The Holly chieftain., 1904-02-19

would go farther in 2 day and come
| hack the next. than any team Of which
| history tells. but they would rcn
away whenever they got q chance.
Many OF US who were but yesterday
! tenderfeet can remember old Franz, a
well made horse who used to be the
crack leader OF all the four-horse
ranch teams.
On cne occasion Mr.. II. A. Pettee In
his duties as foreman OF the ranch, was
| looking over what is called Little
| Yankee Bend pasture and started for
| headquarters. Frank and Dick took
/ rotion TO run away. Mr.. Pettee, as is
well known, is Z horseman OF no mean
| ability. In his riding days he had the
name OF being able to ride CREASED
| lightning" and scratch the lightning
J from the tip Of its ears to the longest
hair OF ita hind fetlock. The boys tell
| how he could wrap his long legs under
the belly Of a horse and tie them in
double bow-knot. and let the horse
proceed to pitch until he got all OF the
| fun out Of it that was possible.
Well. Frank and Dick took notion
to hurry. Pettee took a notion to pro-
coed in that calm and dignified fashion
which is SO much part OF him. A
fight was matched. and Pettee and
tho blackboard began to look like
tail to the kite formed by the old gray
team. In this particular section Of
country the prairie is pretty rough in
the bottoms, and what with trying TO
| hold his hat on, hold his false teeth in
and keep his hands on the lines he was
busy from head to foot. to say moth
| Ing OF the seethinS problem that
rushed through his mind, as to whether
or not the team would stop when they
! got to the closed gate. This gate is
| one which divides the Little from the
| Big Yankee Bent pasture. Pettee hoped
the team would stop. but their reputa-
| ton caused him to have serious dOuhts.
| They had . way Of going over or
! through anything that stood in their
| path, and, true to their reputation, on
reaching the gate they did not pause
| long enough to take Off properly from
the ground, but went at the gate-part-
ly over it, partly through it and partly
under it. Meanwhile Pettee and the
blackboard stopped with a duh sicken
Ing thud. Pettee's ankle sustained a
compound fracture and his shoulder
was broken at the same time. and 1t
was year before he could wear his
boot. This occurred in 1885.
In 1886 one OF the curious incidents
OF the cow-puncher West occurred on
the ranch, which was he7alded all owe.
the country and a picture OF it was
published in the Police Gazette
Old Man Kelcey. cow-puncher, but
man who had Travelled much and
learned to tell good story. and was
therefore loved by the boys. died. 1t
was necessary to take him to Old Gran
ada to bury him. His coffin was put
on a wagon and the thirty cowboys OF
| the ranch lined up two by two to see
| their friend to his last resting place.
! The procession was peculiar and would
have been worth going many miles to
see. On arriving at Granada the boys
| discovered that they had neglected the
important factor Of minister Tho
station agent at that point was dis
covered to have been churchnan and
knew something OF the mode usually
pursued in funeral services, and he was
requested TO make a few remarks and
! Offer q prayer. The beloved friend
and story teller OF the boys was laid
away with a genuine sorrow, for which
the reckless cowboy has always been
noted. With uncovered heads, sympa-
they committed his body to the earth
and his spirit to God and the appeal to
our Heavenly Father made from the
center OF the Freat American Desert
was probably as surely heard as il tho
funeral sermon had been preached by
the greatest divine and Mozart's ReQui-
en- Mass had been played
| Among the jokes that were perps-
Iated in the comparatively early days,
vas .oke which a teaderiCot played
on himself, ard many interested and
| loving friends nave insisted that this
| story should not be written without the
| incorporation OF the following incl
dent:
| Wien the irrigation company estab-
! lished its headquarters at Holly, The
nan referred to on the south OF the
| track IN our weekly newspaper as the
| genial manager" was discovered by
Eess koea to have had some experience
I II riding horses on pigskin saddles.
and Mir. Keen become convinced OF the
| fact that he would have him train q
young horse in the perfection OF saddle
Gaits. With that end III view he Of
! tered our New York friend the partic-
Glarly handsome bay horse, five yeara
old, called Dipper, to he trained. The
manager went to work and IN q short
while got the horse to having very
good manners and felt that his traiG-
ing was quite g credit to his trainer.
About this time the trainer found hiGl-
self very busy in driving over the COIN
try, ard il mad been as much as thirty
days since Diyuer had had saddle on
him.
George Wilson at that ticle hal
! charge CT tho stable. On the mgnGger's
: : L. - L..