The Portland daily press., 1899-09-08
A TeIdeIIOOt IN Texas.
And How He Showed the Cowboys
That Refinement Is Not In
compatible with Pluck.
BY J. N. Quail.
l#l..lwli.Is l.,.ss


the cowboys were breaking in young
itenderfoot who had come to the Rio Frio
for a little excitement and taste OF
wild life of the frontier. He had ridden
up to the Pruett & Nichols ranch u
few days before and offered his services,
saying that he was willing to put in a
IEttle time without pay just for the ex-
perience.
Ordinarily the men who were running
Ahe scorpion p" on everything they
could reach that had horns and four legs
regarded strangers with deep suspicion.
But with this one it was different Ev-
serything about him was spiek and span
and new. His heavy saddle, with its
silver horn and metal corner pieces on
tthe skirts and exaggerated tapaderos, or
noe pieces; his Mexican bride of plated
hide, with silver rosettes at the ears and
eheavy chain of the same metal for curb;
This fringed leggings, his immense SOM
lbrero, with a great silver gilt snake for
iroll his silk shirt, with rolling collar and
lscarf; his gaudy sash and his white han
tdled six shooter; his high heeled boots.
tand the large spurs with little bells tin
Killing at the rowels-all these things and
1.-The manner in which they were worn be-
spoke the tenderfoot, and when he dis
mounted and ficked the dust from his
tboots and lGt with a silk handkerchief
.the cowboys gave him noisy welcome
fRnd persisted in wringing his hand until
1.-THE bones cracked and tears stood In his
seyes.
That night he was stuffed with stories
of tarantulas and snakes and centipeds.
fand when he was permitted finally to roll
himself up in his blankets it was with
tthe assurance that if he was not stung to
death by morning they would make a
oman of him. He had just dropped into a
idoze when he was startled by an ear
: Esplitting yell, and as he sat up IN terror
che found that the cowboys were dancir.g
;around him like Indians about painted
iwar post Then they began to sing to
ihim, and at the end of each verse they
discharged their revolvers into the roof,
bringing down upon him a shower of
,bark splinters and dirt. They were Civ
ling him the 'Shorthorn" as his first les
sson, and there was hint in it:
go, find one of those shorthorn ours;
Give him Texas saddle and n pair of spurs
"A broad brimmed hat and an old Spanish
horse,
Then hear him swear that he has been boss.
Sng ho-up, sing ho-upi
Sing ho-.up, bulls, awayi
With final volley and piercing
."Aha-i-e-yah-owahl" they fed into the
thight. leaving him to wonder if they had
run clear off and If in their absence he
would be called upon to face an attack
by Indians or Mexicans.
When he aroke the next morning, the
cowboys treated him as If nothing had
happened during the night, but when
i'he produced n toothbrush and proceeded
to use it they crowded about him and
tried to borrow it. The cook wanted to
scour the eoffeepot with it, Jack Grigsby
needed it to polish his spurs, Frank Rim
ger wanted to try it on his eayuse, and
Jack Langferd wanted to swab the barrel
of his six shooter with it. Wher he pull
ed out small hand glass and stared into
1T as he combed the yellow down on his
upper lip, a crisis was reached. 1t was
decided that the stranger and that mus
tache must be sepal ated, and in spite of
his pleas and protests the camp barber
removed the yellow down with bowie
Knife that had been whetted upon rock
and rawhide. 1t was a painful operation,
but they consoled him with the assurance
that it was necessary one and that his
looks would be found to have been inn
proved by it when the scratches and cuts
had healed
During that day the cowboys were too
busy running and roping and tying down
some messy headed-staers that had ven
tured out Of the cedar brakes for
change TO pay much attention to the new
conner, but at night they were ripe for
any deyilment. Wonderful snake Stories
each of which had fatal termination,
were repeated in his hearing When he
shook his blankets with great care before
turning in, they winked at each other,
and Frank Ringer told of having YQked
mp the morning before to find big1ssss
tier coiled up on his chest and how be
had waited in great fear for the others
to get up and chase 1t away, and he was
particularly dramatic in describing how
he had been thrilled with horror while
the clammy thing Was crawling over his
Gesh.
Perhaps these yarns were responsible
for the fact that the tenderfoot turned in
with his boots on and without removing
his clothes The boys thought so. They
made their blankets down all about him,
and before he fell asleep he heard them
snoring in most inharmonious chorus.
Then, while the boot owls were screeching
off in the timber and the coyotes were
bowling dolorously out on the fiat, the
newcomer pulled his blankets close about
him and in short time was snoring
louder than the others. His ability as
nasal organist must have shamed the
cowboys, fos soon alter he began they
left off.
Frank Ringer shook off his blankets
and stole quietly out of the ranch. He
= returned a moment later with rawhide
rope cuiled in his hand. 1t had been lying
out In the grass and was wet with dew.
One end Of this he passed to jock Grigs-
by, who was beside the tenderroot. ant
then he dropped % his own blankets,