(I'm writing this short story in honor of Chris Ledoux who passed away at the age of 56 on March 9th of this year after a hard fought battle with Cancer. The song in this story is called "This cowboys hat" One of my favorites. I know that Country music isn't the most popular style but please read this anyway.)

"Well I was sittin' at a coffee shop, just havin' a cup to pass the time.
Swappin' some stories with this ole cowboy friend of mine.
When some motor-cycler riders started snickerin' in the back.
Started pokin' fun at my friend hat." A young man sang
One ole boy said hey Tex, where'd you park your horse.
Now my friend just pulled his hat down low, but they couldn't be
ignored."

Linna sat back against a tree and listened to the young man in a cowboy hat singing softly for anyone that was listening. He was sitting with his back up against a tree in a park that Linna happened to visit that Sunday. She knew that it was a country song and even though she wasn't really into that style she sat back and listened anyway.

"One husky fella said, I think I'll rip that hat right off your head.
That's when my friend turned around, and this is what he said...
You'll ride a black tornado, 'cross the western sky.
Rope an ole blue northern, and milk it til it's dry.
Bull dawg the Mississippi, and pin her ears down flat...
Long before you take this cowboys hat..."

Linna stood up and walked over to where the man was sitting and sat down right by him and listened with growing interest in the song. He looked up and smiled at her as he continued to play his guitar. He gave her a quick wink before continuing.

"Now pardner, this ole hat is better left alone,
See it used to be my daddy's, but last year he passed on.

My nephew skinned the Rattler, that makes up this ole hatband.
But back in '69 he died in Viet-Nam."

Linna smiled at the cowboy as a slight blush came to her cheeks. She couldn't believe she was listening to a country song and liking it. She found her foot was tapping the on the ground as the cowboy sang.

Now the eagle feather was given to me by an ole Indian friend of mine,
But someone ran him down, somewheres 'round that Arizona line.
And a real special lady gave me this hat pin.
And I don't know if I'll ever see her again.
You'll ride a black tornado, 'cross the western sky.
Rope an ole blue northern, and milk it til it's dry.
Bull dawg the Mississippi, and pin her ears down flat...
Long before you take this cowboys hat...

Linna listened at the man finished the song and she noticed that she was the only one that was around applauding the young singers song.

"You liked that did you?" The man asked.

"Yes I did." Linna said. "What was the song called?"

"It's called "This cowboys hat" made famous by Chris Ledoux well over forty years ago.

"That was a nice song," Linna said. "Can you sing it one more time?"

"Yeah sure." The man said and began playing on his guitar again.

(Spoken) Well there's always been groups of people who couldn't see eye
to eye...an' I always thought if they'd get the chance to sit down and
talk face to face they'd see we all have a lot in common...

Well I was sittin' at a coffee shop, just havin' a cup to pass the time.
Swappin' some stories with this ole cowboy friend of mine.
When some motor-cycler riders started snickerin' in the back.
Started pokin' fun at my friend hat.
One ole boy said hey Tex, where'd you park your horse.
Now my friend just pulled his hat down low, but they couldn't be
ignored.
One husky fella said, I think I'll rip that hat right off your head.
That's when my friend turned around, and this is what he said...
You'll ride a black tornado, 'cross the western sky.
Rope an ole blue northern, and milk it til it's dry.
Bull dawg the Mississippi, and pin her ears down flat...
Long before you take this cowboys hat...
Now pardner, this ole hat is better left alone,
See it used to be my daddy's, but last year he passed on.

My nephew skinned the Rattler, that makes up this ole hatband.
But back in '69 he died in Viet-Nam.
Now the eagle feather was given to me by an ole Indian friend of mine,
But someone ran him down, somewheres 'round that Arizona line.
And a real special lady gave me this hat pin.
And I don't know if I'll ever see her again.
You'll ride a black tornado, 'cross the western sky.
Rope an ole blue northern, and milk it til it's dry.
Bull dawg the Mississippi, and pin her ears down flat...
Long before you take this cowboys hat...
Now if you leather jacket means to you what this hat means to me.
Then I guess we understand each other, and we'll just let it be.
But if you still think it's funny, well man, you've got my back up
against the wall.
But if you touch my hat, you'll have to fight us all...
Well, right then I caught a little sadness in the gang leaders eyes.
And he turned back t'wards the others and they all just sorta shuffled
on outside.
But when my friend turned back t'wards me, well I noticed his old hat
brim.
Well it was turned up...in a big ole Texas Grin!
You'll ride a black ocross the western skies,
Rope an ole blue northern, and milk it 'til it's dry.
Bull dawg the Mississippi and pin her ears down flat...
Long before you touch this cowboy's hat...

Linna smiled again at the cowboy before standing up and looking at her watch.

"It's getting late I should be going." She said looking back at the cowboy.

She was surprised to se that the cowboy wasn't there only an old news paper clipping telling of Chris Ledoux's life over forty years ago.

'Where did he go?' Linna thought as she looked at the clipping. "Was that him?"

She wondered why no one else stopped to listen to the song the cowboy was singing and suddenly it dawned on her.

'That was not just an ordinary Cowboy. Was it?' She thought.

As she looked at the clipping again the wind picked up and she heard the cowboy's song again ringing in her head and she knew that he wasn't just a fan…It was really him.

(God bless Chris Ledoux 1948-2005.)