by Judy Delton
The Pee Wees were now moaning and groaning so loudly Mrs. Peters couldn’t continue.
“I’m not dancing with Roger!” said Rachel, stamping her foot.
“Or Sonny,” said Patty.
“It’s fun,” said Lisa. “You don’t dance exactly with them. You make a big square and everyone dances together.”
The Pee Wees looked doubtful. Together or not, if girls had to have boy partners it sounded grim, thought Molly. Horseback riding sounded grim too. It was fun only if you could stay on the horse!
“Rat’s knees,” she said. “I knew it was too good to be true.”
Mrs. Peters went on to explain that they would leave early on Friday. Mr. Peters would drive the van with some of the Pee Wees. The others would ride with Mr. and Mrs. Baker and Kevin’s parents, who were coming along as chaperones. Lisa’s mother would come too.
“We will stay two nights, camping in the bunkhouse like cowboys,” Mrs. Peters said. “Cowboy Andy’s ranch is called the Lazy T, just north of the ghost town called Bone Junction. The town was named for a pile of bones that was found there years ago. Perhaps some pioneers only got as far as South Dakota. Or maybe they were settlers who had some misfortune.”
“Maybe they were dog bones,” said Tim.
“Or squirrel bones,” added Sonny.
“I hope they weren’t people bones,” said Patty. “That would be spooky.”
“It was a long time ago,” said their leader, who did not explain what kind of bones were found in Bone Junction. “We may find some old arrowheads and artifacts ourselves,” she added. “Once Bone Junction was a thriving Western town.”
“I have a list for all of you to give to your parents,” she went on. “It tells what you need to bring, what time we leave and return, and what we’ll be doing at the ranch each day. Be sure to give it to them, and then it’s Westward Ho! We’ll be off to be cowhands for the weekend!”
The Pee Wees cheered. Molly tried to put the dancing out of her mind, and she cheered too. After all, horses and a ranch and a cowboy were bound to mean fun. Maybe she could think of a way to get out of square dancing. One thing was for sure. She would have to do something drastic—anything—to keep from dancing with Sonny or Roger.
Rat’s knees, having fun was a lot of work.
When Molly got home, her mom looked at the list and got Molly’s suitcase out of the attic.
“This sounds like so much fun!” she said. “I wish your dad and I could go along this time, but we have to work. We used to love to square-dance. ‘Do-si-do and around we go. Swing your partner and dip down low!’ ”
Mrs. Duff had a faraway look in her eye as she danced around the room.
“I don’t want to dance with Roger,” said Molly.
“Pooh,” said her mother, waving Molly’s words away. “It doesn’t matter who you dance with because you keep changing partners. And moving fast.”
Molly hoped her mom was right. She usually was.
On Wednesday and Thursday Molly was busy getting ready to go. She packed her Western-looking jeans and her most Western-looking jacket. Her mom put some snacks in and a little bracelet with horses and spurs on it. “I used to wear that when I went square dancing,” she said.
Then she began to sing a country-and-western song about a lovesick cowboy. When Molly’s dad came home he got into the spirit of things and joined in. Molly hadn’t realized her parents knew so much about the West!
When Friday morning came, the Pee Wees piled into the cars and were off! Off to have fun without work, off to earn a badge, off to round up cattle and meet Cowboy Andy!
CHAPTER 4
Grabbing Some Grub
The Pee Wees cheered as they crossed the Minnesota-South Dakota border. They were in another state! This was a real trip after all, thought Molly. Even though South Dakota wasn’t far from home.
Before long the highway turned into a small road. And then a smaller one. And then Kevin pointed to a sign by the side of the road that read: BONE JUNCTION. POPULATION 210. He shouted out his window, “We’re here!”
“Two hundred people isn’t very many,” said Mary Beth to Molly.
“That’s why it’s a ghost town,” said Molly. “Ghost towns only have ghosts, not real people.”
“I’m scared of ghosts!” cried Tracy.
“So am I!” said Patty.
“These ghosts are friendly ghosts,” said Mrs. Peters. Tracy and Patty didn’t seem convinced.
