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13 E l l a r a i n e L o c k i e Late Harvest He meets them for coffee at the Q Cafe in the morning Men who could have walked out of the Charlie Russell print on the wall on their bowed legs Rigged in Stetsons and scuffed cowboy boots that hide bald heads and bunioned feet Long-sleeved shirts with snaps and bled-out Levis that cover long johns even in 100 degrees Their bull elk demeanors work hard at making the coffee klatch look like coincidence It wouldn’t be manly to need camaraderie Accomplices who agree about the new espresso shop where shots are two bucks each Some Goddamned California invention Not like when coffee was twenty-five cents with free refills Men who lived the outhouse and cattle rustling story in the Way Back When column of this week’s Mountaineer And drank boiled barley water together through the Depression Moving into town close to the medical and senior centers might have been the right thing he tells himself But work ethics speak louder than shooting the bull even if his son won’t hear of it So after an hour he climbs in his truck and heads for the ranch Carrying his rifle, an expired driver’s license And a can of oil to bribe the joints of an old combine into one more season ...

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