Dell and Joel Wells, two orphaned teenagers are about to give up their unsuccessful farming homestead in Kansas, when a chance meeting with the cowboys moving a herd of cattle through the area changes their lives. With the help and advice of the cowboys, as well as a generous donation of a small starter herd, Dell and Joel find themselves converting their homestead from farming to ranching.
Andy Adams, a former cowboy, wrote this book in 1911. It follows the first two years of the Wells ranch, and while short on dramatic impact, it offers an always interesting look at the everyday life of cowboys and the yearly cycle of raising cattle for market. ( )