Bone Junction did look spooky. Some of the sidewalks were wooden and there was a saloon like those in Western movies. Some of the buildings had peeling paint and doors falling off their hinges.
But some of the stores were open and doing business.
“Since Cowboy Andy opened the ranch, the ghost town is coming back to life,” said Mr. Peters. “The tourists like to shop in ghost towns.”
“We’ll come back here later and look around,” said Mrs. Peters. “Right now Cowboy Andy will be looking for us.”
And he was. The Pee Wees came to a long white fence that seemed to go on for miles. Finally they reached a huge gate with a big wagon wheel beside it. A sign overhead read LAZY T RANCH. The cars followed a long road to a big ranch house, with barns and open pastures behind it. Horses were eating grass.
Coming around the corner from one of the big barns was a cowboy! He was tall and he had on boots with spurs on them. He was also wearing chaps over his pants. They were like leather overalls but open in the back. They were made to wear while riding horses. The man had on a huge cowboy hat and a Western necktie made of a piece of string held together with a silver horse’s head. It sparkled in the spring sun. The cowboy’s skin was tanned even though it was only June.
“Howdy, folks!” he said. “You’re just in time for chow!”
“That’s dinner,” said Lisa as the Pee Wees got out of the cars and the van.
Lisa’s mother introduced Cowboy Andy to the Peterses, and the Bakers, and the Moes, and to all the Pee Wees.
“It’ll take me a while to learn all your names. But we’ve got plenty of time out here in the West. Time lasts a lot longer in the wide open spaces!”
“How much longer?” asked Tim. “I told my mom I’d be home on Sunday!”
That set Cowboy Andy to laughing and laughing. When he laughed he said something like hee haw and pounded his knee.
“Isn’t he cute?” whispered Ashley to Molly.
“Who?” asked Molly.
“Andy,” said Ashley. “He’s really cute!”
Andy was interesting and strong, thought Molly. And he smelled like horses. But she didn’t think he was cute. Babies and puppies were cute. Not cowboys.
Molly told Mary Beth what Ashley had said.
“That’s dumb,” said Mary Beth. “He isn’t going to be her boyfriend or anything. My mom says we’re too young to think about boyfriends. He’s probably married anyway.”
But Ashley didn’t seem to mind. She kept her eyes on Andy.
All of a sudden there was the sound of a bell ringing very loudly. It was so loud that the Pee Wees covered their ears.
“That’s the old dinner bell,” said Andy. “You never want to go too far away to hear that sound!”
“You couldn’t,” said Rachel. “It’s loud enough to hear in St. Paul!”
“We’ll serve us up some grub,” said Andy, “and after dinner we’ll have a look around the place.”
The Pee Wees washed up in bathrooms near the dining hall. On one of the bathroom doors there was a picture of a girl in a skirt swinging a lasso. On the other door there was a figure in chaps.
“That means boys and girls,” said Lisa.
“Why don’t they just say that?” asked Tracy.
The smells in the dining room were wonderful! Molly felt very hungry.
“It’s the ranch air,” said Mr. Peters, rubbing his stomach. “It makes you famished! Just wait till we ride horseback and do some work around the place. We’ll be twice as hungry!”
> The Pee Wees got in line at a long buffet table. It was loaded with food. Hot dogs and buns and potatoes and pickles. Ham and eggs and biscuits and honey and butter. Salads and carrot sticks and radish roses. Pancakes and maple syrup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Bacon and fruit of all kinds. At the head of the table stood the camp cook in a big white hat, serving things they couldn’t help themselves to. There were a few other guests in line too. Most were wearing cowboy boots. Molly noticed that Lisa and her mom were sitting next to Cowboy Andy. Ashley was sitting on the other side of him.
“Dig in!” shouted Andy. “Grab some of those spuds. They’ll stick to your ribs while you’re working this afternoon! We got to lasso us some of those calves!”
The Pee Wees dug in. “Do we really have to catch calves?” asked Sonny.
“I think I’ll start you nice and easy,” said Andy, chewing on an ear of buttered corn. “We’ll practice lassoing a post or two and see how you do.”
