Even when he succeeds in saving a few dollars, the money seems to burn a hole in his pocket, and he generally lends it to some one in greater need than himself.  But every man working on a ranch has something to spare for the widow or children of a deceased brother, especially if he was killed in the course of his duties.  An instance of this generous-hearted disposition might well be given, but it is sufficient to say that the rule is invariable, and that a promise made to a dying man in this respect is never forgotten.

Leaving for a moment the personal characteristics of the much-maligned cowboy, who has been described as everything from a stage-robber to a cutthroat, we may with profit devote a little space to a consideration of his attire as it was, and as it is.  In the picture of a cowboy in this work the modern dress is shown very accurately.  It will be seen that the man is dressed conveniently for his work, and that he has none of the extraordinary handicaps to progress, in the way of grotesque decorations, which he had been thought to believe were, at least, part and parcel of the cowboy’s wardrobe and get up.  Certainly at the present time men engaged in feeding and raising cattle are almost indifferent as to their attire, wearing anything suitable for their purpose, and making their selections rather with a view to the durability, than the handsomeness, of the clothing.

But in years gone by, there was almost as much fashion changing among the men on the prairie as among the woman in the drawing-room.  At the close of the war the first of the arbitrary dictates of fashion went out.  A special form of stirrup was introduced.  It was very narrow and exceedingly inconvenient, but it was considered the right thing, and so everybody used it.  Rawhide was used in place of lines, and homespun garments were uniform.  Calfskin leggings, made on the prairie, with the hair on the outside, were first worn, and large umbrella-like straw hats came into use.  A little later it was decided the straw hat was not durable enough for the purpose.  When excited a cowboy frequently starts his horse with his hat, and when he is wearing a straw, four or five sharp blows knock out of the hat any semblance it may ever have had to respectability and symmetry.  The wide brim woolen hat was declared to be the correct thing, and every one was glad of the change.  The narrow stirrup gave place to a wider one, and the stirrup leather was shortened so as to compel the rider to keep his knees bent the whole time.  The most important change in fashion twenty years ago, was the introduction of tanned leather leggings and of handsome bridles.  Many a man now pays two or three months’ wages for his bridle, and since the fashion came in, it is probable that many thousand dollars have been invested in ornamental headgear for prairie horses and ponies.  A new saddle, as well as bow and tassel decorations, also came in at this period, and it is to be admitted that for a time exaggeration in clothing became general.  It is an old joke on the prairie that the average man’s hat costs him more than his clothes.