JUST A RANGER. 



I don't care for stand-up collars, 

 Lawns shaved smooth and green; 

 Men a-scrambling after dollars 

 Wagons run by gasoline. 

 Just give me a horse and saddle, 

 Every day without a frill, 

 With the forest sun a-shining 

 On a hundred miles of hill. 



Just a ranger, just a ranger. 

 Riding along, climbing higher, 

 Over trails lined with danger 

 On the way to a forest fire. 



Just a ranger, just a ranger, 

 I don't envy kings or czars, 

 When the coyotes down the valley 

 Start a-singing to the stars. 



When my last trail is ended, 

 And my final bacon's curled, 

 And the last great fire is finished, 

 At the wind-up of the world; 

 I don't want no harps, nor 

 Robes nor fussed-up things; 

 Just let me ride the starry ranges 

 On a pinto horse with wings. 



When my feet are in the stirrups 

 And my horse goes like he'd bust ; 

 With his hoofs a-flashing lightning 

 From a golden cloud of dust. 

 And the crying of the eagle 

 Comes a-flying down the wind. 

 Then a better life than ranging 

 Would be mighty hard to find. 



Just a ranger, just a ranger, 

 Nothing I'd like half so well 

 As a-rounding up fire-fighters 

 That have wandered off from hell. 



W. LAUBENGAYER. 



Just a ranger, just a ranger, 

 Riding along, climbing higher, 

 Over trails lined with danger 

 On the way to a forest fire. 



I don't need no picture 

 When the sunset does its best, 

 A-shining on the forest 

 And the mountains toward the west. 

 And your opery looks foolish 

 When the night bird starts his tune, 

 And the forest silver-mounted 

 By the touches of the moon. 



(Editor's Note: Just to show that the 

 crude and unfinished forester, whose 

 sphere of usefulness in this world is 

 supposed by many people to be limited 

 entirely to the woods and uncivilized 

 distant regions of the earth, is capable 

 of getting away with something other 

 than the rough work of the woods, we 

 print the above song without music, 

 written by W. Laubengayer, '14.) 



