The Meeker herald., 1899-04-22
SENTIMENT OF Ilfu COWE.55 ].
Holiday Features Observed by the
Rough Westerrcr.
Tries to HisESc THANKSGIVING rs !;
Was mt IIonc--PnmrlSin TIcs a fcI-
ture-Eot Like His Mother iinde,
But Re Must Have Them.

Eastern folks do not give the cowboy
credit for much sentiment, but he has,
nevertheless, store Of it. On ordinary
occasions it is not much in c"idenc",
perhaps, and chance observer spead-
ing month among the men on q
ranch might think it lacking altc-
gether. For he might break tlS@G
with them for week without heari"s
dozen words intcrchangad betwc, u
any two CT the company. Certainly
the traveller would think such lot CT
men helast in the world to lock to for
sentiment, but. let him wait till lThanIis-
giving time approaches. He will SEE =
change.
Thanksgiving and Christmas ara
feast days a little too close together,
As it is. one or the other suffers
through interference or abcorptioH.
With the cowboy in the northwest, a'
any rate, te,Thanllsgiyng has all the b,s.
of it for the simple reason that it coEet
first. 1t is with the turkey as With
other things, first come first servrr.
and although Christmas day is ce'"-
brated handsomely, it has by no means
the eclat Of Thanksgiving, because i,
.ags month behind.
As .he great feast day approach
the chief idea with the cow-punchcr Is
to make things look like home. Ee
knows what home means better thai,
mos folk, because for years and years
he has not had one. When this hCn1
feeling creeps over him, no one tscd
doubt his sentimcnt-he is manifcst,y
chole-full. He would risk his neck,
his horses neck, too, which is more, 10
such as "they used to make back at
home"
The pie when made is hardly such a
one as mother would display with
pride. If it was 10 ccw-ruucher woulf!
admit it. He would just eat It.
Pumpkins are often scarce near the
cowboys camp, and to procure one
means long, hard ride, aal possibly
some finesse, but when il ClIlJs TO gun
work the cowboy is all fi,-esa. Ee
would better get two while he is about
it. for they will balance better c'er hi
saddle.
One cowboy, who had been spnt eli
on recruiting expedition fI% days
before Thanksgiving, found q few
days before starting back for camp
that he twas going to have - cf a
time if he ever got them two GGttles @
bug juice through without hustia'.
After much cogitation ard esp" irle1t-
ing with the various bundles lie had
accumulated he tapped his pumpkins
and dug them out. Then he Put the
liquor where the seeds had been,
plugged the holes and went On his way
swearing.
at was Il little rough on the liquor, y
he allowed afterward, but we had
the best pies as ever was eat
Sometimes a pumpkia is not easily
managed, and two wouldbe impossible,
for the northwestern curcurbita pepu
attains a diameter Of three or four feet
if it is not watched. When raidiHg one
of these monsters, as he must do when
smaller fruits cannot be fOL'.d, thc
cowboy puts a double hitch On the
stem with his rope. which is fast to the
saddle born and tugs it along on the
ground, trusting to God and guess.
work. to bring enough of it into camp
for the making Of at least one pie.
With a three-foot pumpkin tagging
behind, t;omblc blanket stuffed with
whatever odds ard ends of sustenunct
were in sight when he reached his for
aging ground, and rolled up, army
style, into loop and hung about hi,
neck, n bag Of corn over the, otheI
shoulder or hugged close to him il
front, sundry cantcens and saddle bot.
ties dangling about him, and. possibly
winter cabbage in his hat, the cowboy
is an object to contemplate as he. steals
toward camp in the cc:'ly morning
moonlight.
OF course in the northwest there :,
plenty of game andJeven turkeys, wher,
the hills are growE with brush anc
woods. Whatever can be got in the
way of bird or beast or fish, if trout ol
salmon are running, will be brought in
Everything but horseflesh. That wout
be worse than cannibalism to the, COW
boy thinking. Sometimes bear i,
bagged, but not often nowadays
though, and he cooks stringier than h,
used to-
A tenderfoot surveyor volunteered I,
rustic up something one day just be
fore Thanksgiving. He would be shoot
ing that bear yet if one of the boys ha,
not found him, for he was putting tn,
nineteenth bullet into ia: fellcsv tha
had just risen on the trail ten ward
ahead of him. He was very white ant
pumping lead" as fast as n GardinCl