True Grit

Remember the movie "True Grit"? For those of you who may not remember, the movie was released in 1969 and featured John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glenn Campbell, Robert Duvall and a host of other actors including Dennis Hopper. The movie was based on a novel by Arkansas author, Charles Portis. The story, in brief, follows young Mattie Ross ( Kim Darby ) in her quest to avenge her father's murder. Her father was murdered by a hired hand/outlaw, Tom Chaney, and Mattie seeks out the meanest US Marshal in the Oklahoma Territory, Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne), to hunt down the murderer. Mattie and Rooster are joined on their quest by Texas Ranger, LaBoeuf (Glenn Campbell). The movie is packed with no good outlaws, lots of action including shoot outs and a tumble into a rattle snake pit, plus some really beautiful scenery. The entire adventure takes place in Arkansas and the Oklahoma Territory yet most of the actual filming took place in Colorado.

Ok, enough background.....I saw "True Grit" and I loved it. Mattie Ross was my hero and I thought Glenn Campbell was just too cute. Tom Chaney was evil incarnate. I used to saddle up my horse, Champ, and ride around our farm pretending I was Mattie Ross riding off to bring Tom Chaney to justice.

At the time I was deeply involved in my "True Grit" dreamworld, my dad had a horned Hereford bull that we named Tom Chaney. Tom Chaney, like his namesake in the movie, had a nasty temper.

(This isn't actually Tom Chaney in the picture, but he looked a lot like this bull except the real Tom Chaney was nearer the size of Paul Bunyan's ox.)

So, one day I had finished my "True Grit" fantasy. I had unsaddled Champ, brushed him down and was meandering the long way around through the pasture toward the house and the homework that awaited me. Suddenly, I became aware of some heavy breathing, snorting sounds and through a little stand of trees I could see Tom Chaney. He was staring right at me and sort of tossing his head around. Did I mention that Tom had horns? Fantasy took a sudden dive and reality put wings on my feet. I began to run. Now I have been known to tell a tall tale or two, but I swear I could feel that bull's hot breath on my heels and his pounding hooves made the earth quake as I ran toward the nearest fence I could see. I was flying. I have never run faster in my life. The fence loomed ahead of me. I gathered all my 12 year old strength and flung myself into the air. My legs didn't clear the top strand of barbed wire, but I managed to land on the far side of the fence in a heap on the ground. The important thing was...I had escaped. I was safe. I picked myself up and turned around fully expecting to see Tom Chaney roaring to a halt as he reached the fence behind me. He was quietly grazing near the little stand of trees.