Your Typical Outlaw and Other Stories of the Old West

I wrote it, so I may not be the best judge of it. Instead of telling you why I think it's delightful, I'll tell you how I came up with the idea for the title story.Several years ago, I read about outlaws of the Old West. I learned that your typical outlaw started out by doing what his father had done: working with a horse and cattle, a hammer and nails, a mule and a plow. When he fell on hard times, he tried something else, like gambling. He lost what little he had, shot at some bottles on a fence post, and figured he had two choices: lawman and outlaw. He tried being a lawman and saw that the outlaws got all the money. So he turned outlaw himself. He robbed a bank, got some money, and spent it on a good old time. He kept on robbing banks, lawmen chased him, and sooner or later they killed him.In my story, a lovely young barmaid pleads with her three friends--a farmer, a storekeeper, and an undertaker--who are thinking about turning outlaw themselves. "Work, don't steal!" she shouts. "Don't do nothing blunt-witted." Of course, they do quite a few blunt-witted things before they realize that she is right. But by then, their problems have become much greater than they could ever have imagined.

Great light Western read. Loved the short story format. Good read!!!

I enjoyed the lighthearted stories of the old west. The foolish antics of the typical outlaws and the other cowboys made me smile.