A RANCHMAN'S RECOLLECTIONS 



I didn't take kindly to, hearln' an' lookin' at thet 

 sky at the same time. 



"But the storm didn't break like it did tonight; 

 jest kept a hangin'. The foreman 'lowed we better 

 catch our best night bosses and sleep without much 

 undoin'. I ain't lost no cyclones, an' all the boys 

 'cept Obe was about the same mind; so we jest sits 

 aroun' and drinks coffee an' eats tea cakes till the 

 cook druv us off. The first guard seemed to be gittin' 

 on all right, an' we fell asleep. 'Bout an hour 'fore 

 midnight the foreman calls us an' says the cattle was 

 gettin' restless, an' all hands went on duty. The air 

 was still hot, and no stir. The lightnin' had about 

 quit after sunset, 'cept flashin' some. 



"We hadn't much more'n got to the herd when 

 the air freshened an' things was gettin' right. Then 

 it got cold, an' we could hear it comin'. Thunder 

 and hghtnin' seemed to spring out of the mesquites. 

 The foreman passed the word: 'Hold 'em till they 

 git wet,' an' we began to circle. The cattle was on 

 their feet in a second, with the first cold air; but we 

 got the mill started by the time the storm hit. I've 

 seen lighnin', an' this little show tonight was a purty 

 good imitation, but thet was lightnin' right. As far 

 as thet's consarn', I've seen balls o' fire on the end 

 of a steer's horn many a time, but there was a ball 

 o' fire on the end of both horns on every one of them 

 thousin' steers, an' the light in the balls of their eyes 

 looked like two thousin' more. Talk about a mon- 



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