. 1t was a book IA copy
of Meredith's Lucille" Now Jack had
never read a line OF poetry in his life;