{"id":19491,"date":"2023-04-19T00:07:38","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T00:07:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/?p=19491"},"modified":"2023-04-18T19:08:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T19:08:22","slug":"the-handshake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/19\/the-handshake\/","title":{"rendered":"The Handshake"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Bryce Angell – The outdoors has always been a large part of my life. My father was an outfitter and guide for 35 years and I was there to shoe and care for the horses and help him do the cooking. We took many great trips into the Yellowstone area. Even now that I\u2019m older, we still ride into the Tetons, Yellowstone and surrounding areas. My poems are mostly of personal experience. I am now retired and enjoying life to the fullest. I plan to do more riding and writing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He sat behind the table, all his guns laid in a row. I spotted him across the room, at our yearly town gun show. <\/span><\/p>\n

The sign clamped to his table read, \u201cGunsmith and his ware.\u201d The gunsmith looked the human version of a grizzly bear. <\/span><\/p>\n

He turned my way, gave me a nod, then stood up from his chair. I said, \u201cYou gotta 12-gauge at a price that might be fair?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His dark black beard and giant frame were daunting at first sight. He picked me out a shotgun. Looked to brighten up my night. <\/span><\/p>\n

The grizzled man gazed at me, then handed me the gun. He said, \u201cYou\u2019ll like this shotgun. Take a closer look for fun.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The shotgun was a beauty, just what I was looking for. The gunsmith said, \u201cDon\u2019t need to look for shotguns anymore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A Remington 870 with a shorter barrel to boot. With the butt snugged to my shoulder, then I asked, \u201cHow does it shoot?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He offered me a smile, and then he pinched another chew. He said, \u201cThere ain\u2019t none better. This old gun is meant for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I slightly uttered, \u201cWhat\u2019s the price?\u201d He asked a worthy fare. But my wallet fell a little short. I\u2019d spent the cash elsewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

I feared someone would snatch the shotgun if I stepped away. So I asked how much he\u2019d need to hold while getting cash to pay. <\/span><\/p>\n

He reached, then opened up a hand. His grip as hard as lead. \u201cA handshake\u2019s all I need today.\u201d And he meant just what he said. <\/span><\/p>\n

His eyes dang near stared through me with a keen but gentle look. Pure honesty conveyed to me. A handshake\u2019s all it took. <\/span><\/p>\n

I found the nearest ATM and pulled out all my cash. Then hurried back so doggone fast! A record ten-yard dash!<\/span><\/p>\n

His shotgun now belonged to me. The gunsmith held his word. Another handshake clinched the deal. A marvel had occurred. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Cuz I\u2019d found someone who wasn\u2019t always out for number one. His handshake was his moral creed. An act that\u2019s all but done.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, when I shake another\u2019s hand, I\u2019ll look him in the eye. And hope he\u2019ll know that talk ain\u2019t cheap. A handshake shouldn\u2019t lie.<\/span><\/p>\n

~~~Bryce Angell<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He sat behind the table, all his guns laid in a row. I spotted him across the room, at our yearly town gun show. The sign clamped to his table read, \u201cGunsmith and his ware.\u201d The gunsmith looked the human version of a grizzly bear. He turned my way, gave me a nod, then stood […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160,2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19491","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-cowboy-poetry","7":"category-commentary"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19491"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19492,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19491\/revisions\/19492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}