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