There was something new in the noisy portable
commercial that was Windy Wilson’s way of spreading the news around
town.
“Pardners and pardettes,” came the familiar voice from the Gates of
Heaven’s loudspeaker car, “you ever stop and listen to your
innermoist partitions when it comes to books? No? Well, doncha think
it’s time? A-course it is! And thass perzackly why you should head
on over to the good ol’ Read Me Now bookstore. You know where it is.
Hey, s’only bookstore we got. Jes’ cruise on over to the section she
calls “Love and other fiction,” and a-fore you can say Robinson
Croozer, Sarah McKinley, herself, will come over to help.
“Sarah knows where all the good ones are. Hey, you want one a-them
books to keep you awake all night? She knows which ones’ll do that.
You wanna fall asleep fast? Ask her for A Cowboy’s Guide to Growin’
Up Right by Slim Randles.”
Windy turned the car around at the edge of town and started back. [to top of second
column] |
“And while you’re assumptionin’
all that there wisdom from the books, keep in mind this year phrase
… Why, I bet ol’ Windy coulda wrote one or two a-them books his
ownself. And you know, thass why you’ll prolly write to the folks at
Oxford Shoes University or mebbe Notorious Dames University ‘bout
getting’ ol’ Windy his very own honorary degree.
“Now while you’re puttin’ all
them keen sentences together, might jes’ as well do it down at
Delbert Chin’s Gates of Heaven Chinese joint. You see, Delbert’ll
give you some tea and mebbe some a-that good muleshoe pork while
you’re busy writin’ that letter for Windy on them free gen-oo-wine
paper napkins.
“All you rilly need is a pencil or somethin’ else to write with. And
think what a great way this’d be to say much obliged to all the
cowboy camp cooks you know.”
[Text from file received from
Slim Randles]
Pick up “Home Country: Drama, dreams and laughter from the American
heartland” www.lpdpress.com.
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