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Show Page 26 managed in any other way, and for a moment realized this was control in its strictest sense, I would have snorted like a wild mustang and bolted for the home range. This introduction to training was so skillful it never occurred to me that I was being schooled, and I was eager to return each year to absorb more of the luxuries. With a deep sense of obligation I wanted to please those kind sisters, and did everything expected of me. I swaggered home triumphant, for I had won a medal for good conduct. The cowboys shook their heads, and declared "you must of mavericked it." Ann's years at St. Mary's did not change her mind about becoming a cowboy. Because of her determination to do so and her forceful character, it is likely Ann would have succeeded in reaching her goal even without the benefit she may have gained from the changing attitudes toward women and the expanded roles they were acquiring for themselves. But she nevertheless worked hard at making her dream come true. She returned home each summer to spend her time on the range riding, roping and shooting. By the time she was sixteen she was rated the best cowhand and best shot in Brown's Park. And because of her strong personality, she had become one of the recognized leaders of the cattlemen in that part of Colorado. |