His full given name was Paisley Allan Morgenstern, which was an odd name for a cowboy. Not that his mom gave it any thought when she named him. He was born in Paisley, Oregon on the third of December in a snowstorm, and he came early while his dad was in town getting drunk, so his mother brought Stick into the world with some clean towels, hot water, and no help from anyone. By the time his dad came home the next morning, she had already named him Paisley and wouldn’t brook any suggestions otherwise. He guessed that was because his dad wanted him to be Decatur Morgenstern, Junior and she didn’t want another Decatur around. Stick was just glad he didn’t have to go by Junior.
© 2024 Eric Stromquist
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