Willie J...Steer Roper

  William James was a typical 10 year old in 1949. He was blond-headed, blue-eyed, and had a mischevious glint in his gaze. His knees were scabbed over, his pants were torn at the knees, and a sling shot hung from his jeans rear pocket. He was always known to walk with the swagger of a self-assured boy. He idealized the famous cowboy stars Whip Wilson, Lash LaRue, Hopalong Cassidy, Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autry. He never missed any of their movies. He was so enthralled with these movie cowboys, he wanted to be called "Willie J", so folks knew he was a fan of these heroes.

  Willie J's younger brother, Marvin spent quite a bit of time following him around. Marvin, who was some five years Willie J's junior constantly followed his big brother no matter where he went. Marvin was insistent to be with Willie J. So much so, Willie J, when he could; sneak away without his "trailer, jumped at; every chance to be with the fellows his own age or just be by himself. However, they were always delighted to accompany their Grandpa when he would go to the barn each morning and evening. His Grandpa had to care for and then milk the two Gurnsey cows housed at the old barn. The barn was located on Kirk's Hill, just north of town. He often purchased a young steer and fattened it until it weighed in somewhere around 500 or 600 pounds. When the steer attained the weight, he would have it shipped to the meat processing plant to be dressed out and rendered into select packages of fine meat. Willie J's Grandpa preferred Hereford steers. In his assessment, they developed the best meat.

  Willie J and Marvin spent a lot of time with their Grandpa and Grandma. They delighted in the stories both grandparents shared with the two boys. Their Grandma's stories seldom strayed from the truth! However, their Grandpa was known to spin some of the wildest yarns and always swore they were true, tongue in cheek!

  At this particular time Spotty, a very young steer, was being fed at the barn along with the two milk cows. Spotty was very gentle, as steers go. He would always come up from the pasture to greet Grandpa and Willie J, whether to be fed or just get his ears scratched. Willie J had no fear of the gentle beast, as he regularly entered the pasture and would spend time with Spotty petting him and scratching his ears. The young Hereford steer really enjoyed the attention.

  Willie J, being a growing boy, was constantly outgrowing his shoes. It seemed he needed a new pair about every two or three months. Well, the time had come to look for a replacement for his current pair which were definitely showing the wear and tear. After intense pleading with his Grandma, Willie J, was going to look for a real pair of "cowboy  boots". He and his Grandma shopped at  four of the stores in that small Kansas town, that sold real cowboy boots. This included Gambles, Monkey Wards(Montgomery Ward), Kreskies, and Woolworth. After much thought, Willie J, selected a fine pair of Western style boots with very pronounced tall heels. Those boots were absolutely the finest, at least in Willie J's eyes. The boots were a deep mahogany in color, with fine patterned stitching. Of course this was to be expected of genuine "cowboy boots"! To top it off the boots also had tall heels, just what any good wrangler would expect when buying his boots.

As soon as Willie J reached home with his choice boots, his Grandpa sat down with him to explain how to prepare the boots for the wear and tear of a "wrangler". Together they saddle soaped the new boots thoroughly. Once done, the boots were set aside to dry. This would take overnight.

That night Willie J slipped into a sound slumber. It wasn't long before this cowboy wannabe began to dream of all the adventures he would have while wearing his boots. One vision after another came and passed during his night of sleep. As soon as daybreak was beckoned by the rising sun, Willie J was off to put on his new boots. That day would be spent breaking them in to endure the rigors of a wrangler!

  Much to Willie J's chagrin, the boots were still quite tight and stiff. No matter, he was bound and determined to stick it out to break in the boots until they fit like a soft and supple glove. Unfortunately for Willie J, the break in period tested his patience. However, in the meantime, he caught an episode of Hopalong Cassidy on the radio during which Hoppy discussed the very subject of purchasing and breaking in new cowboy boots. He listened intently as Hoppy described in detail how to stretch tight fitting boots. Hoppy said you had to fill each boot half full with dry beans (such as Pinto beans), then finish by filling the rest of each boot with water. They were then left to soak overnight or longer. The swelling of the beans did the rest. You then emptied the boots and either put them on and wore them until dry or stuffed them with wadded up newspaper and let them dry. This process guaranteed a perfectly fitted pair of boots. However, Hoppy suggested you shouldn't try to eat the beans! This placated Willie J, short term, but none the less he was one anxious "pard" to start wearing his new purchase. After all, cowboys were always on the move and he was ready to get with being a "COWBOY"!

