El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-04-07


know
''It must be simply horrible, - sur
veying the dreary expanse before them,
with shudder. Il cannot imagine how
one could choose such a life .
''Few of us have the choosing Of our
lives,'' he returned in tone which
seemed somehow to discourage question
ing or comment as to his own case.
'Fate rather keeps the game in her
own hands, you know. And if some Of
us happen to find ourselves line riders
in the course of events, if we are phi
losophers. we simply grin and bear it. -
II should think it would be too much
for even philosopher to grin under
such circumstances, she persisted.
''Ah, philosophers grin at all things.
They know that it looks better than cry
ing, and that nine times out of ten it
goes just as far toward relieving the
evil, he said, with grim laugh.
They We're now we'll out upon the
open plains, the road, crossed and re-
crossed with the deeply trodden trails of
cattle, mere wheel marks, at best but
little worn from travel, all SO uncer
tainly defined that Edith comprehended
fully Browns objection to undertaking
the trip by night. 1t began to seem to
her wonderful that he could keep to the
way by day without compass. Cattle
were scattered all about them in vast
numbers, looking up from their grazing
with heavy eyed curiosity, sometimes
sullen faced Taurus moving a little to-
ward them, as if with half formulated
thoughts of battle, while from a rise
ahead, so imperceptible that it seemed
that they might almost have risen out
of the earth itself, band of horses pres
emily crossed the way, eXquisitely
graceful in their 1.-THE. free motions.
1t reminded Paul Brown to speak OF
the roundup, and seeing that she looked
interested he went on to describe the
scene when thousands of cattle were
gathered together upon a plain like
that, the wild, frightened creatures
cowed to momentary helplessness, but
ready to make a mad break for liberty
at any moment He told of the hundreds
sof riders swiftly circling around the
herd upon the why little cow ponies, as
intelligently trained in the running
down of an unruly COW as the riders
themselves. He described the routine Of
the roundup, its hardships and dangers;
the extempore circus, with bucking
horses scarcely more than half broken,
which regularly begins the day; the
long hours of riding in the fierce sun
shine, often where gold could not pur-
chase one drop of good water. He told
of the dreariness of the night herding,
when, worn with the labors of the long,
hard day. the rest of the camp all sleep
ing, the poor cowboys told off for that
duty must ride about the sur]y herd
hour after hour. always singing partly
f, 10 lint re
keep the animals diverted aud prevent
them from milling, " that crazy whirl-
ing round and round which may end in
a stampede; going OH to paint the hor-
rors of that stampede by night, when
the maddened herd must be rounded up
and halted, though to venture before
those flying hoofs might mean no less
than death for somebody. He told "oi
moving accidents by flood and field, -
ever encouraged to go on by the girls
rapt attention.
.'Ah, it is all SO interestingly she eX-
claimed, drawing a long breath, when
at length he paused, with somewhat
shamefaced consciousness of unaccus-
toned garrulity. MY brother is not a
good correspondent He has told us so
little of this western life, of these wild
experiences.
And your brother is a cowman-not
cowboy. There is a vast distinction
between the two,' he observed, with a
smile. II he attends the roundup, it
is only for the fun of it
while you have had the work, - her
glance undisguisedly questioning
Eyes. 1 have had the work, - smiling
and Struggling his broad shoulders as he
spoke, ''but then there is some fun
about it too. By the way, have you no.
ticed that object ahead?'
"A carriage! Do you think-can it be
really Hugh?' eagerly peering ahead,
flushing family with a consciousness
that in the interest of this mans talk
she had almost forgotten this possibility
Of encountering the carriage from the
ranch.
''It is the Ellery outfit" he pro-
although the carriage was still
too far away for its occupants to be rec
ognized. 1T is the only four in hand in
SO far as L know. His
smile was slightly sardonic. Of this,
however, Miss Ellery was unconscious,
being wholly absorbed in looking ahead.
This turnout of Ellery's, handsome
victoria drawn by four spirited horses,
so inconSruous in its splendor against
ihe grim background of bare plains, !
was generally regarded as a fit subject
for good humored smiles among his I'M
neighbors.
Il am SO glad that you will be spared
he rest of the long drive, Miss Ellery
with a slight accession of
lignity, as if with the approach Of her
friends she had remembered afresh who
The was and to what sphere of life it
lad pleased heaven to call her.