The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-11-30
A TRANP'S
THANKSGIVING.
BY PETER NJ ARTHUR.



After all, Harry Benton was not so
much to blame as his wearied friends and
relatives thought he was. lie had been
spoiled as child and as a boy, so it nat
urllly followed that he was an entirely
unhappy young man His college educa-
ton made him feel that he was above
doing drud.:ery, and as he had never
learned self denial or patience he could
not endure such work as he was fitted
for. In consequence he looked to his
friends and relatives for help until they
wearicd of lending money and using their
influence to get him positions that he
either could or would not hold. And he,
instead of being thankful for what had
been done for him, thought himself abus-
ed because there was no great and good
friend who would make life easy for him.
At last a family council was held at
which it was decided that the only thins;
for Harry to do was to 20 west and grow
up with the country. Some one knew q
ranchman who would give him employ
ment, and purse was made up to send
Harry west. He took to the scheme en-
Enthusiastically and imagined for himself
glorious career Of hunting big game and
living the wild free life of the plains. He
had read fascinating stories Of cowboy
life and remembered how much he had
enjoyed camping out during his college
holidays. So he felt quite satisfied re-
garding his future when his friends pro-
vided him with what he needed and
started him on his journey. He did not
realize that they were simply applying
the old maxim that says, Make bridge
OF gold for flying enemy" He did not
know that every one who felt any inter-
est in his welfare or felt any responsible
ity regarding him heaved 4 m! ty sigh
of relief when they saw that he was
really gone.
perhaps he'll get Weakened up out
there" they said TO one another. ANY
way. he is iii cur hands" And they all
sighed again.
Harry reached the ranch in safety and
promptly began to make discoveries with
alarming rupidiiy To begin with, he
found that the business instinct prevails
On the modern ranch as much as it does
on Broadway. Ranches are now run for
the purpose of raising beef that must
be carefully attended TO from the veal
stage until the time when it is shipped
east to the big slaughter houses if the
ranchman wishes to make a profit. So
Harry found himself called upon to do
harder and more mental service than had
ever fallen TO his lot before. And as he
took no pains to conceal his dislike for
the work he Immediately became the butt
of the ranch. Every trick known to the
practical humoriSts OF the plains was
tried on the spoiled boy from the east
until his life became uncomfortable and
his disposition was such that instead of
bearing it all good naturedly and making
friends with the plainsmen he became
imbittered and consequently was haZed
more numerically than ever. When he
had endured this life as long as he could,
he finally sat down and wrote to each old
friend in the east who might be expected
to help him, asking for enough money
to take him back home. He wrote let
tiers that world draw tears from stone,
but, strange to say, they only made his
old friends shrug their shoulders and
Turmur something that sounded suspi-
ciously like root hog or die" He
asked that the money be sent to him at
the nearest postoiice on the railroad, and
when Il sufficient time had elapsed for
the replies to be due he got up early one
morning and ran away from the ranch.
1t was 60 miles to the station and post
Office, but he was young and strong and
lie covered the distance without accumu-
lating more than the usual number Of
water blisters.
Although he did not know the fact at
first, he learned after his arrival that it