Roger and Kevin and Kenny went back for seconds. Then all the Pee Wees went back for strawberry shortcake for dessert. Ashley brought Andy some shortcake.
“If those pioneers had had all this food, they wouldn’t have starved to death,” said Tracy.
It made Molly sad to think of that. Why did they have so much, when those people long ago had had so little? It didn’t seem fair. Molly was glad she was not a pioneer.
After lunch the Pee Wees helped clear the tables and carry the dishes to the kitchen. Kevin even helped one of the cowboys sweep the dining hall floor.
“We all like to pitch right in around here,” said Andy.
“I love to pitch in,” said Ashley.
When the work was done, the Pee Wees had a tour of the ranch. They saw the barns, the pens, the bunkhouse where they would sleep, and the silo that stored the hay and other food for the animals. Then they saw the ranch house, which had a fire blazing in the hearth and comfortable leather chairs to stretch out in. Andy showed them the rings where he exercised the horses and the fields where they ran. He showed them where they would have a bonfire and sing-along.
“And here is the barn where we square-dance!” said Andy. “Up there on that stool is where the fiddler sits. And the caller stands there with the microphone.” He pointed.
A shiver went over Molly’s skin. Not only did she not want to dance with boys, she didn’t know how to dance! She wondered if any of the other Pee Wees did. She knew Lisa knew all about it.
“We’ll have a little contest on Sunday for the best dancer,” said Andy. “And that dancer will get a pretty little prize!”
Well, Molly knew one thing for sure. It wouldn’t be her! No one could learn to dance well enough to win a prize in just two days. What was Mrs. Peters thinking, getting the Pee Wees into this? It would be embarrassing!
“Okay!” said Cowboy Andy. “Let’s get you guys outfitted in ranch clothes so we can do some lassoing! All in favor, say aye!”
“Aye!” yelled the Pee Wees. They were off to be cowhands!
CHAPTER 5
Roping and Riding
The Pee Wees followed Andy to a big room in the ranch house filled with cowboy boots and hats and other Western wear. It wasn’t a store where you could buy things. It was a closet where guests could borrow things if they didn’t want to buy them. A man named Chip helped the Pee Wees find their sizes. He measured their feet and tried hats on them until he found something that fit just right.
“I want this one!” shouted Sonny. He grabbed a hat off the shelf and put it on his head. The hat fell down over his eyes and rested on his nose. Everyone began to laugh.
“Hey, your head is too small!” shouted Roger.
Chip shook his head. “The hat’s too big,” he said. “Those are for adults.”
Molly saw the hat she wanted. It was soft gray with a cord that went under your chin and a red bead you pushed up to keep the cord in place.
“That’s so it won’t fall off when you ride horseback or square-dance,” said Chip.
Not when I square-dance, thought Molly. If.
Mary Beth chose a tan hat that fit her perfectly. “You look like a real cowgirl!” said Molly.
When they got their boots on, they really looked Western!
“Holy smokes!” said Andy. “You guys are the real McCoy!” Mrs. Peters explained that he meant they looked like real cowboys.
The boots felt stiff on Molly’s feet. It wasn’t easy to walk at first. Before long, however, the Pee Wees got used to their new clothes and loped along behind Andy. Kevin and Kenny had very large boots. They were big boots for second-graders, thought Molly. Sonny and Tim and Rachel had the smallest ones.
Once on the range, Andy showed them how to lasso. He showed them how to hold and wind the rope. Then he taught them how to swing it sideways so it slipped through the air like a Frisbee and settled around a big fence post.
“I want to lasso a cow!” shouted Roger. “That’s what cowboys do. They don’t lasso a post!”
“He’ll be lucky to get the post!” said Tracy. “He sure couldn’t lasso a moving cow!”
Sure enough, when it was Roger’s turn he missed the post and lassoed a bush! Sonny was next. He lassoed some blades of grass.
Kenny lassoed one of Andy’s feet.
“Hold the rope loosely in your hand,” Andy said. “Just relax.”
That worked much better. But still no one was able to lasso the post. Andy let them move up closer for the second try, then even closer for the third.
“Pretty soon we’ll be able to reach out our hand and grab that post!” said Rachel. “I don’t think cowboys get this close to those calves.”
