Weekly journal-miner., 1919-06-25

was the place to celebrate Fourth oi
 July. There were some ranges away
 off where it was 50 lonesome God
 couldn't hear a man holler," where
 they made shift at a celebration in
 some grove, with the open valley in
 front for a tournament field, and the
 home crew and the nearest nest of sand-pickers" (farmers) to cheer; but
 it was a sorry shift-town was the place.
 Town wide open. with no need to
 drink alkalai water out of a mud hole. Town, with every store waiting ready
 baited with gay silk and cotton shirts
 on long lines above the counters and silk neckerchiefs of every hue in the windows; and in the front of every window big white Stetson hat with
 leather band hand-carved and silver studded, on top of pair of boots
 with slim tnree-inch heels and legs stitchei with heavy silk thread and inlaid with colored leather in clabor- ate patterns.
 The saddlers' shops overflowed with saddles on whose ample russet- colored skirts and long, sweeping tapideros, flowers, feathers, birds, sca-shells, 1ong-horned steers, and plunging bronks had been carved with grace and skill.
 Braided leather quirts, rawlide riatas, many of them made in the Pen (by convicts), and silver mounted spurs and bridle bits filled the windows. Leather leggings, chaps" carved, plain, fur-trimnred, silver-buttoned, lined the walls and added to the clean, new-leathery fragrance of the interior.
 Bunch after bunch of punchers crowded the gay "Emporiums" ana came out slick as a carload of al falfa steers;" boot heels clicking on the sidewalk, shining silf kerchiefs knotted over blue or pink or bright striped shirts. Guns were hidden, spurs seen only on mounted men, tine cow-ponics still quivered resentfully from the unwonted scrape Of the currycomb, and red, white and blue ribbons were braided in their names and tiny flags fastened in the big silver conchos on the brides.
 Scars of catclaw and scrub oak chaparral had been rubbed off the saddles. new "ladigo" straps put on, and new hair cincnes with long, fancy tasseis hanging down in the center. The riatas had been soaped and oiled and stretched and tested, ready to drop supple as silk over the horns ol some racing steer and hold, with a grip of steel
 All morning. and even the day be- fore, wagons and horsemen had been heading for town. Out at the tour nament grounds the grandstand was packed, fences crowded, and small boys balanced with perilous enthusi- asm over the branches of the nearest trees. Out in the corral at the end of the field a bunch of wild steers, bewildered by the noisy crowd, milled restlessIy and bawled when some horsenfan rode near.
 Cowboys dashed up and down bent on showing off before the Circle | girls" or the town crowd"
 Down at the gate the tournament captain was holding an argument with two belated punchers who wanted to take part in the steer tying contest but didn't want to pay the five-dollar entrance fee. They had both been clearing the sandstorm out of their windpipes" with something more potent than tank water.
 q tell ye," one of them was yelf- ing. Pm a yaller tailed coyote from tn sandflats of tn Santa Marier; I've got nine rows O teeth an room fer ten more. I'm hongery as a turkey luzzard; gimme some ole horse shoes | 10 chaw on, on some ostrich stomach Ditters 10 wash 'em down; or some O you scared rabbits shoot me a dozen | pills out O yer pop-guns an watch ! me ketch 'em in my teeth"
 I'm howlin' hycna from tn head waters O in Hassayamp,' his part ncr broke in" an when 1 shot tn | yearth stan's up on CT hind laigs an i ,laps 'er fore paws to CT years.
 The coyote of the Santa Maria and the hvena of the Hassayampa saw the high gate swing shut in thcir -aces and rode off meekly to a little hill outside the fence from which . hey could watch the sport.
 The order of events was cunningly planned to whct every puncher's de- sire to Haunt his skill in the face of the fallen. The iong field was clear ,d of all but those who had business .hcrc; the captain on his tall bay American horse" rode out to the dead line holding a white flag high in his hand, Two men on horseback | stood at the gate where the steers ni}led and snorted sullenly. Out at his own marked place 6 cowboy on a 1 nicIed lass horse" waited, with the -old chilIs creeping up his back as Inc crowd chcered and his comrades If the range shouted srraps of gall