Ralph Neighbor

First Mountain Ralph Neighbor

Ten year old Ralph lives with his mother and step-father on the family farm in north central Kansas. It's 1938 and Ralph's 4th grade year ends in a few more days. School is dismissed early as the older boys ignited a stink bomb in the girls' gym. On his dining table Ralph finds an opened letter from his sister. Sis is marrying her beau Geoff. The local inter-gender conflict continues to escalate as the town girls exact revenge by stealing the boys' clothes from the swimming hole. This war contrasts to the peaceful preparation for joining man and woman, namely Sis' wedding. After the wedding Ralph and his mother travel to Kansas City to attend a grand newlywed reception staged by Geoff's wealthy parents. Ralph is awed by his first visit to a big city and is surprised by a previously unseen side of his mother, her amazing adaptability in dealing with these hoity-toity folks. Sis and Geoff invite Ralph to join them after the honeymoon to camp in the Colorado mountains. Ralph has never seen a mountain before. He rides the Pullman to Denver (his second large city visit) to discover adjustments to married life are going poorly. What can he do to help them?... For the mountain ascent the climbing guide's daughter, Nora, is lanky, athletic, savvy with mountain knowledge...and pretty...and Ralph's age... Mountain climbing proves dangerous as Long's Peak claims another victim...