"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 >>>
My Miraculous Reunion
I’m thrilled to share my testimony. After my husband left me and our child for another woman, I sought Professor Derrick’s spell-casting services. He revealed my husband was under a spell and helped bring him back within 2 days. We’re now happily reunited! I highly recommend Professor Derrick’s services.
Contact: urgentlovespell@gmail.com, +2348139025335, or Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/share/1C3ZR6kERw/?mibextid=wwXIfr
My Miraculous Reunion
I’m thrilled to share my testimony. After my husband left me and our child for another woman, I sought Professor Derrick’s spell-casting services. He revealed my husband was under a spell and helped bring him back within 2 days. We’re now happily reunited! I highly recommend Professor Derrick’s services.
Contact: urgentlovespell@gmail.com, +2348139025335, or Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/share/1C3ZR6kERw/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Hello everyone! I’m thrilled to share my husband’s remarkable journey! Two years ago, he was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) at Patton State Hospital in California. It was shocking news, and the doctors informed us there was no cure. They gave us medications to help manage symptoms, but after a year and two months, his condition started to decline, leaving us desperate for alternatives.
Two months ago, I discovered an amazing article about a herbal healing center in Africa that offers incredible herbal remedies for various ailments, including ALS! Filled with hope, I reached out to the herbal doctor via email to order the ALS herbal remedy. To our joy, we received it in just six days!
My husband started using the remedy immediately, consistently taking the ALS herb tea, healing oil, and applying the herbal cream prepared by Doc Yare three times a day for three weeks. And guess what? It worked wonders! His slurred speech has vanished, he can eat without a G-tube, and he walks freely without any support. He is completely healed! We’re overjoyed and sharing our story everywhere!
If you or someone you know is struggling with ALS, MND, MS, MSA, FSHD, Aphasia, or Stroke, I wholeheartedly encourage you to contact Doc Yare! His expertise in God’s life-saving herbs is truly extraordinary—he is a true blessing! You can reach him at dryareherbalcurehome@gmail.com or call or WhatsApp him at +2348164653711.
Feel free to contact me at gleidyzcarlos@yahoo.com if you want more information! Let’s spread hope and healing together!
It was a nightmare that began last year. I’m Irene, a single mom who had scrimped and saved to build up 3 bitcoins, my entire life savings, worth over $200,000 at the time. I kept them in a hardware wallet, but one day, I got a phishing email that looked legit. Foolishly, I clicked, and hackers stole my seed phrase. In minutes, my wallet was drained. Funds vanished into anonymous addresses. I reported it to the police, but they said crypto thefts are hard to trace. Devastated, I sank into depression, thinking it was gone forever. Months later, scrolling forums for hope, I stumbled on stories about Alpha Spy Nest, a cyber forensics team specializing in crypto recovery. Skeptical but desperate, I emailed them at alphaspynest@mail.com. They responded quickly, explaining how they’d use blockchain analysis and partnerships with exchanges to track the thieves. They assigned a specialist who dove into the transaction history. The hackers had laundered through mixers and DeFi protocols, but Alpha Spy Nest’s tools pierced the veil. They identified wallets linked to the scammers and coordinated with legal teams to freeze assets. It took weeks of updates, nerve-wracking, but transparent. Miraculously, they recovered 2.8 BTC minus fees, wiring it back securely. The rest was untraceable, but I got most of it back. They even advised on better security. Alpha Spy Nest restored my faith and finances. If you’re in my shoes, reach out via their site www.alphaspynest.org or WhatsApp +15132924878.
Hello everyone i am here to share this wonderful experience with you all of how i got a permanent cure to my herpes virus 1/2 with help of this great man dr udebhulu who uses his natural born talent to eradicate this terrible virus with his natural herbal cure medicine at first i didn’t believe this until i got tested free of my long suffering herpes virus and now i’m here sharing this great and amazing testimony to the world and if you are out there with this same health issue i urge you to contact dr udebhulu here drudebhuluherbalhome@gmail.com or call +2349032276724 And also he specializes in curing ENDOMETRIOSIS, PCOS, OVARIAN CYST, INFERTILITY, DIABETES 1/2, HEPATITIS A,B,C, COLD SORE, FIBROID, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, URTICARIA HIVES & ANGIOEDEMA, HANTAVIRUS, CANCER of all kinds, and so many other infections and diseases