The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-08-15

BILE to bring together the required num-
horses which could be depended on to
make excitement under any circum-
stances-so big list of ''chapped" and
sombreroed competitors could not con-
seQuently be accommodated.
1t was decided then that each of the
two great COW valleys which converged
near Galena should set up it's best man,
the most superlatively regal of its king
busters. This concentrated interest,
which, when the eve of the great day
really arrived, was possibly several de-
grees beyond blood temperature.
The morning of the Fourth dawned
in all the chaste radiance of July in the
foothills, such day as recompenses
man for year lived in hut $50 miles
from the nearest railroad artery and,
as they say in Montana, "only half
mile from hades." AS was my invaria-
BILE wont, rose early and, hearing that
the competition ponies were in the
town corral, strolled down to catch a
glimpse of them. There were two po-
MES corralled fast enough, and sur
veyed them from the fence during the
burning of a cigarette, going over their
various points with much interest.
They were wholly dissimilar except for
that single qualification which made
them especially precious-their plain,
staring malignancy.
The one was a beauty, dark bay, of
fair height, peaked and slender, clean,
wiry, Roman nosed and with the wild
est pair of glass eyes ever saw in any
brute. The look of him was actually
carnivorous. He had several dead men
to his record, they told me, and he GER
tainly did have proper cast for it.
almost doubted if his Achilles existed.
The other was far more unhandsome
type, a low, flat backed lump of a horse,
dirty buckskin in color, name and fore
top moppish and unkempt, low hung
head and Sits of eyes scarce opened to
the thickness of knife blade. The
bay should have been small horse Of
blood, but the most unlikely jack tar
could not have mistaken the other for
anything but an unmiXed lunkhead.
Ny sympathy went first to the man
who must bestride the symmetrical
bay, but had also seen too many cay
uses and southern mustangs to disdain
the rank, thick legged yellow.
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 be-
fore began to concentrate in the camp.
Throughout the morning they contin-
ued to arrive, singly, in twos and threes
and in motley. iangling, picturesque
cavalcades, all sorts of men on every
conceivable kind Of mount, for the
most part blithesome and jocose hui
mors well BETTING the lax play day Of
their singularly hard life. Dillon's
place was in swirl. The barroom of
course had it's full quota, strong men
there with purpose. Faro, stud,
draw, whist, all were going, and the
chips ratified gleefully.
1t was worth a curious mans while
to sit back and look on. Big men,
young and old, bronzed, weather beat
en- and grizzled, thrashed about like a
mob of public school boys on the last
day Of the term. Rough, swashing
jests were exchanged; song and repar-
tee bearing dangerously close to ribald-
ry banished all semblance of quiet,
and ever and anon some too exuberant
cowpuncher must needs be restrained
from emptying his gun into a mirror
or through a window. The makeup Of
the concourse was most cosmopolitan.
There were Mexicans and Swedes,
Texans and Vermonters, crossbreeds
and Englishmen, New Workers and
Missourians. each contributing his
stock mannerisms and all blent into
one congrucus picture of the early in
land northwest in its gayest neck hand
kerchief
Dillon drew me out to the yeranda,
"By me sowl, 'twull be beauthiful,"
says he. 1--WE have a brace av the