The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-02-17
Rounded Up Bunch Of Cattle and
Drove Them TO Town.
EXTRAORDINARY WIT OF RANCH ANIMALS
SHEEP DOG HERDED cHIckrne
ON PRAIRIE FROM MORN.
ING UNTIL NIGHT.

Ranch animals are mighty inter-
esting things to study" remarked an
old cattleman, as he tilted his chair
back comfortably on its hind legs in
the sunny window of the Hotel Dacres
Somehow they seem to have moro
character to them than the GA stern
animals.
Then. too, the ranchman has time
and opportunity to get acquainted
with his four-footed comrades. If
he's living a bit off the trail. theirs
may be the only faces he sees for
weeks together in the winter. and his
cats and sheepdog and mich COW
and ponies come to be more like people
to him than animals.
Cow ponies, now, it beats all how
brainy they are at their business.
which the same is herding cattle and
rounding 'em up. They're such wise
guys all the man in the saddle has
to do is to keep his seat. The pony
will hold down the rest of the lob.
The conscience and judgment and
brilliant initiative that a COW pony
will put into his work would keen
many poor devil out of the bread
lines.
"A few years ago there was an old
maid schoolmarm came to Terry.
Mont, from Maine to teach the dis
trict school. 1t was the custom then,
as it used to be in New England, for
the teacher to board round in the
families of the pupils.
The first family to board the new
teacher happened to live on a ranch
about five miles out of Terry, and
as it was too far to walk back and
forth, they gave her an old COW pony
for her own use. Well. the first
Monday in September came, and they
saddled up the pony, and teacher got
upon his back with her books and
pencils and rulers and things, and off
she started.
Cow Pony Woke Up.
About a mile out from the ranch
they came upon a little bunch of
cattle grazing beside the road The
old COW pony had been moocnin' along
with his head stuck out as if he was
asleep, but the minute he caught sight
of them cows ne sure was on to his
job. Breaking into a lOpe that sent
the teachers pencils flying over the
prairie in all directions and almost
proceeded to round up the bunch.
Now firmly holding a rantanker-
Gus COW in place, now lodging round
a couple of steers to cut off a silly
calf that was taking to the tall tim
ber-anticipating what the durn fools
was going to do next, and seeing that
they changed their minds to suit MS
and always circling and nursing and
urging and tactfully persuading in less
time than it takes me to tell 1t that
little old COW pony had gathered EN-
up into a compact herd and was driv-
ing 'em before him into Terry.
so far, so good says Mister COW
Pony, but We amt there yet, teacher.
The road over Terry flats is gen
orally peppered pretty thick with cat
tie and milcn COWS belonging to the
people of the village. 1t was that
day. But the pony didn't finch He
saw his duty, if the thing on his back
didn't and he done it.
Not meek-eyed cow. not
shrinking, trembling little bessie, not
a steer escaped mis- attentions Some
times it was stiff work holding one
herd and rounding up another at the
same time. But the tougher the )oo
the more conscience and judgment ana
brains the pony put into it, so by tne
time the teacher struck Terry she was
bringing up the rear of fine coiiec-
ton of about 200 head of cattle, rep
resenting fifteen or twenty olHeren'
ranches.
Made the Children Laugh.
"The pupils had gathered IN iioh'
of the schoolhouse to welcome the ne"
school marin. When they saw .wha'
had happened they let out deiigh'eo
yell of oh, see teacher rounoihs u
the cattle" and went off into hts anu
commissions.
I've often thought I would give
good DEAL" pursued the old man. L
know just what smart Montana pony
thinks of COWS, anyway. He sure na'
mis- opinion.
Il once had occasion to lock cal
up for a few days in the stable Wner
I kept my riding horse 1orse
whether the calf had been overiooAe
at branding time. or whether II wa