I’ve just finished reading an amusing adventure called The Abernathy Boys by Laura Hunt. This book is about brothers, Bud and Temp, who decide to follow in their adventuresome father’s footsteps and have some exciting times of their own. The Abernathy brothers are young cowboys who set out in the summer of 1909 to travel through the caprock, which is a vast and lonely Texas desert, to reach their destination of the Goodnight Ranch in New Mexico.
Their adventures begin in Oklahoma when they load up their saddlebags, hop on their horses, Sam Bass and Geronimo, and wave good-bye to their father and sisters. Bud, the older of the brothers, has a good sense of direction and Temp is good at making campfires. These are two smart cowboys! Their travels take them through Texas, into Santa Fe, New Mexico and back home to Oklahoma. Along the way they encounter many dangers, such as mirages, deadly water, wolves, quicksand and rattlesnakes. Not to mention the ever present danger of lawless gangs of outlaws!
I enjoyed reading this small glimpse into the Old West, especially knowing that this book is a fictionalized story of true events! While it seems like this book could be one long tall tale, the Abernathy brothers really did ride together to the Goodnight Ranch one summer many years ago! Oh, another remarkable fact (and this adds to the adventure!) is that Bud is 9-years old and Temp is 6-years old!
Posted by: Wendy
Cookie Racoon said,
April 16, 2012 @ 7:41 pm
What about Temple being gypped?