Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Monday November 5, 2007

D. William Hoosier's article in New Century's anthology, Inspiration From the Heartland is a moving, powerful and instructive piece. I made copious notes and will use them in the near future.

The hero of Mr. Hoosier's short story is Lee Roy Williams a range hardened cowboy from the old school who served in the Marines and knows the rigors of war, yet refuses to talk about it. Lee Roy was named after Robert E. Lee and his middle name Roy is after his father. Lee was born in 1887 with the story set in the Wild West of 1971. Lee actually participated in the old time for real cattle drives and was a nine time World Champion Bronco Buster. This was discovered by a young protégé Slim, though Lee never mentioned it. Actually Lee never mentions much about anything in his life; it just comes out through masterful weaving of the tale told by Hoosier.

Lee wins the awe and respect of a group of youngsters who want to learn to compete in rodeos when a boy comes face to face with a rattle snake and freezes in fear. Lee simply throws a knife and hits the rattler smack dad in head and ends the confrontation. Hardly saying a word, he throws the carcass of the rattler in brush and on they ride.

Near the outset of the story you get the idea that Lee has a burning concern for the Mustangs, the descendants of horses brought over by the Conquistadors and later abandoned. These horses learned to survive in the wilderness of the West by learning a lesson that Lee communicates effectively to his young charges: "The mustangs understood that they had a better chance of surviving by fighting for all than by foraging for itself alone." Good lesson for man or beast.

The quietness of Lee comes to the fore when Slim asks about a picture of a gorgeous woman, framed on the desk of Lee's sparsely furnished quarters. Lee gives a thimble of info and you just know that Hoosier wants to tell this story in a later peace. At least I hope so.

When the story leads to cattle guards, drunken college students and a horse, I started to reach for a hanky and it was needed. One night the college kids, drunk with the nectar of the gods while driving an old Volkswagon, cross the cattle guard and crash into Lefty, a much loved horse, breaking both front legs, leaving Lefty to die a slow agonizing death. Lee comes on the scene and in one sentence fires the shot that ends Lefty's life. The account of Lee Roy and Slim digging a grave and having a memorial service for Lefty moved me to tears as a few horses back in my youth came to mind. My childhood memories of burying dogs, cats and a few other creatures came vividly to my heart as I read Hoosier's account, the near sacred account of Lefty's burial.

Lee Roy goes on to found the initial Mustang rescue service which in some form is still helping these poor creatures today.

I suppose the aged Larry (me) reached out to lay hold on the closing definition of a true cowboy. If you don't get anything out of the book but the last few lines, your money is well spent. One of the lines states, "An old cowboy knows that it doesn't matter how old a guitar is, if the music is still sweet."

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit

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