Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-06-29
FOURTHOT JULY RIDING AT GALENA

G0o0o0o0o0ssooo GOoOoO0ccco0;
..Howly mother, giatlemin." argued
Dillon, :. it's a matther av importance.
Wud We have another shootin' Donny-
brook? an me a-bearin' av all the
divilment same as twuz last year?
Wild the riputashun av the camp, tool
In the name av innisince, have We no
heads for an emergency"
Dillon was clearly in earnest, and
when a man of his racial characters
tics is in earnest things are likely to
happen, whether the scene of action be
Spitzbegen or T:mbuctoo. His indig-
nation at our stupidity-at the
mayors, the sheriff's, and mine-was
offensive; but we could offer no sug-
gestion that might stand for us as
combatant There were men in the
camp with official titles. and men
very prone to swift and accurate shoot
ing, but these collectively were as
naught before the breath of Dillon
GaIena was like most other of North
western mining towns; if at all distin-
guishable from them, it was by slight
accumulation of that air of bonhomie
which is more or less apparent on the
visages of all communities of the
genus.
Dillon owned and genially pre-
sided ovcr one of the biggest and
brightest and most bemirrored of the
combination saloons and gambling re-
sorts
The mayor, the sheriff, and I sat in
a back room of the saloon. listening in
.tently to billions harangue. After he
had given us every opportunity to sug-
gest ways and means for the day of en-
tertainment, fruit1essly, he eiucidated
to us his own idea of a program which
was voted on and adopted by unani-
nous and immediate consent. This
narrative deals solely with the first
mum Der of the program, SO you will be
cor PEELED to surmise the others from
IT.
I'VE wull Begin says Dillon, Gin
the morning, wild what We might dis
hjgnate. a toorymint. This is the way
ar it: We wull have rounded up
b 2nch av thin divils av bronchos, an
:r7e wull also have rounded up a bunch
1T jolly bhoys; we wull beguile the
5hoys to the backs av the broncos, an
ue will give the best busther av thin
.zOine fat purse-which he wull spind
fmmejutely. This. We may understand,
Is legitimut, wild excitement enough
TO kape aft the raw idge av their tim
per. This we wull-" but this is as
much as concerns us.
J A goodly purse was collected against
the coming of the popular event. Dill
Ions '-ante" (his own word) was hun
dred and number of others came
down handsomely. But in the interval
between the statement of the idea and
the day of fulfillment there arose the
necessity for some modification in the
plans. Dillon had relied on procurin g
a number of bad and unbroken horses,
and on having the many volunteer
riders break them On time, or some
thing of that sort. When the trial was
made, however, it was found impos-
sible to bring together the required
lnumber of sure-enough bad horss:
that is horses which could be depend
led on to make excitement under any
circumstances; so a big list of Snapped
and sombreroed competitors could not,
consequently, be accommodated.
The morning of the Fourth dawned
in all the chaste radiance of July in
the foothills, such a day as recon-
penses a man for year lived in a hut
$50 miles from the nearest railroad
artery, and. as they say in Montana
"Only half a mile from hell"
Directly after breakfast those ranch
people from the rival valleys, and
FROM all adjacent sections, who had not
been fortunate enough to get in the
night before, began to concentrate in
the camp.
Dillon drew me out to the veranda
by me sowl twill be beautiful says
he. I'VE have a brace av the beasts
as wud misharse the divil. an the
bhoys are foine an achin' for the
sport Yell see ut the day. me son.
He was in merriest spirits himself. and
i should have enjoyed some of the eff
fervescence of his rollicking barney
brx his answering sense of duty to tho
day compelled him to drink more fire.
quently that / had reason to believe
my experience and capacity would
society.
About 10 he got on a table somehow
and announced the riding, and invited
the contesting busters up to throw dice
for choice of horse. This called forth
uTxoarious yells of applause. One o
the contestants, the North Valley rep
resentative, was not present, but his
mentor was, with full power to act
This latter, however. an old ranch fore
man. with badly bowed legs and 9
crooked back, called out renewed cheers
by remarking that he .sreckoned il
didn't make much difference about tbs
THROWN. as Curlew war satisfied with
Almost any boss
49, =.