Another western adventure /by Leonard Eilers
SagebrushSue Her mother wanted her to be a home girl, but Sue never cared for cooking, sewing or looking after the home. She preferred to be with her father or some of the cowboys or even alone out on the range. I first met her at a little rodeo put on by a few ranchers at Red Rock Trading Post. She looked like a school girl — freckles, long hair put up in two braids hanging loose ly down her back, and a big red bow tied to each one. She had a sweet face, full and round. Dressed in a fancy cowgirl outfit she was the attraction of the day. She was real clever with a rope, and could trick-ride very well. Those were the events I was es pecially interested in because that was what I did too. That, no doubt, was why we were attracted to each other, and from the start we were good friends. My part that day was merely an exhibition because usu ally at such a small affair there are no prizes or awards. It was just a neighborly get-together where the ranchers could visit and have a
H i there! Good to see you all again. Well let’s get right down to busi ness. All set? O.K! Listen as I read to you from my Bible, this time in Galations 6:7-9. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” It’s easier for me to illustrate these verses with a story than to try to tell you with words what they mean. So come with me back down the trail many years and meet a very nice girl named Sue Goodley. Sue was born on a ranch in Wy oming and just about grew up on a horse. She could ride like the wind and could rope with the best of the cowboys who worked on her father’s ranch. She took part in all the ranch work, i n c l u d i n g the round-ups.
little fun. Sometimes a hat was passed to take up some prize money just to make it a little more inter esting, but mostly all performances were voluntary. I met her again during Frontier Days at Cheyenne. By then she was quite grown up and pretty as a picture. Among the cowgirls that performed she was by far the best and got first prize both in trick-rop ing and trick-riding, and gave the cowboys a run for their money in the calf-roping. Because of all this she received much applause and became known as Sagebrush Sue. Naturally her parents were very proud of her victories and she was t h r i l l e d by t he way everyone praised her. As a result she was of fered a job with a wild west show — to become it’s star and travel all over the country. This made her very happy, but her parents didn’t like the idea of their only daughter going with a show. During the last day of Frontier Days she had an accident that could have been very serious. She drew a
The King's Business/September 1958
23
Made with FlippingBook Online document