The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-31
MISS ROGERS OF MONTERREY.
CALIFORNIA GIRL VINO rs THH MAN,
AGER OF a RANCH.
She Rides Astride, Plays the Piano, Breaks
Horses, Paints Portraits and Tackles
outlaws All with Equal skill-Livsly Ad.

ventures That Have Happened to Her.
SANTA BARBARA, Cal. July 23.-While the wc-
uen OF the East are making fame and wealth
IN the trades and professions alongside their
fathers, husbands and brothers. some Of their
slstors In the far West are we'll up with them In
the race. In San Diego county there are several
Young women from New England who have be-
come among the best managers OF grain ranches
in the state. In the Pomona Valley two wo-
men are successfully running stock farms, and
formerly there was q young woman In Pomona
who did q thriving undertaking business. In
Riverside there are several women who grow
oranges. and ut San Pedro the most prosperous
manager OF tho fishing boats and the catches Of
Ash is a woman. Santa Barbara has q girl who
came hero from New York city for her health
md has run a steam engine for threshers all
spmmcr, and San Diego has q steamboat pilot
IN the person OF a former s~choolmistress. Mon
torcy county boasts of a young woman who can
fI tho place OF va1uero. She Is % years old
an has made a fortune in the business.
Her namo is Margaret Rogers. She rounds
up the cattle on her fathers ranch and her
own. sees to the branding, marks the calves.
separates the mavericks. corrhls the colts and
sheep. and is able to plough. BOW. and run q har-
vesting machine. In the parlor at her fathers
great, ld-fashioned ranchhouse she plays
the piano. is neat Mt fancy work. and has q we'll
selected library of several hundred books. A
medal that she won in a seminary at Oakland
for proficiency in Latin and English literature
hangs upon the library wall. She makes all
the sales and contracts on the place. Last sea-
son she went to Portland to buy several COM
bination harvesters for ranch use at an OK
pcnsc 81 81 .S00, because she did not find tho
machines she wanted In California.
The Rogers home Is about 100 miles from
Co, Tr.rnicrn md 400 milne north If loo An
gcles Robert I. Rogers came to Monterey
county from England for his health in 1876 and
embarked in stock raising. His second daugh-
ter took to horses as q duck takes to water. and
In the course of three or four years she was in
trusted with nearly all the herding the little
farm needed. She protested against the side
saddle from tho first. and for thirteen years
has rarely used one. Divided skirts
were then unheard Of: her own ingenuity
evolved n garment which she uses to
this day MS she rides astride. To the maseu-
line eye it is an ordinary street skirt, scarcely
as long as walking length. tiRht-ftting in the
front breadths. and possessing many straight
cores in the back. The material is some soft
stun that easily drapes itself. and an unusual
quantity is employed to secure the requisite
fulncss in the back. Perfect straiRhtness In
the hack Ia necessary. and when this Is attained
the result is surprising.
When the writer first came face to face with
Miss Rogers she was engaged with her sister
Evelyn in marking a corral full of lambs that
had escaped the butcher. Two underbits in
the right ear of the sheep and cattle formed
the designating mark Of the sisters. who are
partners in n goodly number Of sheep. cattle,
and horses independent OF their fathers herds.
They were entirely nnaided in the work. which
was performed so ~cleverly and gently. and was
accompanied by 80 much soothing. that It
seemed almost desirable to be a lamb on
the Rogers ranch. Miss Evelyn Rogers's strong
arms. bare to the elbow. seemed taxed as she
caught the woolly little animals. deity threw
them on ono side. and restrained their strug-
giles while her sisters keen knife clipped out
the bits Of each lobe requisite to make the
Identification mark. A few kindly pats on the
head and a soothing word or two were usually
sufficient recompense for the pain. for the
lambktns toddled back to the old ewes with
scarcely a bleat.
or course" Miss Rogers said. when she was
at leisure To talk. there are not many ladies
who chase cattle. but those who do will not
hesitate to say that riding through brush. up
and down hill, making quick turns or crossing
streams on a side saddle is neither safe MOI
easy nor pleasant. and I never saw a horse that
had been ridden any length of time with q side
saddle but had a sore back. I have ridden
b'iHN9 WV lllltS u hloIo u td1. uhy III III
day out. and never made one sore yet. know
that my way is best for comfort and health OF
Soth myself and beast, and | am proud that
have the courage Of my convictions. Even in
this quiet. out-of-thc-way part Of the world
where l have been riding astride for twelve
PROVOKE comment. but Il a few t g t sI.,isrt"
American girls would face a little ridicule the
Say would soon be freed from q custom that is
not only uncomfortable but injurious to both
horse and rider.
Ibreak all my own horses" she resumed,
nn fnTnIn 4 n thn nm rln fnnI h Lot I Nom
both SADDLE. and harness. Christine is in hand
you like to SEQ something Of my method ?"
Miss Rogers led the way to the barn. where
Ti r.PEisSSlTs sf t6 5"'nbE sIGsn ssG to 4 ' ecs Ya5S IL N Hn M
heels agd began q wild gallon about the con.
The barn she walked put With a, saddle blanket
which she shook at Christine with the remark
this Is for you; my LADY,"
VIII aitih,rhls sI SgpsnlSd ard dashed out d]efantly
tn nrrtormarce when her mistrcss. made an
9TTIt"'tnt,ons DISPLAY. OF n heavy stock saddle
more nGg nrX ~ Im no was The PRODUCTION Of a h3eka;
light sprTortnGg' headstaIl, Of Huekskin. to The
s sn;t a 9N Which vas fastened a Siding blindsE Of
I4f"rs ,c%ornered the s%nortinR. nlly. soothed hel
W SrrSn q lew n3ts ard kind words. and slipped tht
ga not like it, but she could not breathe wher
? and n 'bf. be-, rnay rHi,rd on the n2se-choklng loop
enntor's soft-spoken assurances, She duietet
cow ana submitted to be led. turned. ant
hnionprd. After the hacknmore came tbs
blanket, and. 1--WE minutes afterward the saddle
and me application Of the cinch. HobblIng the
toTefe"t was the next step.
NLtaytng Christine to stand for a moment
sbss togers disappeared ip the barn. and wher
Sne came out there were big Mexican spurs or
hcr boots, The blue. nrint gown had been re-
bbr%m"H~n ny nor soft, fpil riding skirt. and he
pr1Wn halr was topped bya wide brimmed straw
nav pya chin strap; Christine, as her mistress
removed the hobbies and pulled the blindcr
over her eyes, exhibited an inclination to dance
0Ver'ht corral sideways. Her movements were
nwt iHiGk enough, for with a bound and. {
Ewing MISS, Rogers was In the saddle. Chris
tinn walked on two legs in an instant. ant
men when the binders were pushed, up. sh'
Ehye evidences OF an intention to walk on air
Eer nrst jump vas straight m and high an(
."sn enough seemingly TO unseat anything bu
a c"ltaur. Miss Rogers was not jolted an incl
put i her seat. and a full minute Of pranclnI
han no moro efrectthan the rolling OF a rocking
.nonen the gate, she requested. and Chris
tllr got a taste Of the spurs. The marc flew
Ouf oil mo Hnrrnl ltBn mn A..n-, I-k 1HI - ~