  Oops! Willie J forgot about one other item of clothing he absolutely needed to be a true cowboy. He needed a colorful and bloused-sleeved shirt to complete his cowboy attire. Fortunately for Willie J, his Grandma was a great seamstress! One more trip to the local general store to pick out a truly bright and befitting fabric. Not in a hurry, Willie J took his time to select just the right piece of material. Willie J picked the most beautiful blue fabric on the rack. It was just perfect, to his thinking, as it had a faint design that was a shadow of horses in the background. Once this was purchased, his Grandma proceeded to the pattern section of the store to acquire the pattern which would be specifically Western style. Next came a visit to the thread department to get thread that was appropriate color and strength to complete the project for her loving grandson. Grandma went a step further and purchase a set of pearl snap fasteners to go with the new fabric. This done, they left the store and went straight home.

  It took some time to lay out the fabric, attach the pattern, and then cut out the different pieces needed to make the western shirt. Piece of cake for Willie J's Grandma. He even offered to help with the cutting of the different parts! Upon completion of the cutting, she began the business of sewing the many parts together. Her trusty old "Treadle Singer" sang as the shirt quickly began to take shape. In due course Grandma completed the western shirt. It was amazing and just the thing to set off Willie J's cowboy attire.

  Next day Willie J accompanied his Grandpa to the barn. He was excited, for now he was going to enter the world of a real cowboy. While Grandpa fed and milked the two cows, Willie J searched the old barn for some rope. After all, a wrangler needed rope if he were to lasso a steer and bring him to heel. No need for a halter as he was sure Spotty, the young Hereford steer would be no trouble to collar with his newly acquired lariat. As planned, Willie J headed out to the pasture. Sure enough, Spottie came up for his daily portion of attention. After scratching the young steer for a time, Willie J slowly slipped the noose over the steer's head and moved it ever so cautiously down his neck and then pulled snug. He then began leading the 500 pound bovine back out to the pasture. All was going well. This serene moment changed in a flash!

Spottie spooked for some unknown reason and broke into a charge. Fortunately for the young wrangler, he had let the rope reel out gradually to give him some distance between he and the steer. Spottie's quick dash caught Willie J completely by surprise. His first thought was to gradually increase his grip on the rope so as not to burn his bare hands. This was his first mistake. Having gotten a good grip on the rope, the tug of that steer immediately jerked him off balance. The strength of Spottie was so over powering he was quickly up-ended and slammed to the ground with a jolt.

  Willie J had made up his mind he would not release the rope. This was his second and most devastating mistake. What a sight to behold! Off down the pasture the steer charged while dragging the youngster behind holding on for dear life to the lariat. Through the grass, through the scrub brush, and last but far from least, through a few of the fresh "cow pies" Spottie had deposited early that morning.

Willie J's only thought was to brace himself and bring  that stampeding steer to a halt. It suddenly occurred to him, he was wearing his new boots with the tall heels. He worked himself into a position to dig those heels into the turf. Good idea for a seasoned wrangler used to dealing with a spooked animal. However, Willie J was neither seasoned nor of size to deal with Spottie. This youngster, all 80 pounds, was no match for the frisky steer. Each time he dug in his heels, the shear momentum and power of the running Spottie, jerked him right back to being dragged through the pasture. Time and time again he tried the same feat. Never successful with this ploy, Spottie suddenly came to a slow stop! The ride was over. It had lasted but a few seconds, but during the episode, Willie J, his boots and new shirt had paid the toll. The shirt was almost shredded and the boots sustained several cuts and abrasions. Willie J, with the exception of his pride, was basically very fortunate. A few nicks and bruises and a bit of a pasture stench to his frail body was all that could be observed. What would he tell Grandpa and Grandma? 

  Experience was a cruel teacher that day for Willie J. However, he came out of the incident with little more than hurt pride. Worst of all, he hoped nobody would refer to him as "The Cow Pie Kid?



Word Count:1819