TOUGHEN UP AND READ

He owned a ranch in the Badlands,
In his twenties after college,
And participated in cattle drives over hundreds of miles.
Once, during this time,
3 guys stole his little rowboat,
It was early spring and there were ice floes,
Moving around on the Little Missouri River.
His friends told him to let it go.
He said “no”.
And asked them to build him another boat.
Which they did.
It took days.
Then they went after the thieves.
They steered down river, around the ice,
Even at night.
Between shifts of paddling and steering,
And keeping a lookout,
He read Anna Karenina.
After several days they caught them,
Surprising the thieves at their campsite.
It was common then,
To string ‘em up and move on.
But he said “no”
And the 6 of them traveled on.
It took days.
Finally, they reached a rancher,
Who said he would take him and the thieves,
To the nearest Sheriff,
In a prairie schooner.
His friends left,
Him with the rancher and the thieves.
For the next 3 days,
He never slept,
For fear the rancher would upend his plan.
When he got to the sheriff
He turned over the men.
Collected his pay,
Went home,
And wrote down his thoughts on
Tolstoy and Anna Karenina.