e hunted up the deputy, and told him that one of the hunted
man's confederates was in the camp. The deputy, who was new to the
business and anxious to make a reputation for himself, rushed to the
camp and arrested the storyteller in spite of his protests. The young
man, who had been so brave a few minutes before, wept bitterly, and
begged that some one would telegraph his mother so as to have his
character established and his liberty assured. The joke was kept up so
long that the young man was actually placed in safe keeping all night.
The following morning he was released, as there was nothing whatever
against him except artistic lying. The speed that he managed to attain
while hurrying to the nearest railroad station showed that with proper
training he might have made a good athlete.

He waited around the station until the next train went East, and no
passenger was more delighted when the conductor said "All aboard," than
was the youth who was going back home very much discouraged, but very
considerably enlightened.

On another occasion a typical cowboy was traveling on the cars, and as
is quite common with members of his profession, had been approached by a
sickly looking youth, who asked him dozens of questions and evinced a
great anxiety to embark upon prairie life. There was very little to
interest the cattle-worker, and after awhile he determined to get rid of
his not overwelcome, self-introduced friend. He accordingly pointed, out
a rough-looking man at the far end of the car, and told the questioner
that he was the leader of a dangerous band of train robbers. The
individual was probably some hard-working man of perfectly honest
habits, but the would-be brave young man, who a few moments before had
been a candidate for a life of danger and hardship, was so horrified at
the bare idea, that he decided in a moment to emulate the Irishman who
said he had left his future behind him, and jumped from the moving
train, preferring a succession of knocks and bruises to actual contact
with a man of the character he had schooled himself into admiring.

Every man who creates a disturbance, defies the law, and discharges
fire-arms at random is spoken of as a cowboy, although in a majority of
instances he has never done a day's work to justify the name. The tough
man from the East who goes West to play the bad cowboy, is liable to
find that he has been borrowing trouble. He finds out that an
altercation is likely to bring hi