Book excerpt: The boisterous and bow-legged Happy Family of Montana rides high in this sequel to Chip of the Flying U. Originally published in 1910, The Happy Family is, like Chip, cinematic in its fast action, unusual in its emphasis on human relationships, unique in its warmth and humor. Here are the cowpokes who endeared themselves to generations of readers?Andy, Weary, Irish, Pink, Happy Jack, Big Medicine, and the rest. They were so popular that their creator devoted a series of novels to their wrangling on the rangeland and in the ranchhouse. These stories play out in the badlands, on the edge of the Rockies. Andy Green, "not famous ever for clinging to the truth," encounters Miss Verbena Martin, who is dedicated to the self-improvement of cowboys and is a character worthy of Mark Twain. Riding a red roan at a contest in Great Falls, Andy hangs on to his honor and pride by the seat of his pants. In another story, there is a crisis concerning the French cook Patsy, whose specialty is heavy pie and not floating island. All this fun has a western flavor, the smell of sage, and the feel of cowhide.