The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-10-16
Copyright by the s. s. Mcclure Co.

Copyright by the :. = MCCLURE 20.
DHERE vas to be A roping at Pas
cos. Turk McGlory CAME riding
a painted pony with his blanket
tucked up under the brow Of his
saddle cantIe and his big wheel
spurs tinkling TO every ambling step OF
the pinto. II the signs proclaimed
that Turk was from Texas. His saddle
WAS double cinch, his rope was of hemp
as thick IS your thumb and only half
as long as the Arizona raWhide RATA,
and there were Colorado ccnchos on his
bride and q silver spade bit that cost
more than the pinto himself He had
ridden far for. his eyebrows were pow
dered with fine white dust, and his
fi2nnel-ciad canteen rubbed light
against his saddle flank. Turk Nc
Glory was whistling La Paloma," and
calculating what he would do with the
prize-which he already regarded as
won. Turk had Big innocent blue eyes
that looked straight out at yea from
the desert wrinkles Of his brown face,
little white mUstache. the first fruits
Of manhood and good humored. firm
lips. There was something so irresist-
ibly new about him that Carver. the
called him the Kid"
You shall see Pasco's: Brown 'dobe
huts in the midst Of wide gray plain,
tufted in the foreground like upholstery
with knobs Of sage brush; a railroad
cleaning across il like a chalk line;
dim blue mountains ragged along the
top, set up IN the distance. Out from
the town, on the right a dusty road
led 10 a huge corral used for a race
course, with a steer pen in one corner.
Cow pUrchers were saddling. tighten
Ing cinches, mounting and riding up
ard down IN busting confusion: a
crowd was gathering TO the grand
stand at one side: a tail fellow in a
white sOmbrero was bawling for bets
on the contest; and over all glared the
hot white Arizona sunshine Pasco's
was hard a its faVorite sport. Steer
roping is the fine art Of the cattle
ranges; il is also the chief business of
the cowboy. No other great sport is
so closely linked with the daily work
OF the soil, no other work has in it
SO many Of the clements Of wild sport.
Turk McGlory, riding into the corral,
felt all the eyes OF Pasco's heavy upon
him. 1t gave him a sense Of heat and
TOO little air be felt somehow that
they knew, especially the women knew,
that this was TO be his first public rop-
ing. He wished that they also knew
OF his wild riding and tying with the
Lazy A outfit. and then he was glad
they didn't Out on the plains he had
felt the strength Of every muscle in his
lanky six feet, and he was certain OF
winning; but now he felt needlessly
large, loose, obstructive, and for one
panicky second he was riding away,
prizes to the wind. Then he clapped
his teeth shut and dismounted.
BY -" he said, 'Tll stay"
Here at the pen, where a dozen wild
steers were crowding and painting,
were knOtted the cowboys and their
admirers, Carver and his judges, and
the small men who were betting. With
a throb Of the heart Turk recognized
Bud Oliver, TO him the greatest man
on the cattle range. No man between
Texas and Los angeles was his equal
Tor roping and tying. Turk McGlory
would rather have been Bud Oliver
tnan Governor Of Texas. Turk was the
champion, receiving his friends like a
KING. giving them an offhand word or
q clap on the back-a hopelessly inimit-
aole perfection Of gcod-fellowship. And
then there was Buster Graham, the
champion Of Arizona, and Halversen. a
eq1are man with jaw like a bulldogs;