Kat, m'luv:

I'm probably too late with this one, but someone might read it and supply me with an answer, even if you don't get a chance to ask your dad about it.

Forty years ago, in Buffalo, Oklahoma, I recorded a few songs from the superindent of schools there, after doing a couple of programs in his school system. He'd been a rodeo rider in his younger days, played guitar, and bemoaned the fact that his wife wouldn't let him play anymore, since they had finally achieved middle-class status and she didn't want anyone to know of his more rustic origins.

Well, I lost the tape I made that day, and with it one of the most interesting songs I've ever collected. It was the story of a murder committed during a cattle rustling, in real western ballad format, and of that murder later being avenged in kind. At the end, it presented the powerful image of a lone white steer with "MURDER" branded on its side.

I've not found the song in the printed collections, and have yet to meet anyone who recognizes the story. Please ask your dad if he has ever heard such a ballad.

Have a good visit, Kat, and travel safely.

Sandy