| The old man was bent
with age, his eyes were dimmed by the long hard years he'd lived as one
of the first Texas Rangers.
He stood in the prairie that he had once known as God's land, untouched by man or machine. He thought back to when he was just a young boy hardly old enough to stay in the saddle of his horse. He could remember rounding up the cattle and spending the night under the stars around a glowing camp fire. The smell of coffee filling the cool air. Around the fire was a circle of cowboys. There was Slim whittling on a piece of wood and One Eyed John playing a soft tune on his harmonica. Over next to the wagon was Old Grey Beard cleaning his Peacemaker. There was Montana, Johnny Reb and Tex playing five card stud. He could remember it all as if it had been only yesterday. As the old Ranger looked into the heavens a tear rolled down his cheek. The memories were dear to his feeble heart. Then a tug on his shirt tail brought him back to reality. It was his small grandson looking up at him. He asked,"Whatcha looking at grandpa?" A loving smile came over the old Ranger's face and he said, "Son, look up there and you can see God's land, and there you'll see a circle of cowboys." The confused child looked up into the sky and said, "Grandpa I don't see anything up there." With a soft sigh the old Ranger replied,"You may not see them but they're all there because that's their home now and nobody can bother them any more." The little boy still confused by the words of the old Ranger looked at his grandpa and said, " I don't understand." The old Ranger said, "You will some day, now you go on home son because it's about time for me and the boys to go on another round up. They're up there waiting on me and it's time for me to go and join them." After the child was gone the old Ranger sat down next to an old Oak tree. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn out folded up handkerchief. The old man un-wrapped his rusted Ranger badge and with a shaking hand he pinned it to his shirt and went quietly to God's Land. © By Cpl. D.J. Rogers
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