Thursday, September 4, 2014

Trail's End

Dust flew from behind Allie Jo's horse as she raced after a calf. She rolled out the reata into a noose and whirled it above her head. In one swift motion she roped the animal around the neck. Quickly, she wrapped the lariat around the saddle horn as her horse backed up to keep the rope taut. Allie Jo slid her hand down the tight lariat to the bawling calf. Reaching under the youngster, she grasped the two legs on the opposite side, pulled, and flipped it on its side. She yanked the small piece of rope from her teeth and used it to lash three hooves together.

"He's tied!" Allie Jo cried as she jumped up and tossed her arms high above her head.

"Good job!" Amanda said, "You're faster 'n me."

The girl wrestler untied the calf and released the lariat. "I don't know about that but we're both gettin' pretty good."

"I think we should get paid fore workin' at this spring's roundup," said Amanda.

"I'm gonna talk to my pa about it. I believe that if we work like men, we should get paid like men," Allie Jo said.

Amanda laughed, "Yeah, well that ain't never gonna happen, but maybe we'll get somethin'. I'm hopin' to earn enough to buy the lady's riding skirt and blouse that's in the catalog at the mercantile, ain' you Allie Jo?"

"Nah, I got plans that I'm savin' my money for."

"Oh, let's see, could it be for another horse like that one there that your pa let you buy last year from Mr. Jones?"

"He didn't let me. I had my own money that I earned workin' the cattle drive. I don't need permission from my pa, I'm sixteen for cryin'-our-loud," allie Jo snapped, "I'm perfectly capable of makin' my own decisions."

"Ok, Miss Independent, but don't you want to look more womanly so you can get married someday?" Amanda asked.

"I'll worry about that when the time comes. Wearin' boy clothes gets me work and work gets me money. For now that is what I need to do. Do you wanna do some team ropin'? I get to be the header, there's no way I can be the heeler and rope the hind legs, you're better at that than me. I need the bigger target," Allie Jo laughed.

"Ok," Amanda said, "you get the front and I'll get the back. Let's do anything that will keep us from talking about your future."