"Son, there is no question but what the thing you have done today deserves severe punishment. You might have killed yourself on the horse, but much worse that that, you have injured your own character. A man's character is like his house. If he tears boards off his house and burns them to keep himself warm and comfortable, his house soon becomes a ruin. If he tells lies to be able to do the things he should not do but wants to, his character will soon become a ruin. A man with a ruined character is a shame on the face of the earth."
The boys and I are reading Little Britches.
Ralph Moody was eight years old in 1906 when his family moved from New Hampshire to a Colorado ranch. Through his eyes we experience the pleasure and perils of ranching there early in the twentieth century. Auctions, and roundups, family picnics, irrigation wars, tornadoes, and a wind storms give authentic color to Little Britches.
And this morning, the boys dressed up like cowboys and went out to play Little Britches.
Sounds like a great character-building exercise!
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