Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 107: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Grand Round-Up. 99 been rather uncomfortable to the party most directly interested, who, perhaps, was being chased by a vic- ious old steer after the manner of Spanish bull fights, or, having caught a Tartar with his rope, was at a loss how to break loose. Cuthbert tried his hand at every part of the busi- ness. He wanted to learn all about it, and Karl was delighted. “Shouldn’t ha’ believed it, now. Not really!’ he exclaimed. “For a tenderfoot chum you’re coming up all right.” Cuthbert laughed. “T’m improving, Karl,” he said. “Improving! Why, you don’t have any more room for improvement. From to-day you’re a cow- boy, and there ain’t anybody here as can say ‘no’ to that.” It was a proud day for the Virginia lad. Perhaps he felt more elated because Polly had been a witness of his triumph—that fact might have encouraged him to strive with unusual zeal to reach the high mark that had been placed before him, for they were great friends, and Polly’s commendation was some- thing to be prized. Of course, Karl was in the first class, Karl who had grown up to this sort of thing, and could not remember the time when he was not able to keep his seat on a horse, and throw a small lasso with good results. By degrees the various herds were gradually thinned out, and when night came after the grand stock-taking the sadly-demoralized cattle could be started back to the various ranges. It was full moon and a glorious night when Karl, Cuthbert, Old Sile and the two other herders, hav- ing seen their prize bunch safely back to their old anchorage, the terrors of the past day already for- Connicloocks.€©