The Quirt and the Spur; Vanishing Shadows of the Texas Frontier (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1909. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VIII AMUSING INCIDENTS AND INDIVIDUAL PRANKS OF THE COW PUNCHER Various and strange were the things the cowpuncher did: Always reckless and thoughtless as a frolicsome kid. Along the pathway of the next ten years, the whirlwind of time drove the dust of countless incidents that would have been interesting reading between the covers of "blood and thunder" novels. Nothing commonplace ever happened in the early days of Texas' Northwest. And, as Kentuck looks back, memory recalls a troop of queer characters, each bearing his own individuality that made him a distinct person among his fellows, preeminent for some specialty, that by common consent awarded him a name in harmony with his chief characteristics. No truer saying was ever uttered than "familiarity with danger breeds contempt for it." And the observer might have added that there is a fascination in living where the six-shooter is the only arbitrator in disputes between man and man. Under these conditions life was only worth what each individual valued his own when called on to defend it. Even the most peacefully disposed persons, like Kentuck, of a necessity in those days carried his six-shooter. In fact, to be seen without your gun was to call attention to the absence of an essential part of your makeup. Like 152 the excuse of the blind man for carrying a lighted lantern on a dark night, the six-shooter was a warning to the other fellow. Armed with a Colt's "45," a stripling was a match for a prize fighter, and dared to contend for his rights, notwithstanding the physical bully who opposed him could pound the spark of life out of him. Ruffians, as a rule, are cowards, and will not take equal chances in a fair fight. But if they can "bullyrag" some effeminate man and take the "drop" on him, they para...