“Will you show me that trick, Carlos? Do it and I’ll give you one of my ‘irons;’ and if you’ll sell me the lariat I’ll give you my jack-knife.”
Carlos had never heard of “swapping.” Rather surprised, he looked up and promptly replied:
“Of course I’ll show you—if I can. It’s not much to do. You just throw it, you know, and it does the rest of the work.”
“Yes, I see. It’s easy, real easy. I could do it myself if I wanted to. I just thought, maybe, you’d like to show me. Might make you feel as if—as if—” Jack stammered and stopped. He had been ready to add: “as if you were of some use in our family;” but reflected that the remark would have offended his hospitable parents.
“As if what?” asked Carlos, when Jack hesitated, confused.
“Oh! nothing. If you don’t want to you needn’t, Mr. Throw-a-rope. I can trade with some other fellow. Likely we’ll meet a cowboy before night, anyway.”
Carlos laughed.
“His lasso is the last thing any cowboy will part with. It is his most useful possession and he often spends large sums of money on it. A vaquero gave my father one that is worth—Oh! a fabulous price. We keep it in a place of honor in the hall, for it’s made of the finest horsehair from thoroughbred stock, and has bands of silver where the lengths are joined, every little way. It is beautiful, and so slender you can hold it all in your palms.”
“You won’t swap this, then?”
“I couldn’t. It was a gift and nobody sells a gift, but you may use it all you wish.”