| Show Christmas Among The Cowboys I CHRiSTMAS on the cattle trail ot of A southern Utah and Arizona Is a aI alively I lively affair and has In Its Ito the elements ot of both amusement and danger The danger adds zest to the tho event which Is looked forward to with much anxiety by the cowboys cowboy l Early rl Christmas morning the cattle cattlemen cattlemen men round roundup up at the nearest village which Is mainly composed ot of saloons with their necessary bling ru rooms ms The boys bos mounted on their mustangs char charge e upon the village with a whoop and tiring a volley voUa as they enter Every Ever one rushes to the thedoor thedoor door ot of his but to see thu grand entry en try tt and another volley Is fired as they draw up In front ot of the most popular saloon In front there Is a long rack or log Into which pegs have havo been driven en This Is time the hitching post ant and after atter each ench ot of time the boys bos has hos thrown the rein over a peg they enter the saloon In a abod bod body The Tho door I is wide having been constructed on tines lines favorable to the admission of oC large crowds or a hasty haty exit when there Is more than the tho usual amount of at trouble The cattlemen are each armed with witha a rifle rille n a pair ot of re revolvers hers and a bowie bowle knife The rIfle Is left swinging from the saddlebow but the revolvers and bowie knife are carried along as an evidence ot of good god faith and to play nn an part In tho ho celebration tel fee The boys line up In front of the counter two or three deep The Tho bar barkeeper k keeper at once sets out the tho black bet bot botties ties tics The They know what the they want whis whisky ky being the only kind of drink they ther have The boys drInk and fall back and amu amuse e themselves s by tiring firing at pictures on the rho walt wall generally patent medicine I advertisements They occasionally take a at ono one ot of the bottles knocking at oft th the n neck ck On specIal occasions like Christmas the proprIetor usually strings several tin cans along the top of oC the doorway for tor target practice This saves his bottles and somewhat Quiets his tears fears as to the result ot of a chance shot In his direction This plen pleasantry as It Is termed Is not resented b by time the saloon Baloon men or the people of the town It would bo be use less leslI and lead to more serious shooting as the cattlemen are expert shots and ready at all times for tor a gun tight fight Furthermore their Is profitable the they are the main support ot of the ea 3 loons bone and gambling houses housel In these frontier Villages Is spent pent In drinking horse borse racing and shooting up the town ton The of oC horsemanship are aro remark remarkable remarkable able aleo th the rn marksmanship and a great deal al of at money l is bet also whisky for tor ever overy event presupposes drInks for those engaged at al the cost coat ot of the he loser One ot of the feats Is that ot of IL a horse horseman horseman man running at full Cull speed and checking the animal to n a full stop slop within the space ot of a horse blanket The Tho very vory cud sud sudden cudden den stop Is likely to fo throw the rider over the horses hone head unless ho Is II very ery expert The cruel SpanIsh Spaniel bit Is used In this feat Ceat and It Is extremely hurtful to the primal Another teat feat is III that ot of tossing up a silver dollar while dt full tUll speed peed and shooting 1 a hole through It If a chick chicken en Is seen leen through the street sheet It is II at once beheaded by a pistol shot which b by the wa way Is an ordinary shot tit l n a distance of at O 0 yards The cowboy does not raise the tho revolver sight It hut but shoots as he raises It to a his side In the posItion ot of his elbow resting the right sIde This degree cf cC expertness Is acquired only after long practice and a necessity for tor being quick with lIh a gun has tended to bring It about While the average shooter Is raising raisin his weapon to sIght eight It the cowboy who has only to raise hi his hardware about halt the tho distance has bas brought down his victim After these exercises exercise gambling Is In order orter taro faro being the thc principal game The Tha cowboys are reckless bettors and lose loso with gracefulness but when some Iome ot of the bunko sneaks sneak attempt to rob them by means or of a brace game he be Is usually shot dead In his without ceremony and quite The cattlemen Understand nil all of the trIcks i of that trade having learned from ex experience and when one of the skin game dealers Is killed the proprietor hastily disclaims any previous knowl knowledge edge dge of the attempt at swindling The game Is continued and the affair soon blows over To attempt to tl arrest ono one of oC them would cause n a general tight fight and the citizens would gee ge much the worst ot of the tho engagement In the evening there Is IL a grand ball ballat ballat at one of oC the music halls the music consisting of B a squeaky violin and a ahardy hurd hardy guary curdy org organ n he repertory of the tho artist On the violin I is limited to two or three hackneyed airs and th there re reIs Is little In his seems alike A poster at the door ot of the ballroom reads Gentlemen will VIII please check their revolvers But this Is a mere matter of form torm and It Is not expected that nn any one will obey the In InJunction Injunction Junction anti and they ther do not When the dance becomes unu lively time the amusement Is increased by some fome ot of t the e cowboys shooting out the lights This Is an old form of oC amusement and no now Inconvenience Is anticipated by having on hand n a supply ot of extrA light so that hat the dance may be n a con affair After Atter each dance the tho gentleman his more or less fair partner up to 0 the bar This Is II a 11 point ot of etiquette that Is seldom It if ever omitted The ball continues until daylight daUght un unless t less there has been ver very serious s shooting affair and several people kill killed ed d TM The wOunding or Ev even n the killing or one person pelIon Is not considered ot of sum dent importance to break up the tea fes of ph ah event which comes only n a year year and which the cattlemen h have ve waited walte so 10 anxiously to participate In 10 The Thc corpse Is remO removed d the blo blood d dwash washed wash d from the floor and the frontier r velry continues s It Is how however ever that there are such embarrass menus ment The coWboys are usually In the majority dt these functions and their well ell known desperate character and dIsposition act as a leaven toward keeping down such diversions diversion It is II only when a discordant element clement of and teamsters appears at these socials that the Is II varied b by an occasional killing J M Id SO |