At last, one of the Pee Wees succeeded! It was Patty! Everyone cheered and hooted, and Mr. Moe patted her on the back. “Good work, Patty!” he said.
Andy gave Patty a tiny lasso made of white rope, with a pin on the back. She put it on her shirt. Everyone looked envious, especially the boys. And Ashley.
“I just need more practice,” grumbled Roger.
“Sure,” scoffed Rachel.
“So much for lassoing,” said Andy. “Let’s move on to the riding range.”
Molly’s heart skipped a beat. Lassoing was a snap compared to staying on the back of a bucking bronco.
Maybe she should get busy and think about how to get out of this. But she might not be able to avoid both riding and dancing. She’d have to choose one, or her leader would be suspicious. Which would be worse—falling off a horse or dancing with Roger? She knew the answer immediately. Dancing with Roger. She’d take her chances on horseback.
When they got to the stables, they met a cowboy named Bing. He was playing the guitar and singing a song about buffalo.
The horses were lined up, waiting. They were wearing saddles and pawing the ground with their hooves. Molly wished she had allergies like Tracy, who was sitting on a fence a long way from the horses. How lucky she was! Tracy would never have to learn to ride a horse.
Chip and Andy talked about riding safety. Then they showed the Pee Wees how to mount a horse.
“You put one foot here in the stirrup and swing your other leg up and over the saddle.” Both cowboys demonstrated. “On,” they said. “And off.”
“I don’t need any help, Andy,” said Ashley. “I belong to the Saddle Scouts. We ride all the time. Maybe I can help you with the others.”
But Andy didn’t appear to need help.
Since the Pee Wees were so short, the cowboys had to hoist them up so they could get their feet in the stirrups.
“These are very gentle horses,” said Chip. “Look how glad they are to see you.” He fed one of the horses a carrot.
Molly did not think her horse looked glad to see her. He turned his huge head around and stared at her. He was not smiling. He was chewing and frowning and swishing his tail.
“They do that to get the flies off,” said Lisa.
As the other Pee Wees sat on their horses, afraid to move, Ashley and Rachel gave theirs a slap on the back a
nd said, “Giddyap!” Off they went down the bridle path! Rachel’s hair was flying, and so was the tail of her horse. It looked like fun, but it looked scary.
“The rest of us are rookies,” said Mr. Moe, “so we’ll take our time.”
“We’ll just sit here awhile and get the feel of the beast,” said Mrs. Moe.
Molly had the feel of the beast. It felt scary and high, as if she could slide off the saddle at any moment.
“Where are our seat belts?” shouted Tim. “We can’t ride without seat belts. It’s the law.”
“I wouldn’t mind having an air bag in front of me,” said Kenny.
Neither would Molly. She wished she were sitting in a car seat, all strapped in, with an air bag protecting her.
“Why don’t they build saddles like our recliner chair at home?” asked Mary Beth. “This isn’t very comfortable.”
One by one the Pee Wees rode off slowly on their horses. Chip showed them how to move to the rhythm of the horse’s body.
“What if he runs?” shrieked Patty.
“He won’t,” said her mom. “Just try to relax and enjoy the ride.”
Up ahead, Molly noticed Sonny slipping sideways in his saddle. Andy saw him too. By the time Sonny was about to slide to the ground, Andy was there to catch him. The cowboys were keeping a good watch on the Pee Wees. Sort of like lifeguards.
Lisa was slipping too. But she didn’t fall off. She hung on and was very brave, thought Molly.
Sonny was riding on Chip’s horse now. They were sharing a saddle.
“He cried so hard when he fell off, he wouldn’t get back on his horse,” said Mary Beth. “I don’t think it’s right for a baby like him to get to ride with the cowboy.”
Sonny had a smirk on his face. It was as if he were saying, “Ha ha, look at me!”
Mary Beth was right. Sonny should not get rewarded for being a baby.
When the riding time was up, nobody else had fallen. The people having the best time were Ashley and Rachel.
“That’s because they already knew how to ride,” said Kenny. “It’s harder for the rest of us.”