Stranger In A Small Kansas Town Analysis

The Appearance of a Stranger in a Small Kansas Town The appearance of a stranger in a settled small Kansas town, while unsettling to some, can be a rewarding experience, as long as there is a mutual desire to communicate. Furthermore, in order for the small town to thrive, there is a necessity for the appearance of strangers. Out of town travelers contribute to the local economy that provides income for local businesses. These types of strangers are transient and seldom worried the town’s folk. In contrast to the transient stranger, small Kansas towns scrutinized any stranger who desired to not be an outsider and take up residency. Beloit, a small Kansas town located in North-Central Kansas, had a population that ranged between four thousand

Luckily, for all parties involved, these strangers were looking for agriculture based jobs to support their caravan of Spanish speaking families when they found work on the Williams farm. The author was working a section of ground when the long caravan pulled to a stop at the farmhouse. The leader of the caravan spoke a very limited amount of English, but the Williams brothers knew that the author was in his second year of high school Spanish. With more body language and gestures than structured sentences on the part of the headman and the author, it was clear that these families wanted to clear the farm’s fields of weeds. Interestingly enough, the Williams brothers had been discussing the use of “city kids” to pull weeds from soybean fields. The author, in an attempt to champion the migrant families, interjected the poor quality of work provided by “city kids” who did more socializing that work. Images of fields full of weeds in the thoughts of the Williams brothers warmed them to the idea of hiring the immigrant families. An empty pasture with a clear pond became the campgrounds for the new employees. Eventually, the Williams brothers inspected the fields and to their amazement saw not only fields clear of weeds, but hand cultivated rows of soybeans. The immigrant workers had exceeded the expectations of the owners. As a sign of gratitude and

All would seem the perfect fit, a cowboy arriving in a town filled with equestrian riders in need of a good farrier. However, this cowboy was the only black man in the county. Fortunately, Brian White had a winning smile that opened up every door in town. He was a first rate nice guy who’s love of horses was supported by being a social worker for the Girls Industrial School in Beloit. In no time at all, Brian was a welcome guest on many local farms and ranches. Brian’s ability to tame a wild streak out of one’s young riding horse was unparalleled as he used patience and training in lieu of harsher methods. Brian also attracted many followers who desired to learn the cowboy way and Brian was happy to oblige them. Saturday nights in downtown Beloit, always filled with hot rods on display for anyone who had the desire to look, gave way for four to five horsemen led by Brian. On more than one occasion, Brian led the party into the Rainbow Tavern having never left the saddle. These occasions improved the patronage of the Rainbow Tavern as people from the surrounding communities wanted to witness a half dozen cowboys, ride into a saloon to consume a cold beer before continuing their ride. Once again, a stranger was able to win over the hearts and minds of a small Kansas community which contributed to the soul and the spirit of the