Wagontongue

by Elmer Kelton, Judy Alter Ph.D (Afterword)

Overview

As a slave, Isaac Jefford went to war and saved the life of his master, Major Lytton. As a free man, Isaac became one of the major’s top cowhands, respected—but never totally accepted—by fellow cowboys: when they gathered around the fire to eat their dinner, Isaac took his food and sat on the wagontongue alone.

When Pete Runyan, a bitter southerner, joins the crew, Isaac has to swallow his rage more than once. But then Pete and Isaac are assigned the task of getting cash—profits from the sale of the herd—safely to the Fort Worth bank before a foreclosure deadline. Time and three gunmen on their trail are against them, and their journey becomes a race to prove who is the best man.

First published in 1972 by Bantam as a mass market paperback, Wagontongue is one of Elmer Kelton’s classic novels, exploring racial relations on the West Texas plains in the low-key, wry, and compassionate voice that characterizes Kelton’s novels. The novel grew from a short story, included in this volume.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780875651668
Publisher:	TCU Press
Publication date:	11/01/1996
Series:	Texas Tradition Series , #23
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	239
Sales rank:	812,423
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

JUDY ALTER is the author of fiction and nonfiction for both adults and young readers, as well as an enthusiastic cook, blogger, and reader of mysteries. She has won awards from the Texas Institute of Letters, Western Writers of America, the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame, and an Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement from WWA. Judy was named an Outstanding Woman of Fort Worth in 1989 by the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women (for Arts) and named one of the one hundred women, living and dead, who have left their mark on Texas by the

Judy is currently director of Texas Christian University Press in Fort Worth, a position she has held for twenty-two years. A single parent of four and grandmother of seven, she lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her Australian shepherd, Scooby, and her fluffy gray cat, wywy. Judy entertains frequently, always experimenting and looking for new dishes. Keep up with her at www.judys-stew.blogspot.com.

Dallas Morning News.