The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1909-06-16

Drder," BY James N. Steele.
dy," adding any further pscudonyu
which may designate that particula
1rishman. The New Englander glor
les in the name of "Yank," and tn,
Southerner answers with great alacrit,
to the name of Tennessee" or "Kain
tuck" and sometimes to pike" o.
Cracker" Thus is rampant demo
cracy made manifest. The real namel
of individuals are utterly unknown t.
companions who have known them fol-
years. Any peculiarly Of person o,
history produces its apt cognomen o,
recognition The man who squints j.
"Cockeye" for all time. The lame
man is "Limpy," and the tall man
'Slim Dick" The surprising feature
Of this frontier fashion is that these
names are accepted and gloried in.
Indeed, those which are born of some
PECULIARLY Of history are proudly
borne. To be Buffalo Bill" or
Fighting Bob" is to be famous.
"Mister" Is the designation of stran.
ger, but ifa Borderer calls an indivi-
ual mister" after he has known him
a week, he means some fine morning to
kill him unless he changes his opinion
of his merits.
Men become accustomed to all sur
roundings except prison walls. and to
solitude easiest of all. The frontiers.
man would smile if you told him his
life was mOnotOnOus one. But want
ing even the newspaper, he is even
more gregarious than other men, and
q companion Of some kind, brute in
the want Of something human, is
necessary to existence. The dog, dear
rs he IS to many men everywhere, is
dOubly a friend in the wilderness. His
lonesome master sleeps and eats and
talks with him. He may be the
cur that ever barked. No
matter; it is not country in which to
be particular. There is another ami
NAL, which commonly leads q perse-
cuted life and dies violent death
among Christian people, which here
would find long life and due apprecia-
ion. What would not the frontiers.
man give for a cat? The most conf |
al comforter Of loneliness ever knew
vas a donkey-a small specimen that |
;ould be carried in ones arms. As
bis long cared, solemn counteuanced |
title ass stalked about the shanty, in |
'estigated the cookery, and even
climbed upon the bed, its jolly master
vOuld sit and hold his sides with
nirth. But the opportunity for com
with his own kind, never
'asses unused. There are nightly
at every ranch, and the
for amusement is usually the
1T which is as old as Babel; the art
f story telling. Each man tells Of his
wn adventures, palming them off for
cry truth, and, rs every listener
nows, making them as he goes out of
hole cloth. Some of the most out
ageous travesties upon truth ever said
= sung have beguiled the dull hours
the frontier cabin. The next
source is the card table, and in min
q districts the sums which change
ands in q night would startle the
abitues of Saratoga or Baden. Baden.
7ith nearly all frontiersmen gambling
. passion, and some of them are the
oct thoroughly accomplished men,
,rs of the card dealing fraternity.
The man who shall transfer to can
y some one of the scenes which each
idnight brings to the inner room of
Q traders store in \ New Mexican
ming camp, and shall do it we'll, will
eserve for all time the most striking
AZURE of American frontier life. We
all see the dead silence and rapt d,
tention as the guttering candles flare !
'on each sun-brOwned and grizzled
se, the hard hands and hairy arms, I
d the look of covert exultation as ,
3 winner draws towards him the coin I
d bags of yellow dust. We shall ,,
I'd the quick glance which suspects a
cheat, and the deep curse which
;ords a mistake and standing there,
most as intent Is the players, are :
y who watch the fascinating passion A..
its varying record of gain and loss.
Q dim light will throw the rough
ma intO Grim indisfincfneaa end