I ran across a novel excerpt in a magazine the other day and can't wait to get my hands on this book: Half Broke Horses, by Jeannette Walls. It's the story of Lily Casey Smith, born in a Texas dugout in 1901. The cover photo caught my attention- I'm obsessed with the lives of homesteaders during this time period.
Lily's tales of a wild west childhood include spending the night in a tree with her younger siblings. At ten years of age, she saved them from a flash flood and kept them secure upon the limb of an old cottonwood tree until the water calmed enough the following morning and they were able to search for their parents. On another occasion, Lily broke a fall from their horse with her forearm and split her bone in half. Back in those days, a bone was set at home using a paste concoction whipped up by her father.
Lily and I would have been friends. A little rowdy and hair brained, this cowgirl ended up running a huge ranch with her husband. A true frontier girl.
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