Peck's Bad Boy with the Cowboys

In Short

This picaresque juvenile comedy follows the misadventures of the mischievous Hennery and his naive, boastful father as they travel through the American West to recruit talent and wild animals for a show. From botched bear hunts and fake dinosaur expeditions to accidental kidnappings by train robbers, the narrative moves at a breakneck pace. Driven by Hennery's ceaseless pranks and his father’s absurd vanity, the story endures as a vivid piece of turn-of-the-century American humor that gleefully subverts traditional paternal authority and romanticized Western tropes.

The Story

The episodic journey begins as Hennery and his father (referred to as "Pa" or "Dad") venture into the Far West to gather freaks, performers, and wild beasts for a traveling show. Pa fancies himself a rugged, fearless frontiersman, but his utter lack of skill repeatedly brings disastrous results. During a bear hunt with local Indians and hunters, Pa boasts that he will rip a bear open with his knife, only to drop his weapon and flee in horror the moment a massive grizzly appears. Seeking to regain face among the tribe, Pa uses a hidden electric battery and phosphorescent paint supplied by Hennery to feign supernatural powers, convincing the awestruck Indians to release him.

Continuing their quest, Pa attempts to prove his Western credentials by roping a black steer. Instead of subduing the animal, his saddle cinch snaps, leaving him clinging to the saddle while being dragged across the landscape into a cloud of dust. Shortly after, the pair set out with a guide to hunt a live dinosaur in a secluded valley. The expedition turns out to be a setup, and they are captured by Curry’s gang of train robbers. Far from being intimidated, Pa attempts to convince the bandit leader to abandon crime for Wall Street high finance—a suggestion the robber firmly rejects with a passionate speech on how corrupt financiers manipulate the American public. After Pa acts as an improvised surgeon for the gang, the bandits treat the pair to a banquet and send them off with saddlebags full of cash, which turns out to be worthless Confederate currency alongside a stash of greenbacks.

The duo continues to cause havoc across Western towns, buying fake mining stock, participating in rabbit drives, attempting to hunt buffalo, and taking an ill-fated automobile ride that ends in a crash. In Texas, Pa poses as an old Rough Rider and buys a bucking broncho, resulting in a violent thrown ride that sends him flying. Later, after an incident involving a prairie dog and a horned toad that offends a hotel landlord, police escort them out of town on a freight train. On a trip to Yellowstone Park, they encounter nine bears; Pa scrambles up a tree in terror while Hennery chases the animals away by throwing tin tomato cans.

Upon returning home, Hennery recounts these exaggerated tales to a local groceryman, who endures Hennery's relentless physical pranks—including explosions, fake snakes, and messy mishaps involving stale eggs—while listening to the boy's outrageous stories. The book ends as Hennery leaves the battered groceryman reflecting on his own survival.

How It Unfolds

A bear hunt goes wrong Pa boasts of his bravery to a group of Indian guides and hunters, but when a grizzly bear as big as a brewery horse approaches, he drops his knife, strips off his extra clothes, and flees toward camp in terror.

Subduing the tribe with science Facing execution by jealous tribal members, Pa relies on Hennery's trickery, using an electric battery, copper wire, and glowing phosphorus paint to terrify the onlookers into thinking he possesses supernatural magic.

The disastrous steer roping Attempting to earn the respect of local cowboys as "Long Horn Ike," Pa ropes a wild steer, but his saddle cinch breaks, causing the steer to drag Pa across the dusty plains while he stubbornly refuses to let go.

Captured by train robbers While searching a remote valley for a rumored live dinosaur, Pa and Hennery are ambushed by Curry's gang of bandits, leading to a philosophical debate between Pa and the head robber over Wall Street vs. highway robbery.

Escape with tainted money After winning the gang's favor, the duo is released with saddlebags of cash, which Pa initially believes to be worthless Confederate bills before discovering genuine greenbacks mixed inside.

Chaos in Texas and Yellowstone Pa attempts to ride a dangerous bucking broncho in San Antonio with disastrous results, is escorted out of town by police after a pet-related hotel dispute, and later flees up a tree when confronted by nine bears in Yellowstone Park.

Tales at the grocery store Back home, Hennery visits his local groceryman, dropping in with wild stories while subjecting the shopkeeper to destructive pranks involving stale eggs, fireworks, and chaotic pet fights.

The People

• Hennery (The Bad Boy): The clever, endlessly mischievous narrator who drives the plot. Hennery wants excitement, practical jokes, and a good laugh, which he achieves by taking full advantage of his father's foolishness and orchestrating elaborate pranks on townspeople.
• Pa (Dad / "Long Horn Ike"): Hennery's pompous, gullible, and vain father. He desperately wants to be seen as a brave frontiersman, wealthy investor, and smooth-talking man of the world, but his complete lack of practical skill constantly leaves him bruised, humiliated, or fleeing for his life.
• The Old Groceryman: A long-suffering neighborhood shopkeeper who acts as Hennery's primary audience. He wants to hear Hennery's stories and stay informed about the outside world, but his health and shop are constantly battered by Hennery's destructive visitations.
• Curry's Gang Leader: The head of a train-robbing bandit crew who captures Pa and Hennery. He views himself as an honest man compared to Wall Street financiers and respects Pa after receiving medical help.

In Its Own Voice

"When the bear got within about four doors of Pa, he saw the great father, and stood up on his hind legs, and looked as big as a brewery horse, and he opened his mouth and said: 'Woof,' just like that."

— Pa confronts a grizzly during an ill-fated Western hunt.

"If they do not assert themselves and take monopoly, high finance, insurance robbery, grafting and millionaire and billionaire ownership of everything that pays by the throat and strangle them all... you will want to come out here in the mountains and live the free life of a train robber with a conscience."

— The bandit leader explains his personal philosophy to Pa and Hennery in the cave.

"I have seen squirrels climb trees, when a dog was after them, but they were slow compared to dad."

— Hennery observes his father's rapid retreat from a pack of bears in Yellowstone.

What It's Really About

Beneath its surface of lowbrow slapstick and exaggerated humor, the book serves as a satirical unraveling of Gilded Age social hierarchies and American myths. It constantly pokes fun at the romanticized image of the American West, replacing stoic cowboys and brave frontiersmen with swindlers, practical joke victims, and terrified tourists. The central dynamic flips traditional authority: the father, who ought to be a figure of wisdom, is foolish, gullible, and vain, while the young boy possesses the true street-smart cunning needed to navigate modern tricksters, wild animals, and train robbers. Additionally, the dialogue with the bandit chief raises explicit questions about legal corporate corruption versus illegal outlawry.

Why Read It Today

This book will appeal to fans of classic American humor, period regional satire, and readers curious about early 20th-century popular culture. Reading it feels like stepping straight into a Vaudeville comedy act or an early comic strip—fast, energetic, and completely unconcerned with moralizing lessons.

While its relentless physical comedy and rapid-fire dialogue remain entertaining, modern readers should be prepared for period difficulties. The prose relies heavily on turn-of-the-century slang, regional dialects, and intentional misspellings. Furthermore, the depictions of Native Americans, immigrants, and local Westerners reflect stereotypical period attitudes that can feel jarring to contemporary sensibilities. Yet, for those interested in the roots of American slapstick humor and the subversive "bad boy" literary genre, it offers an unfiltered look at popular entertainment from a bygone era.

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