Thus equipped, I was allowed to 

 accompany the cowboys to their work, 

 with the understanding that I was to 

 keep at a safe distance from the herd. 

 Van Anden, a famous 'cutter out,' 

 whatever that meant, was deputed 

 to have an especially watchful eye 

 upon me. Van Anden was a sur- 

 prisingly graceful fellow, who got his 

 six foot of stature in more places dur- 

 ing the day than any of the smaller 

 men. He was evidently a cowboy be- 

 cause he wanted to be one. There 

 were many traces of a college educa- 

 tion and a thorough drilling in good 

 manners in an Eastern home, which 

 report said could still be his if he so 

 wished ; and report also stated that he 

 remained a bachelor in spite of being 

 the most popular man in the country, 

 because of a certain faithless siren who 

 with gay unconcern casts languishing 



