Shaking the Nickel Bush is the next novel in the Little Britches series. It's quite a story and while I feel some of the novels in this series are a bit too drawn out in relating what's going on, this one didn't have that feel. This is dramatic story of a 19 year old young man who is in dire straits and struggles, using all the ingenuity he has to try to pull himself up by his own boot straps. It's arduous, and must have been scary. But Ralph always recounts his adventures in a stoical way. The book starts with a diagnosis of diabetes which in 1918 was pretty much a death sentence and it ends with hopping a freight car with bullets whistling past his ears.
Ralph didn't get into the military for World War 1 but he wanted to be part of the war effort so he leaves MA and goes to Delaware to work at a munitions plant. While there he meets a talented sculptor and informally apprentices with him. This talent is crucial for the second half of Shaking the Nickel Bush.
But Ralph keeps getting skinnier and skinnier and something is not right. He winds up in a hospital in Boston where they diagnose him with diabetes. This is devastating but his family physician isn't 100% convinced by the specialists. He advises Ralph to go west, maybe to CO or better yet, AZ where he can be in a warm climate, soaking up lots of sunshine. He knows Ralph loves horses, so he advises him to go live a outdoors life doing something he loves. He does put him on a strict diet avoiding starches and sugar except for 'gluten' bread. This was some special bread which I've tried to research but can't. But mostly he's to eat lots of chicken and fish and fresh vegetables. The diet is very hard to follow in the land of corn bread, biscuits and beans.
When Ralph arrives out west he realizes three things: he didn't bring enough money, there aren't enough jobs and he is rusty anyway in working with cattle since he hasn't really done it since he was 10. He can't get a job and for a while is reduced to hobo status. But he hears about a job being a stunt cowboy for the silent westerns Hollywood is churning out. They film in AZ which just became a state because they don't have to follow the animal welfare laws of CA. The stunt riding is horribly dangerous to both the men and the horses. They use completely destitute drunks mainly as the men. Ralph however is in luck. The guy running the operation knows some folks that Ralph knew back in CO. They strike up a friendship. This allows Ralph, who had been a trick horse rider in his childhood, to observe the safest ways to do stunts on horses. He winds up being able to make lots of money in just a few days and he is one of the few that makes it out of there without any broken bones or permanent damage.
Now he's got money. He meets up with another down on his luck young man, Lonnie. They team up in a hilarious but also pathetic way. Ralph thinks he is going to die in six months anyway and his biggest concern is getting money back to his mother until his younger brother finishes an apprenticeship and can begin to earn money for the family. He and Lonnie get the idea of buying an old car and driving the back roads of Arizona and the adjacent states to hire out as cowhands. But the car eats up all their money and they can't get far without it breaking down. Back to impoverishment.
During his down times, Ralph likes to sculpt horses. He gets the bright idea of going into these small towns and targeting the local bankers to make busts of them. Word gets around and he and Lonnie (though Lonnie never does much except sponge off Ralph) become the Cowboy Artists of the West. Ralph works hard to drum up business and spends lots of time sculpting. He gets some real money saved up. He and Lonnie's plan are to separate just before the 4th of July. Ralph plans to go back to Littleton, CO for the 4th of July rodeo. Lonnie is heading home to Wyoming. But Lonnie has become a real problem. He is an immature, impulsive kid who likes to blow through Ralph's money. Ralph hides his money but he's too clever by half and things don't end well. At the end, Ralph is destitute once again.
I am really enjoying this whole series, but I think this particular story might be my favorite.
For more book reviews, go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment