 | A little book of tribune verse |  |
196
THE MUSTANG.
A cow-boy o'er the prairie wide,
Upon a mustang staunch and true,
Thro' cacti, wet with morning dew,
In search of roving cattle hied.
Upon a mustang staunch and true,
Thro' cacti, wet with morning dew,
In search of roving cattle hied.
Of all the cow-boys, fierce and wild,
The fiercest, wildest boy was he,
And as he skimmed the dusty lea,
He looked like nature's petted child.
The fiercest, wildest boy was he,
And as he skimmed the dusty lea,
He looked like nature's petted child.
Far out across the weary plain,
He cast his eager, flashing eye,
And saw a heifer, lean and spry,
Fast heading towards a field of grain.
He cast his eager, flashing eye,
And saw a heifer, lean and spry,
Fast heading towards a field of grain.
Into his foaming mustang's side
He plunged his spur, and with a moan
The mustang bucked, despite the groan,
“Ha, ha! Ho, ho!” the cow-boy cried.
He plunged his spur, and with a moan
The mustang bucked, despite the groan,
“Ha, ha! Ho, ho!” the cow-boy cried.
Again it bucked—this time with care—
And ere that cow-boy guessed the cause
Or knew where in the world he was,
He shot into the startled air!
And ere that cow-boy guessed the cause
Or knew where in the world he was,
He shot into the startled air!
197
The probabil'ties are, we ween,
He's still going up or coming down,
For ne'er in country or in town
Has that there cow-boy since been seen.
He's still going up or coming down,
For ne'er in country or in town
Has that there cow-boy since been seen.
And that was eighteen months ago.
The mustang waits upon the plain
For his belov'd to drop again
And give him just another show.
The mustang waits upon the plain
For his belov'd to drop again
And give him just another show.
November 5th, 1881.
| A little book of tribune verse | |