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Welcome To The Bullpen
Where I Belong
By Rebecca Rose Taylor
Rounding up cattle for a living was all right according to Grant Stewart, the newest hired hand for The Box A Ranch in Cheyenne, Wyoming but if did have its downfalls. It wasn’t a good life for a family man, too hard a life for women and children or so many men thought, some found it all right. It all depended on the woman and her upbringing, a lot of things could happen on a ranch, people could get hurt, the same thing goes for a western town. In the year 1872, it was just too much for a lot of women could handle others like the ranch owner Michael Brigg’s daughter Hannah could handle it but that was just her upbringing.
Grant Stewart had been drifting from ranch to ranch doing what work was available and then moving on again when it was finished. He had done it all, everything from round ups to cattle drives, branding and breaking horses, anything to scrape together enough money to send his wife Julia and five-year-old daughter Melissa in St. Louis, Missouri. He saw them at least once a year but he felt that it couldn’t be helped. He had been born in Coaldale, Nevada to a poor couple who had barely enough money for food let alone other necessities like lumber to repair the house.
He had never been to school, couldn’t even write his own name and so all he felt he was qualified for was ranching and farming, he didn’t even know how he and Julia had fallen in love because they were so different. They’d met in Reno, Nevada while he was on a cattle drive and she was visiting relatives. They’d been married quickly but that didn’t stop the love they had for each other, that had been ten years earlier when he was twenty-one and she was nineteen. They’d gone to St. Louis, back to her hometown because it was that her father thought best, they’d lived on his savings for six months but when they ran out, he was back on the range again. He worked six months and then got home for three if he was lucky but since Melissa was born five years earlier, he barely saw them at all. A child meant the need for more money and on a cowhand’s wages it wasn’t easy.
In St. Louis, Julia didn’t find it easy either raising a child by herself and next year Melissa would be going to school and that would cost them even more but she was determined to find a job and eventually have Grant back with her. They needed each other but Missouri didn’t have much work Grant could do, he’d tried it for a while but it simply didn’t work out, hopefully one day they would be a family again.
A new ranch hand had just arrived at The Box A and to Grant’s surprise he had a woman with him and she was expecting a child. Mr. Briggs had them put up in one of the family cabins. The other two weren’t occupied. The way the newcomer’s wife was dressed reminded him of Julia’s attire only this was fancier. Grant knew she must have been from the city and he couldn’t understand why she had come to the ranch with her husband. Her upbringing certainly wasn’t in the west with hard winters, violence, and men wearing guns to town and on the range to protect themselves. He knew he would have to ask the newcomer because of Julia and Melissa.
It wasn’t until the next evening in the barn that Grant had a chance to ask the newcomer whose name was Josh Evans about his wife.
Grant said, “Josh, how come you brought your wife here, this obviously wasn’t how she was brought up.”
Josh replied, “Sara and I decided that we couldn’t stand being apart and that living on a ranch would be better than me here and her in San Francisco. This is our third ranch and she’s happy because we’re together. If we were apart, we’d both be simply miserable.”
Grant answered, “You did what I probably should have done ten years ago with my wife, Julia, but we decided that she should stay in St. Louis and when my little girl came I was away all the time. I only see them about once a year, that’s been going on five years. You’ve shown me that my family and I ought to be together, would you write a letter to my wife for me because I can’t write if I dictate it. I’m going to send for them and see if they’ll come.”
A month later Julia and Melissa Stewart arrived on the train in Cheyenne and were met by husband and father Grant Stewart. Julia had sold their home in St. Louis to come and be with her husband. They were going to live in one of the cabins on the ranch.
Grant said, “This is where I belong, with my beautiful wife and daughter.”
Julia replied, “You have for a long time.”
Julia’s upbringing wasn’t western but they couldn’t be a family so far apart, it was just too hard. It would take time but they’d adjust.
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REVIEW 1
Cute tale with a few blemishes easily corrected. Remember these points are from my opinion and you are free to disregard them.
In the year 1872, it was just too much for a lot of women could handle others like the ranch owner Michael Brigg's daughter Hannah could handle it but that was just her upbringing.
Suggested sentence rewrite. (Wordy)
In 1872, it was too much for a lot of women; others like ranch owner Michael Brigg's daughter Hannah could handle it, but that was just her upbringing.
They'd been married quickly but that didn't stop the love they had for each other, that had been ten years earlier when he was twenty-one and she was nineteen. They'd gone to St. Louis, back to her hometown because it was that her father thought best, they'd lived on his savings for six months but when they ran out, he was back on the range again.
Suggested sentence rewrite.
They'd married quickly, but that didn't stop their love for each other. That was ten years earlier when he was twenty-one and she was nineteen. They'd gone to St. Louis, back to her hometown because it her father thought it best. They'd lived on his savings for six months, but when they ran out, he was back on the range again.
In St. Louis, Julia didn't find it easy either raising a child by herself and next year Melissa would be going to school and that would cost them even more but she was determined to find a job and eventually have Grant back with her. They needed each other but Missouri didn't have much work Grant could do,
Punctuation.
In St. Louis, Julia didn't find it easy raising a child by herself and next year, Melissa would be going to school which would cost even more, but she was determined to find a job and eventually have Grant back with her. They needed each other, but Missouri didn't have much work Grant could do,
You've shown me that my family and I ought to be together, would you write a letter to my wife for me because I can't write if I dictate it.
Superfluous words and no question mark.
You've shown me that my family and I ought to be together. Would you write a letter to my wife for me because I can't write?
Best of luck.
L. Roger Quilter.
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