The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-04

latter, on account Of his scarcity, IL q con-
siderably more important parsonage. The
cowboy used to carry his own outht and
fry his own bacon over a fire OF his own
building. At roundup seaa ms the chuck
wagon followed the men. lnd they vat
in the shade OF the wagon and ate their SIT
pork and soda biscuit out Of a tin plate.
THE harvest hands ON tho nAodcrn ranch,
nave their own dining room. soreened and
shady, with a screened In piaaza opening
from IL. Their table Ia covered with white
oilcloth and 10 kept spotless. There are
servants to wait on them. and the food 10
ample, we'll cooked and Of the best quality.
AT one ranch where ! stopped during
harvest time we had for dinner cora soup.
pot roast with brown gravy. stewed toma-
toes, boiled potatoes. bread. butter. voice
md rice pudding. On this ranch they
had an immense icehouee, large enough
to hang the four quarters OF a beef. Tey
kill their own meat and grow practically
all their own vegetables.
The old time ranchman's idea Of Wild
excitement was a stampede. II was rather
blood stirring. too--a couple OF hundred long
horned Texans zone stark staring crazy
and careening wild over the prairie. sweep
ing down everything In their path. But
occasionally he modern ranchman can get
I'D an excitement shat makes a stampede
look like Main street or Sunday afternoon.
Il was stopping at a ranch a few days
ago. sitting on the porch reading and occs-
sionally looking up to watch the men in
the field half a mile away. They were
cutting alfalfa. and the breeze brought me
the sweet warm smell and the steady wtirr
Of the moving machines as the sixt aen
spans of mules followed one anoths r
around and around the thousand acre field.
- big red motor car dashed by in the
road and holked a greeting, but the mules
never looked up. Tn manager Of the
ranch, making his regular round of in
spection, drove up in another car. The
mules did not ever stiffen their ears, but
topped steadily on their way through
the mass Of purple bloom.
Then "a I watched one nan stopped
his team and climbing down from his ma
chine crossed 10 the water wagon for a
drink. Thu mules started to walk away.
He shouted to them and they begin 10
trot. Another man shouted and they
began TO run. Then the team aheao OF
them. hearing the chatter, strained on tbs
lines and began to run too.
In two minutes every mule had gone
crazy and was running madly over the big.
field. the moving machines gathering at
their heels, the long shining knives whir-
ring menace to everything in their way.
Think Of it. Sixteen teams OF mules
hitched 70 moving machines running wild in
o thousand acre field.
The men dropped lines and everything
else and with arms and legs chung tight to
the little seat. To fall of meant being gut
to pieces. One came near enough to the
fence to let go and roll of backward and
get under before another team came up to
MIN.
One mule stumbled and fell and his msts
and the machine were piled on top Of hiru
and their screams we're added TO the din.
Another. overtaken by a machine. dropped
as IL shot. his legs cut clean OF.
mo one could stop them. no n could
do anything to help the men clinging to
the rocking. swaying seats. We could only
wait till the crazed mules became exhausted
and stopped. ! believe they said IL lasted
about twenty minutes. but l have seen
whole days that we're shorter. When IL was
over I found myself perched On top Of q
windmill. a position not easily attained by
a man we'll on to $50 pounds. didn't know
how l got there, l don't know yet; but I
know it took the rest of the morning 70 get.
down. I have seen cattle stampedes hat
l thought we're pretty exciting. but never
have I seer one that drove me to climb a
windmill. There Is something to be sid
after all for the new system or ranching.'