01/12/07 The roan horse

The Roan Horse Statutes of limitations are sometimes a good thing especially between friends. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back to tell you what I mean. Time seems to take the edge off of events that seem pretty serious at the moment they occur. Happenings that are scary while in progress can be looked at later and laughed about. Maybe that's why the law has statute of limitation on some less serious transgressions. Time as a healer and mellower was demonstrated a few years ago at one of our local fairs. My brother and I were helping put on the rodeo and I couldn't figure out why he wasn't in the arena to take care of some final details. Turns out he was getting a local history lesson and just couldn't cut class. A group of old timers were reminiscing telling some pretty good stories. Cliff, undoubtedly the most famous of local legends was conducting the class and setting all the records straight. Another well-known citizen of the community and one of Cliff's best friends was telling a story about a roan horse he had gathered from a bunch of half-broke horses and had left in an abandoned homestead corral to get the next day. The next day the horse was gone, the gate was still shut and he never saw him on the range after that. Cliff looked at his friend and told him he rode by, liked the looks of the unbranded horse, found someone else that liked him and sold him for good money. Everyone was laughing, when Cliff looked at my brother and said don't laugh so hard, Keane, I got some of your granddad's horses too. My brother just kept laughing, it was more like an honor, Cliff does know good horses. I'm Jeff Keane.