The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-12-30

red COW ii allowed, to escape. Across
the space she runs Hike d greyhound. TIE
instant she crosses the second lille fine
vaquero plunges in his big spurs and
starts in pursuit, his RATA whistling
around his head. The COW points straight
for growth of scrub as though she knew
that no lariat sould DO thrown in such a
pace. The little horse gains on her rap
ldly; before she has made more than q
third Of the distance to her goal he is at
her lying heels. Then the rope flies out
80 quickly that the eye can hardly FOL-
low 1t, but the cow makes quick turn
and gallops OH, still free.
The Mexican makes 20 second attempt.
The loss Of time caused by his first fail
ure would prevent his winning the covet-
eed prize. 50 he sulkily withdraws, and
bps p'hce Is taken by. the gentleman of
the derby, who sits-bare-headed now
with straining eagerness, as gray bull
IL sent careering across the dead-line.
ON fore foot" he cries as his pony
springs forward. Then follows a quick
cast, couple of turns around the saddle
horn. and the horse braces back, tucking
h,s head well down to keep 1t out Of the
Way--while the bull, his fight suddenly
arrested, turns half sommersault and
lands on his back, caught by the leg his
captor has named. Securing the lines, the
man uisnounts and runs toward his prey
as fast az his high heels will allow. 1t
struggles tiercely, but the pony is far too
well trained to let the bull rise, and will,
a tightening of the lariat neatly foils ev-
quickly made fast to hind leg-''hog
tied"'--ahd then the cowboy holds up his
hand to show that it il completed.
Inc Judges having pronounced that the
animal is properly secured, the time taken
to accomplish the feat is entered, and an
other niai tries his skill. The scene is re-
peated as long as daylight holds, for the
PRIZE ls nltlable one, and the winning
Of such match brings with it much
glory.
The. twilight comes at last. Dusk Is
soon followed by darkness in these lati.
tides, and hardly has it fallen when the
strains Of rude mtisic announce the open
ing OF the great, social feature of the day,
the ball. The BALLROOM is the whole no.
per floor Of the hotel. The walls are OF
! rough adobe, the floor of tttiplaned platika
From the rafters of the fiat roof hang ali
the lanterns that cotld be borrowed iii the
neighborhood-that is, within a radius of
ten miles-and candles burn on bits of
BOARD stuck in the interstices Of the sun.
| baked brick of the walls Benches OF
pianks laid across boxes line three sides
OF the room. At one end of the hall, on a
rough stage erected there, sit the musi
cans ea.l Ihere are three of them, all Mexi
eans. one playing a squeaky fiddle, the
other two guitars. ALL of them wea,
| their hats and Smoke crooked Cigarette.
OF brown PAPER as they play.
racing the musicians at the other enl
OF the ballroom stand dozen Indians
AS great favor they have been admitted
| to, view this strange ceremony of thu
white man, and they seem to regard It i,
the light of huge joke; Cor the Apache
unlike the Indian as ordinarily cot,ceiyed
IS by no means grave when anythin,
strikes his somewhat peculiar sense O.
humor, and now at the sight of the re
yolving couples he bends almost double II
an ecstacy of silent mirth.
There are about twenty girls, many O.
them pretty and all of them dressed will
a neatness and taste quite remarkabl,
when ,0iie considers their limited resources
About the, sal he number Of older wome1
complete the feminine contingent, and al
are in demand; for the ltlen number hun
! dred or more
The men are all dressed for the occasion
each in the manner that lfapbehs to sui
his fancy. Many retain their spurs, il
which they are popularity supposed to sleep
One young fellow is especially swell. wear
ing white shirt and red necktie under ;
long, black cutaway coat, and clad as t.
his neither man i'll the leather "chaps' o.
the cowboy, with the jingling "petmakers
still fast to his high-heeled boots. H,
rather fancies himself.
Dance follows dance in rapid succession
the measured pounding of the feet as the,
noisly caper over the resounding boards
almost browns the music.
Between the natural temperature an(
that arrived at by the masculine elemen
by means of the fteg,tellt potations, it i
warm work; iieverthe ess it is thorough,
enjoyed until nearly daybreak, when thu
company disperses. Horses t,re saddled
blankets unrolled, and soon, save for tn.
snarling of the coyotes as they quare
over the remains of the supper. the littl,
village is Saskatchewan News.