"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 already had two kids for my husband and he wanted to leave me because he was seeing another woman and i was on a facebook page and i saw a comment about dr ose how he helped a lady to save her marriage and i gave it a try i can proudly say am happy in my marriage now oseremenspelltemple@gmail.com WhatsApp +2348136482342
I’ve been attempting to expand my wine business in my hometown in White Plains. For the past 7 years, I do play the lottery in my spare time, but on this blessed day I came across an article about Lord Meduza’s spell to win the lottery. I contacted Lord Meduza to see if it would work and after I agreed to his terms and conditions for completing the task for me, he performed his magical powers for me and within 48 hours, he provided me with the numbers I needed to play the lottery, and I followed his directions. I found out at the store that I was the winner of a $105 million jackpot. For a moment I felt uncertain but I looked again and I saw it was real. As I speak to you, My level has been elevated from grass to grace and I’ve come to know that life is more spiritual and with the Lord Meduza spell, you can actually win the lottery.. Please assist me in thanking him and his contacts are listed as follows;
WhatsApp: +1 (807) 907-2687
Email: lordmeduzatemple@hotmail.com
Have been getting scammed multiple times. I was so confused about these scammers, I had to do what everyone in my situation would do, I made a research all by myself, I got to reach out to { Wzardgarryspeedhack } on Telegram through the help of my lawyer, since I was recommended by my lawyer I had to give him my trust. The most interesting part is that I got all my funds recovered back to my wallet. So for the reason that you have no control over your wallet or you need your bitcoin restored after been invested with a wrong broker, do contact Wzardgarry Recovery right away so that the transaction can be traced and your bitcoin can be recoverd in short time. Wzardgarry recovery is the reliable hacking group out here for a successful job like this.
Contact: rightwaylawrecoveryservice@gmail.com
Telegram: @wzardgarryspeedhack
Regards,
Dannette Romero.
Buy High quality cannabis products Medical Marijuana Kush, Shatter,Hash
Whatapp 14784120391 Buy Weed Buy cannabis delivery at cheap rates in Berlin Germany City,Jabriy,Haqalli,Salmiya,Farwaniya, Doha, #dubai#qatar #doha #USA #CANADA #EUROPE #AUTRALIA
OUR MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS THE BEST YOU CAN FIND AROUND
Your Telegram plug 💯% legit deals
Search for the Telegram channel link:
https://t.me/nsT9P4TztjFjZTQx
Buy High quality cannabis products Medical Marijuana Kush, Shatter,Hash
Whatapp 14784120391 Buy Weed Buy cannabis delivery at cheap rates in Berlin Germany City,Jabriy,Haqalli,Salmiya,Farwaniya, Doha, #dubai#qatar #doha #USA #CANADA #EUROPE #AUTRALIA
OUR MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS THE BEST YOU CAN FIND AROUND
Your Telegram plug 💯% legit deals
Search for the Telegram channel link:
https://t.me/nsT9P4TztjFjZTQx