In the original old West, cattlemen drove herds over the vast palmetto prairie, all the way to Punta Rassa. When a teenage boy joins cracker cow punchers, and the neighbor woman he hopes to marry goes to work in an infamous crossroads establishment, the cruel facts of frontier life confront them. Through swamp, miasma, bandits, storms, heat, fever, and tragic death, the boy prevails, but can he reach his girl before it's too late?
In an afterword essay, 7th generation real life Florida cracker cattleman, Rick Modine, tells about his family history, the Cracker Cattle Trail, and the future of the industry.
This novella is a rare and accurate glimpse into an amazing and rapidly disappearing Florida.
