"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 never thought I’d need to recover lost Bitcoin. I was always cautious, double-checking addresses and securing my accounts. But one phishing link changed everything. It looked identical to a crypto platform I trusted. Moments after entering my login details, my Bitcoin was gone, sent to an unknown wallet.
The financial loss was painful, but the helplessness was worse. I knew that blockchain transactions are irreversible, and most forums confirmed my fear: “Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
Then I found Morphohack Cyber Service, a recovery team that tracks stolen cryptocurrency, I reached out to them via E-mail (Morphohack@cyberservices . com).
I was skeptical, but with nothing left to lose, I reached out. From the start, they were clear and professional. They explained their method, tracing the stolen funds across the blockchain to find where they ended up.
In my case, the Bitcoin had passed through several wallets before arriving at a centralized exchange. Morphohack acted fast, working with the exchange to freeze the assets using blockchain evidence.
Weeks later, I got the email I didn’t think would come, my Bitcoin had been recovered.
If you ever face a similar loss, act quickly and contact experts like Morphohack Cyber Services. Their help made the difference between a permanent loss and a second chance.
I had lost hope of ever being cured of HSV2 after trying many treatments that didn’t work for me. I visited various hospitals, and they all informed me that there is no cure for herpes. However, I came across a post about Dr. Godsent Yare from a woman named Angela. I reached out to her, and she shared her positive experience with his herbal medicine. I decided to follow the instructions provided, and that ultimately led to my cure. Initially, I was skeptical due to my previous experiences with reputable doctors and treatments that hadn’t succeeded. Nevertheless, I chose to trust Dr. Godsent Yare, who started the treatment, and after two weeks, I found myself completely free from herpes. I want to express my gratitude to Dr. Godsent Yare for the significant change in my life. You can contact him via email at dryareherbalcurehome@gmail.com, WhatsApp at +2348164653711, or visit https://dryareherbalcureho.wixsite.com/dryareherbalcurehome He also treats conditions such as ALS, MND, MS, MSA, HIV, HPV, HBV, Cancer, diabetes and other rare disease.
I lost $105,200 to CBEX crypto trading platform after being promised 15% daily profits. It was a financial nightmare! Desperate, I turned to a trusted friend who introduced me to the amazing team at JetWebHackers. In just 48 hours, they tracked down the scammers and recovered my funds! Their exceptional service changed my life. If you’ve been scammed, don’t hesitate—contact JetWebHackers for a swift recovery!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Reach out to them today and turn your situation around!
WEBSITE: jetwebhackers. com
EMAIL: jetwebhackers@gmail.com
WHATSAPP: +1 (505) 428-8792
Hi folks, I’m a testament that miracles happen. When I turned 18, My grandfather encouraged me to buy a lottery ticket for fun but I wasn’t pleased with the way I kept on playing without winning. I was eager to learn more about how to win the lottery and when I searched the internet I found numerous articles saying how they won the lottery through spell and I decided to give it a try by contacting Lord Meduza. I’d love to say that this man is such a sweet soul who got my back all through the process of making me a lottery spell to win the lottery. The numbers he gave me won me the LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball of a whopping $48 million Canadian Dollars. Right now my family and I are blessed. Thank you LORD MEDUZA for making this win come true for me and my family. Anyone that seeks for his help can get in touch with him by Email: lordmeduzatemple@hotmail.com or via WhatsApp: +1 807 907 2687.
Dr Harrison Can cure HIV/AIDS,Herpes,HPV,Diabetes,Fibroid,Cancer and many other Virus and Diseases.He cured me of Herpes virus and HPV that has been in my system for Five years plus!I am 100% Positive, there is nothing relating to Spiritual matter, Problems,Sicknesses and Diseases he wouldn’t have a solution too..He would be able to do the same with his Spell Powers and solve your Problems!
Whats app No/Call +234 8188 076272He also Helped my younger sister conceive and had a son after 5 years of marriage.
He’s really a great man.
Contact him on his
EMAIL:~ J.HARRISONSPELLHOMES@GMAIL.COM
WEBSITE- https://drharrisonspellhomes.weebly.com/.