cowboy would say that the vest closely buttoned about the body
would cause perspiration, so that the wearer would quickly chill
upon ceasing exercise. If the wind were blowing keenly when the
cowboy dismounted to sit upon the ground for dinner, he would
button up his waistcoat and be warm. If it were very cold he
would button up his coat also.

The cowboy's boots were of fine leather and fitted tightly, with
light narrow soles, extremely small and high heels. Surely a more
irrational foot-covering never was invented; yet these tight,
peaked cowboy boots had a great significance and may indeed be
called the insignia of a calling. There was no prouder soul on
earth than the cowboy. He was proud of being a horseman and had a
contempt for all human beings who walked. On foot in his
tight-toed boots he was lost; but he wished it to be understood
that he never was on foot. If we rode beside him and watched his
seat in the big cow saddle we found that his high and narrow
heels prevented the slipping forward of the foot in the stirrup,
into which he jammed his feet nearly full length. If there was a
fall, the cowboy's foot never hung in the stirrup. In the corral
roping, afoot, his heels anchored him. So he found his little
boots not so unserviceable and retained them as a matter of
pride. Boots made for the cowboy trade sometimes had fancy tops
of bright-colored leather. The Lone Star of Texas was not
infrequent in their ornamentation.

The curious pride of the horseman extended also to his gloves.
The cowboy was very careful in the selection of his gloves. They
were made of the finest buckskin, which could not be injured by
wetting. Generally they were tanned white and cut with a deep