Weekly journal-miner., 1915-03-17
UP IN THE HEART OF
 PARADISE

fOllOWS.
 UP IN THE HEART OF
 PARADISE
 By w. Leete Stone, Jr.
 I have vivid recollection of the night my father took me to witness a performance of Sienkiewisz's Quo Vadis" when l was lad of twelve. The keenest of boyish disillusion- ments 1 have ever suffered, I think came with the disclosure of the rear of the Roman amphitheater, as the curtain rose on the third act. Antici- patory gory thrills melted and l realized with intense disgust that l was not to see Ur5us grapple with a living bull on the creaky boards of the old New York thcater. The well simulated excitement of the stage crowd, the grotesque roaring of the property" bull, the density of the face of Petronius, even the classic down-turncd thumb of Nero himself failed to rouse me. Suggestion could not thrill me.
 Last July I went up in the heart of paradise in search of thrills. I found them. My heart pounded, my spine tickled, my throat convulsed-I rev e1ed in thrills and the anticipation of my childhood was delightfully."- realized. I saw for the first time many picturesque men laughingly pit themselves in fierce combat against as many animals every bit as fcro- cious as that fiction famous brute from whose great horns the giant Ur- sus wrested fair Lygia.
 These Frontier Celebrations are held at Prescott, Arizona, each year. Prescott's on the rcof of the world. It's tiny chunk of Paradise, clipped off when the world was built and clapped up there as sort of roof garden for the rejuvcnation Of the faded and the development of embryo happiness. The Rockies rise sheer, stark and snow-tipped into the clouds on every side shutting out all the rest of the world, and the stuff that dreams are made of is in every breath of air-it's Gods country and no mis- take.
 Frontier Days" proper covers a period of four days. They arc gala days for the scattered people of the great Southwest, who flock to this little pine scented pinnacle in hun dreds and thousands to witness the stirring contests between the brain and brawn of sun-strong, rugged cow boys and the brute strength and feroc- ity of the creatures of the range.
 The first two days are completely occupied with preliminary elimination contests in the different events; but the hotly fought finals make the last two days periods of breathlcss silen- ces with occasional mighty bursts of enthusiasm from the thousands on the packed grandstands that surround the immense natural amphitheater In terest centcrs, naturally, on the most spectacular event which is the "World's Championship Broncho Riding Contest" as it is officially termed. Sounds tame, but it wouldn't if you knew what wildcat beasts these horses are.
 The mount of "thc Coloncps son" -'"'thc raw rough dun"-"with the mouth of bell, the heart of hell and the head of a gallows tree" was gen tie as babe compared to the slim, small range-wild bundles of hate and steel that are brought to Prescott for these ambitious cowboys to con quer. These horses after they are branded in infancy, rarely see hu- man being until they are four years old. Then they are sought on the great bleak ranges by their owners cowboys, ropcd or driven into the ranch, corrallcd, and the least vicious ones are broken" for use, while the outlaws" as they arc called, arc used for such purposes as these exhibition contests afford.
 The ride which Harry Henderson made on Zcbo. one of the nastiest out laws in the West. and which won for him first money, 5000, and the worlds championship gold medal was the greatest exhibition of unadulteratcd nerve and consummatc horscmanship | have ever seen. The instant the chute gate was opened Zebo hurled herself straight out and struck the ground stiff-lcggcd, every muscle of her 1.-the body quivcring with blind raoe at the snilin0 man aSfride her