The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-21
COWBOY RELATES HIS TROUBLES
TO A PARTY OF FRIENDS.
HE FOUND ~SclENTlFIc PETE"
Their Titles on the Ranges Brought
Them Together and q Review
of Good Old Times
Followed.


ing a cowboy at the Finen this morn
ing as he pulled his broad brimmed hat
down over his bloodshot eyes and pushed
a little further down in his Chair Il am
not talking to any lead" continued the
speaker. Nobody has given me any
poetical bunch or anything Of that sort
l am just thinking ana telling you what
think as l go along he observed to
those who drew near Kim as he spoke
Il have lived on the ranges for twenty
years." was the story that ran on without
prompting or invitation "and this morn
ing l am here to write it down that there
is something In cowboys names. You
know the boys out on the ranges gener-
ally have nicknames by which they are
known wherever they travel, at least as
long as they travel among the punchers.
l came here when railroads wee young
in the state and l was pretty young my
self, l might saw in PASSING. 1 came out
from the east with a chum OF mine and
glory was not long in finding us out.
4 little experience with an animal found
1ne starting up flames ladder in the
voolly west as Wild Cat Bobb. My chum
was rather a methoiieal sort of a fellow
ana the boys on the ranges were soon
Railing him as Scientific Pete. Our names
as they We're written down in the old
family Billie at home were lost sight of
at.ons the herd FOUNDERS and we dropped
into lire with the new titles about as
easily as a raw recruit learns to keep
step IN a military company. We even
got so we addressed each other by the
nicknanles that had been given US"
We'll, about ten years ago my chum
came here to Butte on a vacation, got
stuck on the city life and never came
hack to the herds and the cowboys.
Es-ents whirlel rapidly along, the ccun-
Try became more settled, the glory and
the pictures luan5ss of the cowboy de-
parted somewhat and during all these
years of speedy changes l had never seen
NY old chum. About a month ago l de-
ctied to come TO Butte and look him up.
I was little in doubt about how I
might stack up trotting over sidewalks
and steering over pavements, but I
wanted to see my old friend and so I
came to Butte, did not know just
where Scientific Pete, as l am still wont
to call him, could be found, so when
got here l looked up good boarding
house and prepared to search for my old
friend. During the first day I did not
find him and in the evening l went home
to- dinner. I believe they call it here-a
little discouraged
Say, when I went in to sit down to
the table was introduced to all the peo-
pie around the board and it was mis-
ter from the word go 1 even had to
think up by old earthen name so that
could be Mr.. Doods instead of Plain Wild
cat Bob. Among the fellows I met at
the table was Mr.. York and almost as
soon as my eyes fell on him I thought
Il ere was something sort of familiar APP
Fearing about him, but thought l could
not know him and dismissed the idea
that I might have seen him before. l
noticed that York glanced at me few
times, but thought nothing about that
and simply ate my dinner and paid no
attention to him. After the meal was
over we walked into the parlor and
asain l saw York looking at me, as If he
ha, an idea about ne that he would like
to give up on the quiet. I walked owe,
to him end ASKED him what was worry
ing him. He declalel that it seemed to
him that he had seen me before. Their
tgll him that I had thought I had seer
him before ana asked him if he had eve
been on the ranges. He replied that HI
had ana then l inquired what nickname
he went by among the cowboys. Wha
do YOU think his answer was? l cOulC
hardly believe my ears, for his repl!
came in words that We're not to be mis-
understood and it was Scientific Pete.
What happened? That is almost
story all by Itself. Pete and knew eacl
other again in about a second and ther'
was nothing in town too good for me,
least it seemed to NE that had the key
to the city ana was opening most of tn
doors in it before we got through. Pet
and l started out and before We had got
ten through with the third cocktail w
were back at the roundup and astrid
the blcking broncos. Pete lassoed tw
year old Steer as he called for gin
lizz and l was away up among the ia
cattle as l came lack with WhlSk
sour. say, tat herd must have ha
about four thousand cattle in and l thin
we caught each one with a rope, as tn
ba t. nder set thsm out before us. Their
never was q bronco on the range tina
We could not ride without saddle an
We could XII deer at a thousand yard
without taking sight The night wor
along and the last l remember was tina
Pete called for the drinks in what sound
ed like French to me and l saw tw
fancy glasses before me filed with EN-
erali fluid and bouquets. Right there
went out Of business and the herd an
the range existed to me only in m
dreams
The next thing l knew Pete wa
leaning over me holding damp tow,
to my head which felt as if the size {
my hat would have to be abou
doubled. Pete had to so to work tn
morning, and I am thinking it owe
Things don't tlavel quite as rapid
through my pate as they did last nigh
about this time, the grass colored thirs
extinguisher got in its work on M
but l am a little wiser on the way a
old friend may receive you in Butte; an
what is impressing itself upon me is ths
all this trouble came upon me through
name. If it had not been for tn;
Scientific Pete handle I would new
have gotten next to Mr.. York last nigl
and our experiences from fording IL