Jason Pryde’s Reviews > PrairyErth > Status Update

Cont… And regardingan unfortunate encounter with an Elmdale local

“[a] friend,…whose mind is as eccentrically contoured as you can find among those of us walking at liberty, and he said, ‘You violated a fundamental rule of the road: you refused hospitality. As you well know, Plains Indians took umbrage at ungraciousness. Your insensitivity put the kibosh on you in Elmdale - forever.’ “

WLHM has an over abundance of words and he must use them up before he dies. Fortunately, he has the lingual gift to meet that challenge.
He spends a few describing his opinion of Elmdale, KS.
“…a man dies in certain places before he dies in otheres, dying in pieces and places. Maybe I’ve already, so to speak, gone west in Elmdale, Kansas. Maybe I’m the wraith here, a temporary ghost.”

Maybe the best chap so far is “En Las Casitas”, an interview with a Mexican lifelong “Trackman”. The core of the story is a hand drawn map that Felix creates during the course of the interview which quickly transitions to a work of art. WLM’s summary “of all the papers countians have handed me, this map of a man’s territory is the finest because is is the most wrought” says it all.

WLM is an eclectic writer. Some chapters are insightful, entertaining, informative. Others should be left out altogether. (IMHO) The chapter “In Ecstasy” is one of the latter. It is informative to know about an all women cattle ranch started from scratch by a young daughter of a rancher. I didn’t need the gritty explicit description of a calves transition to “Steerdom”.

WLHM seems to be obsessed with the prairie fire issue. It comes up time and again. Enjoyed the chapter about the Cottonwood Courthouse.
This is first level research.