CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1907-04-11
THE COWBOY CONVERTS
FROM THE STIRRUP RANCH
ii. N. Beecher In The Pacific Monthly.

my lead and let me do the work for
the outfit"
And sure enough, when the preacher
had finished telling the congregation
what a band of outlaws and horse
thieves cowboys were, he ended up by
asking us with the others, to come for
ward.
Brethren" he said, there is still
chance for backsliding church MEM
bers, a chance even for our benighted
brothers from the hills, and now while
we sing, let all who would be saved
come forward"
When the girl who played the organ
got her last summers hat properly ad-
justed, they began to sing; but some
how she got of on the wrong hoof, or
else cinched the organ a little too
tight, for it bucked fearful, and only
a few strays in the bunch tried to
sing.
Then Dudley got up
Come on, boys" he whispered, and
we came, Injin file, up the aisle
Dudley, tall and graceful. looking So
ber and dignified as a judge, in the
lead, while Boot-Jack Bethel biting his
lips to keep from laughing, tailed the
procession. AS we trailed up the long
aisle, our spurs iingling on the floor.
Dudley picked up the broken hymn
and sang; clear and soft at first, then
louder, TN his voice filed the church.
and the girl who played the organ
turned round to see where the real
music came from: and all over the
church people were leaning forward
in their seats, and one by one they
stopped singing, listening to Dudley;
and when he reached the front seat he
was singing all by himself But he
didn't seem to mind it no more than
II he were on the night herd with just
the cattle and we boys to hear him.
and the stars looking down: seemed TO
forget we were in big church filled
with strangers. and all lit up with
electric lights. for he sang right on to
the end OF the hymn without a break.
When he had finished, the preacher
came forward. all puffed up like a
poisoned coyote. as II he had done him
self proud in getting us to come for
ward He stood silent for moment
to make It more impressive, then asked
for some one TO lead In prayer for "the
wayward brothers from the hills"
But no one seemed ready to tackle
the job, reckon it looked too hard,
leastways no one responded. Then
Dudley got up, right In front of the
pulpit, and lifting his old chaps like
they were pair OF dress-suit trousers,
he was afraid of putting out of shape,
he kneeled down and prayed. Reckon
the town people, nor the tourists from
the big hotel never heard just such a
prayer, and they all listened.
"oh, Lord, we thank Thee that we
are cowboys, cowboys from the Stir
rup Ranch, coming before Thee and
this audience gathered here tonight, in
gratitude for the many beauties OF ma
ture with which Thou hast surrounded
the strrup Ranch,
"We thank Thee for the meadow be-
low the ranch. that great sea OF grass,
surging in the breeze like the sea of
Galilee. For the hundreds OF acres OF
grazing land above, where Thou max
est our cattle to lie down in green pas
lures and leadest them beside the still
waters OF the everything springs that
surround the Ranch.
I'VE thank Thee, oh Lord, for that
beautiful park still higher up, where
cedars grow and the yucca blooms,
round the lonely grave of Colorado
cowboy, who gave his life to save his
fellow man. Such spot, oh Lord,
we're fitting burial place for Thy Patri-
arch of old. whose grave no man
knoweth, where the angels of God up
turned the sod and laid the dead man
there.
For the great forests still higher
up. we give thanks. and for those tow
ering timberline cliffs yet higher, home
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