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Lippincott's Magazine, October 1885
Project Gutenberg's Lippincott's Magazine, October 1885, by Various This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Lippincott's Magazine, October 1885
Author: Various
Release Date: December 29, 2004 [EBook #14509]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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LIPPINCOTT'S MAGAZINE
_OCTOBER, 1885_.
ON A TEXAS SHEEP-RANCH.
I.
There are words which have careers as well as men, or, perhaps it may be more happily said, as well as women. Mere words breathed on by Fancy, and sent forth not so much to serve man's ordinary colloquial uses, apparently, as to fascinate his mind, have their debuts. their season, their vogue, and finally a period in which it is really too bad if they have not the consolation of reflecting upon their conquests; for conquests they certainly have. The great captivators--the Cleopatras of the vocabulary--one easily recognizes; but besides these there is a host of small flirts and every-day coquettes, whom one hardly suspects till they have a little carried him away. Almost every one remembers how in this light company he first came across the little word ranch. It had in its youth distinctly the cachet of the verbal flying squadron, the "nameless something," the oenanthic whiff which flies to the head. There are signs that its best days as a word are