The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1899-12-15
Written forsrHE KINsLEY GRApHIc.1
Some Western Experiences.

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There's no use talking. Kansas is
wonderful place. was fortunate
enough to spend some little time here
and 1 saw many things which, even to
a person of but average intelligence,
seemed very interesting. One day l
remember in particular.
I was riding a hammock compiled
from barrel slaves, in the shade of a
cyclone cellar, and happening to look
around me, accustomed as I was to
the lnxuriant foliage of the effete east,
l was much panied by the absence of
vegetation on the broad, untamed,
rolling prairie, which rolled up to the
doorstep and stopped. 1 refer to the
cyclone cellar doorstep.) Away off in
the distance some prairie dogs gam
boled quietly over some stakes which
some surveyor had planted and which
had grown up. This really amused
me, for quiet dissipation of any sort
has always been my hobby.
A friend out here invited me to visit
his ranch. My friend owned the ranch
and another man, who was no friend
of mine. owned the mortgage. Mort
cages are very prevalent here, some
growing to an abnormal size. The
ranch was a very large one. One man
ran the ranch, but he had ten men to
run the cattle. They had man cook,
and unlike most cooks, any person
could run him. He was half-starved
Il should say half Mexican;
a Greaser, think they said he was,
and 1 believe it to be true. for he cer-
tainly did use a lot of it. Another
thing 1 noticed was the fact that l was
permitted to talk TO him. At home,
back east, when my folks could afford
to support cook, 1 was never al
lowed to talk to it.
The morning after I reached the
ranch all the horses were driven into
pen called corral and the boys
picked out the ones they wanted for
the days work. I, too, was invited
to pick horse. It made me nervous
to think of it, for, you know the last
time picked horse it was at a race,
and picked the wrong one and lost
thirteen dollars. finally chose a
mule; he looked to be quieter and not
so aggressive. I did not like the
horses; they appeared, to my inexperi-
enoed eye, rather unreliable, as if, as it
were, they were subject to spasms at
unexpected periods 1 was mistaken
again. 1t is poor mule that don't
work both ways. This was good
mule, and it did; it worked all ways
at once, up and down. backwards and
forwards. When 1 got home after
riding the mule had a good appetite.
1 also had sore place which did not
hurt so much when I was not sitting
down. The cowboys called me ten
derfoot, and 1 was, but as my feet got
harder, so did my nerve. They could
rope horse or steer at will. or any
place where they happened to want to.
| practiced awhile, too. 1 used a clothes
line and horse-a clothes horse.
The foreman cowboy was very fierce
and wild looking, but when he was
1 eating his meals he was SO gentle a
child might play with him in perfect
safety.
The eating on the ranch was very
! good; so was the food. Most of the
viands served. came in cans, some,
however, came in wagons and the flies
came in droves.
| One night as was walking about
under the stars, drinking in the
''milky whey" SO to speak, the
thought came to me, what brave,
heroic life that of a cowboy must be,
giving SO many opportu mites for deeds
! of valor and adventure, and at the
| same time showing forth certain
innocent playfulness. AS no more
thoughts came to me, I retired.
| We used to have all kinds of meat,
some days one kind, some days an
other, the kind depending on what va
riety of animal died. OF course, where
there were SO many animals and so
many different kinds, something died
every day or so. Some of the beef
was very nice and some was very not
nice. This last kind happened when
the boys did not get in. at the death.
The mert liked best was pigs ankles
t.e