"Lonesome Shorty" from The Book of Guys
As we approach the 25th Anniversary of the publication of Garrison Keillor's short story collection The Book of Guys, we are revisiting a few of the stories from the book with new introductions from Garrison. Here's what Garrison had to say about "Lonesome Shorty":
Written for The New Yorker, this story inspired the radio serial "Lives of the Cowboys" on A Prairie Home Companion, with Dusty and Lefty, Lefty's lost love Evelyn Beebalo, and the villain Big Messer, which takes place in and around Yellow Gulch, Wyoming. It's Samuel Beckett for fourteen-year-olds. The cowboys suffer extreme loneliness, which drives them to visit town, where, in a short time, they are disgusted by society and return to the godforsaken plains, where, in due course, they suffer extreme loneliness and return to Yellow Gulch, only to be disgusted. That's how life seemed to me when I was fourteen.
Excerpt:
The summer before last, I was headed for Billings on my horse Old Dan, driving two hundred head of the ripest-smelling longhorns you ever rode downwind of, when suddenly here come some tumbleweeds tumbling along with a newspaper stuck inside—I had been without news for weeks so I leaned down and snatched it up and read it trotting along, though the front page was missing and all there was was columnists and the Lifestyle section, so bouncing along in a cloud of manure I read an article entitled “43 Fabulous Salads to Freshen Up Your Summertime Table” which made me wonder if my extreme lonesomeness might not be the result of diet. Maybe I’m plumb loco, but a cowboy doesn’t get much fiber and he eats way too much beef.
You herd cattle all day, you come to despise them, and pretty soon, by jingo, you have gone and shot one, and then you must eat it, whilst all those cattle tromping around on the greens takes away your taste for salads, just like when you arrive at a creek and see that cattle have tromped in the water and drunk from it and crapped in it, it seems to turn a man toward whiskey. I thought to myself, Shorty, you’ve got to get out of this cowboy life. I mentioned this to my partner, old Eugene, and he squinted at me and said, “Eeyup.”
“Eugene,” I said, “I’ve been cowboyin for nigh onto two decades now. I know every water hole between Kansas and the Sierra Nevada, but consarn it, I miss the company of my fellow man. Scenery ain’t enough for me, Eugene, nor freedom. I’m sceneried out, pardner, and freedom is vastly overrated as an experience, if you ask me. I got to be with people. I’m a people cowboy, not a cow cowboy.”
Continue Reading Lonesome Shorty >>>
Purchase The Book of Guys >>>
i was diagnosed with HPV for 3 years . A few months ago I saw a review here about Dr Onokun and I decided to contact him. I only took his natural treatment for 2 week & 3 days, and I totally got cured with his herbal treatment. if you are suffering from hpv, you don’t have to be roaming round Dr Onokun contact info is been attached to contact him.
Facebook: web.facebook.com/naturaltreatmentcenter1
Website: https://onokunherbs.com
Email: Dronokunherbalcure@gmail.com
i was diagnosed with HPV for 3 years . A few months ago I saw a review here about Dr Onokun and I decided to contact him. I only took his natural treatment for 2 week & 3 days, and I totally got cured with his herbal treatment. if you are suffering from hpv, you don’t have to be roaming round Dr Onokun contact info is been attached to contact him.
Facebook: web.facebook.com/naturaltreatmentcenter1
Website: https://onokunherbs.com
Email: Dronokunherbalcure@gmail.com
Thank you so much doctor Akhimien for curing my GENITAL HERPES VIRUS, is good given a herbal medicine a try, I am so happy today about my result, herpes virus has a cure i have confirm it now with my own cases, i have been reading different comment about people who are cured from herpes virus, ALS, HPV, CANCER, LUPUS VIRUS and many more with doctor Akhimien herbal medicine, I was kind of skeptical so I made up my mid to give him a chance to cure me to to see if the comment i read was legit, i am 100% cure of this virus and i am giving my own comment base on my agreement with this doctor that once i am cure i will give a Testimony. Please contact this doctor on your cure whatsapp +2349133157031 or email drakhiniemodion@gmail.com or visit his FB website https://www.facebook.com/Drakhiniem/ I am very lucky to be among people giving a comment about this great doctor, before I was a comment ready. I am grateful for this massive cure of my health. thanks very much https://drakhiniemodion.wixsite.com/drakhimien
Get Your Ex Boyfriend/Girlfriend Back! DR ONOBUN is certainly the best Spell Caster online and his result is 100% guarantee. He restored my broken relationship in just 48 hours……………Contact him today for any kind of Spell .. Contact him via email: dronobunspiritualhome@gmail.com or call / WhatsApp +2348051300199
I have been suffering from Herpes for the past 1 years and 8 months, and ever since then i have been taking series of treatment but there was no improvement until i came across testimonies of Dr. UMA on how he has been curing different people from different diseases all over the world, then i contacted him as well. After our conversation he sent me the medicine which i took according .to his instructions. When i was done taking the herbal medicine i went for a medical checkup and to my greatest surprise i was cured from Herpes. My heart is so filled with joy. If you are suffering from Herpes or any other disease you can contact Dr. UMA today on this Email address: dr.umaherbalcenter@gmail.com or whatsapp +2347035619585.