The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-08-22
Observation-Disclosures
A TeDde||0OI N 1eXQS.
And How He Showed tho Cowboys
That Refinement Il Not In
compatible With Pluck.
BY J. N. Quail.


]. compatible With Pluck. ].
i. BY J. N. Quail. I
4
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Out on the fat to the west Of the ranch
the cowboys were breaking in young
tenderfoot who had come to the Rio Frio
for little excitement and taste Of
wild life of the frontier. He had ridden
up to the Pruett & Nichols ranch a
few days before and offered his services,
saying that he was willing to put in
little time without pay just for the ex-
perience.
Ordinarily the men who were running
the scorpion p" on everything they
could reach that had horns and four legs
regarded strangers with deep suspicion.
But with this one 1t was different. Ev-
erything about him was spick and span
and new. His heavy saddle, with its
silver horn and metal corner pieces on
the skirts and exaggerated tapaderos, or
toe pieces; his Mexican bride of plated
hide, with silver rosettes Mt the ears and
his fringed leggings, his immense SOM
brero, with great silver gilt snake for
roll; his silk shirt, with rolling collar and
scarf; his gaudy sash and his white han
died six shooter; his high heeled boots,
and the largo spurs with little bells tin
king at the rowels-all these things and
the manner in which they were worn be-
spoke the tenderfoot, and when he dis
mounted and ficked the dust from his
boots and hat with silk handkerchief
the cowboys gave him noisy welcome
and persisted in wringing his hand until
the bones cracked and tears stood in his
eyes.
That night he was stuffed with stories
of tarantulas and snakes and centipeds,
and when he was permitted finally to roll
himself up In his blankets 1t was with
the assurance that if he was not stung to
death by morning they would make
man Of him. He had just dropped into a
doze when he was startled by an ear
splitting yell, and as he sat ur In terror
he found that the cowboys were dancing
around him like Indians about painted
war post. Then they began to sing to
him, and at the end Of each verse they
discharged their revolvers into the roof,
bringing down upon him shower Of
bark splnters and dirt. They were Civ
ing him the "Shorthorn" as his first les
son, and there was hint In it:
Co. find one Of those shorthorn ours;
Give him Texas saddle and pair Of spurs
A broad brimmed hat and IN old Spanish
horse,
Then hear him swear that he has been boss.
Sing ho-up, sing ho-up
Sing ho-up, bulls, awayl
With final volley and a piercing
"Aha-i-e-yah-owah!" they fed into the
night, leaving him to wonder if they had
run clear off and II in their absence he
would be called upon to face an attack
by Indians or Mexcans.
When he awoke the next morning, the
cowboys treated him as if nothing had
happened during the night, but when
he produced toothbrush and proceeded
to use it they crowded about him and
tried to borrow it. The cook wanted to
scour the coffecpot with it, Jack Grigsby
needed it to polish his spurs, Frank Rim
ger wanted to try it on his cayuse, and
Jack Langford wanted to swab the barrel
of his six shooter with it. When he pull
ed out small hand glass and stared into
it as he combed the yellow down on his
upper lip, crisis was reached. 1t was
decided that the stranger and that mus
tache must be separated, and in spite Of
his pleas and protests the camp barber
removed the yellow down with a bowie
knife that had been whetted upon rock
and rawhide 1t was painful operation,
but they consoled him with the assurance
hot npn aud hot q
looks would be found to have been i'm
proved by 1t when the scratches and cuts
had healed.
During that day the cowboys were too
busy running and roping and tying down
some messy headed steers that had ven
tured out of the cedar brakes for a
change to pay much attention to the new
conner, but at night they were ripe for
any deviment. 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 walked
up the morning before to find big rat
tier coiled up on his chest and how he
had waited in great fear for the others
to get up and chase it away, and he was
particularly dramatic in describing how
he had been thrilled with horror while
the clammy thing was crawling over his
flesh.
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 inharlnonious 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 Il
nasal organist must have shamed the
cowboys, for soon after he began they
left off.
Frank Ringer shook off his blankets
Gnd stole quietly out Of the ranch. He
returned moment later with a rawhide
rope coilcd in his hand. 1t had been lying
out in the grass and was wet with dew.
One end Of this he passed to Jack Grigs'
by, who was beside the tendcrfoot and
then he dropped on his own blankets,
which were on the other side. They pull
ed the rope taut between them and. then
gently lowered it until the damp rawhide
lay upon the slecper's neck.
The snoring stopped on the instant.
The tenderfoot made convnlsive move
ment, and then they heard him groan as
his body became rigid. Grigsby drew the
rope slowly toward him. and Ringer as
slowly paid 1t out on his end. As 1t pass
ed over the tenderfoot's throat he moan
ed audbly, but did not dare to stir. 1t
took some time to pay out the 40 feet Of
length in that lariat, but as its end fell
from his neck the tendcrfoot rose with Il
yell that would have done credit to u
Comanche and holtcd out OF the door. In
an instant the cowboys were ut his heels.
whats wrong with your demanded
Grigsby.
"Rattlesnake" gasped the tenderfoot,
whose white face was wet with perspira-
ton and whose knees were trembling vio-
lently. "The horrible thing lay right