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Stories and books by Howard L Johnson,
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LAST BIG RIDE |
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THEY WERE TWO OF A KIND IN MOST EVERY WAY.
THEY RODE, THEY ROPED, THEY SHARED EACH DAY. THEY STRUMMED GUITARS, THEY SANG OFF KEY, THEY RODE THE WEST, FOREVER PARTNERS TO BE. THEY KNEW THAT GOD CREATED THESE MOUNTAINS THEY WOULD ROAM. ANYWHERE THEY HUNG THEIR HATS QUITE QUICKLY BECAME HOME. THE STARS WATCHED OVERHEAD AT NIGHT, THE SUN ROSE TO LIGHT THE DAY. AS THESE TWO COWBOYS POKED ALONG EACH TRAIL THAT LEAD THE WAY. THEY KNEW NO FEAR OF CRITTERS THAT MIGHT BE CLOSE AROUND. THEY RESPECTED EACH OTHER'S SPACE UPON THIS MIGHTY GROUND. FULFILLING EACH OTHERS NEEDS TAKING ONLY WHAT WAS REQUIRED. LAY ON THE GROUND, A SMALL DISTANCE APART, WHEN THEY WOULD GET TIRED. THEY STOPPED IN TO SAY "HELLO" IN EACH TOWN ALONG THE WAY. HIT THE SALOON ON MAIN STREET FOR A FEW HANDS OF POKER TO PLAY. TOLD THEIR TALES TO LOCAL FOLKS WHO LISTENED WITH GREAT ZEAL. DRANK A BEER, THEN ON THEIR WAY, AFTER A FULL MEAL. THEY NEVER DID LINGER IN ONE PLACE VERY LONG. GROWING ROOTS FOR THEM WAS A SIGNAL TO BE GONE. ALWAYS FEARED THEIR WELCOME SOMEDAY WOULD BE WORN. AND THIS TRAVELIN' LIFE WAS MEANT FOR THEM SINCE THE DAY THEY WERE BORN. MOUNTAIN MEN AND NATIVE TRIBES THEY TRADED FOR SUPPLIES. THEY PANNED FOR GOLD, THOUGH NEVER RICH, THEY WERE IN EACH OTHER'S EYES. THEY'D GIVEN UP THE FAMILY LIFE TO LIVE THE GREAT OUTDOORS. IT WAS SIMPLE, NO ATTACHMENTS, AND NO INNER WARS. THESE TWO OLD COWBOYS WERE GROWIN' OLD THROUGH THE PASSING YEARS. THEY COULD NOT WITHSTAND THE COLD OF NIGHT AND THE WINDS BROUGHT ONLY TEARS. TEN HOURS IN THE SADDLE, THEY COULD NO LONGER TAKE. THE BOOTS CAME OFF, THE GROANS BEGAN, AS THEIR FEET WENT IN THE LAKE. THE RAMBLIN' DAYS OF THESE TWO OLD BOYS WERE COMING TO AN END. BUT THEY ALONE COULD TELL YOU THE MEANING OF A TRUSTED FRIEND. THEY SETTLED IN MONTANA SOMEWHERE ALONG THE GREAT DIVIDE. AND BEGAN A NEW WAY OF LIFE, THEY CALLED THEIR LAST BIG RIDE |