Luke was in the barn cleaning his saddle when he heard Mark shout and he dropped the rag and ran out. The boy was galloping up and when he saw his father he jumped down and ran over to him, holding a fat parcel. "Look what we got from Teddy, Pa!"
They sat on the porch and Luke opened the letter and began to read aloud.
Dear Lucas and Mark,
I take pen in hand to tell you of my further adventures. I invested $14,000 in a ranch in the Dakotas, which I named Elkhorn. I plan to split my time between this place and my home in New York City. I have enclosed some national magazines which contain articles I wrote about frontier life. I am also writing a book about my experiences as a buffalo hunter. I shall call it "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman." Naturally I will send you and Mark autographed copies. I hope and pray this letter finds you both in good health and the best of spirits. With much affection, your friend Theodore Roosevelt.
I used some poetic license to take Theodore Roosevelt to North Fork but the details of his life given here are substantially true. He did travel out west to learn to be a cowboy and he did invest $14,000 in a ranch in the Dakotas which he named Elkhorn. He wrote articles about the frontier life for national magazines, and he wrote a book about his experiences as a buffalo hunter called "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman." When he was seven years old, he did find a dead seal in a market and take the head home. The remark about his father being the best man he ever knew is a direct quote.