Categories > TV > CSI
The Old West: Texas Ranger
0 reviewsThis is actually an alternate universe for my uncompleted story, Dreamer. Sorry, but I just had blog in my head, a teaser, and just had to write it down before I forgot! NickOC.
0Unrated
Introduction
I never knew my life would be so exciting. Never knew what I'd go through this whole time. I never knew that getting on that train would cause me to become what I am now.
When I was 14, I decided to go live with my sheriff-for- an- uncle in southern Texas. Now, considering I lived in Alberta, in western Canada, I had to take a train. My parents were skeptical at first, but eventually they gave up. I wasn't like many of the other girls. Girls were seen as house-wives: to cook and clean and sew for their family until they found a husband. Me, on the other hand, never learned to cook or clean or sew. Not saying that my mother didn't try, she did, but I just never could learn how to. Instead of staying in the house, wearing an apron or dress; I was out with my father and younger brother, helping with the cattle and sheep, wearing a cowboy hat and leather pants. You see, my family owned a very successful farm. Heck, people believed I was a boy in a girl's body, considering I could out ride, out rope, and out track any of the boys my age. I guess I asked for it, having such short hair. But, even though I loved going out on my black cowpony, helping my father, I decided I wasn't really proper for farm life.
When I was 14, I got on the train with my horse, and headed toward southern Texas. My uncle met me at the station, and we traveled to the small town where he was sheriff. When he first saw me, leading my horse off the train, he mistook me for a stable boy. He never made the same mistake again. First, he tried to get me to simply keep an eye for the small stable next to the sheriff's office, cleaning and dusting, but he soon changed his mind. I was soon fulltime stable hand, I helped feed, groom, tack, and exercise the horses. My uncle used to say that I should have been born a boy. I resented that comment then, and I still do, but I never told my uncle. I was closest to my uncle's three sons. They were all at least four years older then me, and called me the sister they never had. They taught me how to fire a gun properly, and even gave me a pistol to practice with.
Even though my life was great, I still knew this wasn't what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I guess the real turning point for me was when I was 18. I was sweeping out the entrance to the stables when three men rode into town. Two were around the age of my uncle, another, maybe 20 years old. They had rode by and looked at me funny, I believe they were either trying to figure out what a girl was doing in pants and not a dress, or if I was a girl at all. Eventually, the oldest one figured it out, whatever it was, and nodded at me. I later figured out they were Texas Rangers. Men who rode all around Texas after being set out on 'missions' of law enforcement. I then realized what I wanted to do. I wanted to become a ranger.
But what skills did I have? I couldn't be a gun-slinger or bring a law-breaker down with my bear hands. I could ride for great distances, and I could track quite well. I didn't know if the few skills I had would help me become a ranger. Would they even accept me, even though I was a woman? I told my uncle and cousins about it over dinner that night. They laughed me out of the house. And do you think that had a bad effect on my self-esteem? Hell yeh. But it didn't stop me.
-Hillary Matthews,
Texas Ranger
I never knew my life would be so exciting. Never knew what I'd go through this whole time. I never knew that getting on that train would cause me to become what I am now.
When I was 14, I decided to go live with my sheriff-for- an- uncle in southern Texas. Now, considering I lived in Alberta, in western Canada, I had to take a train. My parents were skeptical at first, but eventually they gave up. I wasn't like many of the other girls. Girls were seen as house-wives: to cook and clean and sew for their family until they found a husband. Me, on the other hand, never learned to cook or clean or sew. Not saying that my mother didn't try, she did, but I just never could learn how to. Instead of staying in the house, wearing an apron or dress; I was out with my father and younger brother, helping with the cattle and sheep, wearing a cowboy hat and leather pants. You see, my family owned a very successful farm. Heck, people believed I was a boy in a girl's body, considering I could out ride, out rope, and out track any of the boys my age. I guess I asked for it, having such short hair. But, even though I loved going out on my black cowpony, helping my father, I decided I wasn't really proper for farm life.
When I was 14, I got on the train with my horse, and headed toward southern Texas. My uncle met me at the station, and we traveled to the small town where he was sheriff. When he first saw me, leading my horse off the train, he mistook me for a stable boy. He never made the same mistake again. First, he tried to get me to simply keep an eye for the small stable next to the sheriff's office, cleaning and dusting, but he soon changed his mind. I was soon fulltime stable hand, I helped feed, groom, tack, and exercise the horses. My uncle used to say that I should have been born a boy. I resented that comment then, and I still do, but I never told my uncle. I was closest to my uncle's three sons. They were all at least four years older then me, and called me the sister they never had. They taught me how to fire a gun properly, and even gave me a pistol to practice with.
Even though my life was great, I still knew this wasn't what I wanted to do the rest of my life. I guess the real turning point for me was when I was 18. I was sweeping out the entrance to the stables when three men rode into town. Two were around the age of my uncle, another, maybe 20 years old. They had rode by and looked at me funny, I believe they were either trying to figure out what a girl was doing in pants and not a dress, or if I was a girl at all. Eventually, the oldest one figured it out, whatever it was, and nodded at me. I later figured out they were Texas Rangers. Men who rode all around Texas after being set out on 'missions' of law enforcement. I then realized what I wanted to do. I wanted to become a ranger.
But what skills did I have? I couldn't be a gun-slinger or bring a law-breaker down with my bear hands. I could ride for great distances, and I could track quite well. I didn't know if the few skills I had would help me become a ranger. Would they even accept me, even though I was a woman? I told my uncle and cousins about it over dinner that night. They laughed me out of the house. And do you think that had a bad effect on my self-esteem? Hell yeh. But it didn't stop me.
-Hillary Matthews,
Texas Ranger
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