Father and I Were Ranchers

Ralph is determined to train his horse, Sky High, for the demands of ranch work, especially cattle drives. Starting with basic riding skills, he gradually increases the difficulty of tasks, aiming to build trust without breaking Sky’s spirit. Despite setbacks, like Sky High resisting commands, Ralph remains calm and consistent. He helps Sky High improve at tasks like roping and maneuvering cattle.

Ralph practices precision drills using Sky High and another horse, Sky Blue, focusing on figure eights and maintaining control at high speeds. Ralph learns the “cutting” technique to isolate specific animals from the herd. Initially, Sky High becomes overly excited and loses control, but with persistent training, he grows more responsive and accurate. As a result, Ralph and Sky High develop a strong bond built on trust.

One Monday, Ralph learns from Hi that a group has sabotaged the Bear Creek irrigation ditch, diverting water from the Moody family’s legally owned land and threatening their crops. Ralph’s father is taking the upstream ranchers to court for damages related to the stolen water.

Fearing retaliation against Ralph’s father, Hi lends him his pistol and teaches him how to shoot. Wanting to prepare Ralph for potential danger as well, Father decides it’s time for Ralph to learn how to handle a revolver as well. Though Ralph struggles at first, he gradually improves his accuracy and composure. After their shooting practice, Father helps Ralph saddle Sky High. For the first time, Ralph feels as though his father sees him as an equal. As they reach the gate, his father calls him “partner,” solidifying Ralph’s new role as his father’s trusted ally.

Ralph finds the haying tasks dull compared to his recent work at Mr. Cooper’s ranch. Evenings bring some relief as he practices roping and keeps his horse, Sky High, in shape.

As summer progresses, the ranch men gather for haying and to prepare for the annual Fourth of July roundup, featuring bronco busting, horse racing, and other rodeo events. Mr. Cooper encourages the men to compete, keeping “outlaw horses” at the ranch for practice. Eager to prove himself, Ralph rides a few, finding them less challenging than his horse. Ralph hones his skills in trick riding, roping, and handling difficult horses as he prepares for the rodeo. At the rodeo, in the bronco event, he teams up with Hi for a matched pair riding act, and together, they win. Later, at the Labor Day Round Up, Ralph and Hi compete again, taking first place and earning gold watches as prizes. After the event, Ralph trades his gold watch for a silver trophy belt buckle.

Ralph explains that since September, not much has changed at the mountain ranch. His father remains tight-lipped about the court trial, only mentioning that it’s likely to be long and drawn out. Later that week, Ralph and his father are at the Moody ranch, putting Sky High in the corral. Suddenly, a passing car fires shots at them, likely as retaliation for Ralph’s father’s court testimony. One of the bullets narrowly misses Ralph’s head.

Ralph’s father quickly grabs a shotgun that Hi had given him and pursues the shooters. He returns after an hour with Fred Autland and some neighbors. The sheriff arrives to investigate. Despite the general suspicion that the shooters were connected to the water-stealing case Ralph’s father proved in court, the sheriff explains that nothing can be done without concrete evidence.

Ralph goes back to work at the mountain ranch for the rest of the month. When he returns home, he discovers that Billy, his horse, is gone; his father sold Billy due to the family’s worsening financial situation. To make ends meet, Ralph’s father takes a job building houses in Littleton. Despite the hardships, the family gathers and celebrates Christmas together.

Between Christmas and New Year’s, Ralph’s family moves to a small, rented house in Littleton. Ralph describes the modest home and the process of settling in as they try to recreate a semblance of their old life, bringing only the essentials.

Ralph starts attending school but struggles to fit in. The other children show a mix of curiosity and indifference, often asking probing questions about his background and ranching life. One day, Ralph gets into a scuffle at school, leading to a reprimand from the principal.

Meanwhile, Ralph’s father works long days building houses and repairing their aging rental home. Ralph assists with the repairs, feeling a newfound pride in working alongside his father as an equal. His father acknowledges this shift, saying, “I’m going to treat you like a man from now on” (252), a moment Ralph claims he will remember for the rest of his life. Soon after, his father starts planning a contracting business called Moody and Sons, Building Contractors.

Ralph focuses on their colt, Babe, who becomes an important part of their lives after moving to Littleton. Under Ralph’s father’s patient guidance, Babe learns to pull a buggy, evolving into a reliable and beautiful sorrel horse. Proud of Babe’s progress, Ralph’s father plans to drive her out for potential breeding.

One morning, while Ralph is at school, his father returns with Babe, who is injured from a barbed wire fence incident. Ralph is deeply worried about Babe and soon notices that his father is also covered in cuts and bandages. Despite his father’s reassurances that he is fine, Dr. Stone claims that Ralph’s father is lucky to be alive. Not long after, his father’s old cough returns, but he continues to insist that everything is under control. Days later, Charles is diagnosed with pneumonia.

As his father’s condition deteriorates, Ralph feels helpless and uncertain. The family rallies around him, but Charles eventually succumbs to the illness, imparting some final words of wisdom to Ralph before passing away. After the funeral, Ralph’s mother is hospitalized with blood poisoning, leaving the children temporarily with members of the community. After four weeks, Ralph’s mother returns home. As the family sits down for supper that evening, Ralph reflects, “That first supper was the most memorable meal of my life” (260). His father had always led grace before meals, but that night, his mother nods to Ralph to lead the prayer. He recalls, “and I became a man” (260).