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Cover of The old "yaller" shirt

The old "yaller" shirt

by Ray Humphreys (1897–1985)

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  • 15 min read

The old "yaller" shirt by Ray Humphreys is a Western short story written in the late 1920s. It centers on a rodeo bronc rider whose stubborn loyalty to a worn yellow shirt stirs conflict, tests character in the arena, and ultimately signals love and good fortune. A towering bronc buster, Thad Sowers, refuses his boss John O’Day’s order to replace his faded yellow silk shirt, even when threatened with dismissal. For his supposed last ride, a rancher named Bernard Harley brings a notorious gray outlaw and insists the “man in the yaller shirt” ride it. Thad endures a brutal, spectacular bucking battle; the horse twice smashes into the rail, breaks its neck, and dies, while Thad, already badly hurt with a broken leg and ribs, never quits the saddle. Harley admits the bronc was tormented to hate yellow. Shaken, O’Day retracts the firing, pledges Thad a permanent place—and the right to wear the shirt. It’s then revealed the shirt was a good-luck gift from O’Day’s daughter, June; the two declare their love as the doctor assures Thad will live.

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  • Short stories
  • Western stories
  • Love stories
  • Colorado
  • Rodeos

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Thad Sowers, blue-eyed, bronzed-faced, professional broncho buster for the John O’Day Traveling Rodeo Circus, stood six feet seven in his high-heeled, pearl-etched riding boots and his big, two-gallon, mouse-gray Stetson. He was a goodly sight to look upon, decided John O’Day himself, except for one thing—Thad wore an old “yaller” silk shirt that had seen its best days.

“See here, Thaddy,” suggested the rodeo circus owner, softly, that day in Alamosa, where the John O’Day Traveling Rodeo aggregation had halted its Colorado trek to put on an afternoon “Wild West” performance, “what’s th’ idear o’ wearin’ that thar ol’ dandelion-colored silk shirt until it falls offen yuhr shoulders? Seems to me yuh’ve wored it ever since th’ circus season started.”

Thad’s boyish face lit up with a slow smile, but he held his tongue. Like almost every other real knight of the leather, Thad was no orator. He did his daily broncho busting stunt silently, generally, and drew down his princely salary of $50 a week. But he never had much to say. Now, challenged directly on a rather personal matter by John O’Day himself, Thad had nothing to say.

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About this edition

This free edition of The old "yaller" shirt by Ray Humphreys comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #78412, released 2026-04-10. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer.

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