Keenan was the savior, the rainmaker, the gunslinger who comes out of the heart of the great golden West, sacrifices himself for the good of the community, and then, perhaps mortally hurt, moves on.

The basic outlines of the story are well known: with dreams of beginning prosperous new lives in the golden West, 87 pioneers left Illinois in 1846 for the promised land of California.

Another illustration, titled "The March of Destiny" and used as the frontispiece of Col. Frank Triplett's book "Conquering the Wilderness," published in 1883, depicts a long wagon train stretching toward a golden West that gleams like paradise in the distance.

The Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails all started in Independence and Westport, two small frontier towns long since melded into greater Kansas City, and in the 1840's brave souls gathered there each spring for the arduous journey by Conestoga wagon to the golden West.

"The Wonder of It All," one of the new songs on the album, is Mr. Tyson's bid for another pop hit: The golden West has come and gone Right before our very eyes But they will never count the stars And they will never fence the skies.

This time, though, the golden West hovers as an attractive alternative, an escape from the enervating habits and connections that already, in his early 20's, threaten Jerry's sense of balance.

Ms. Kael was the rancher's daughter, the girl of the golden West who learned to analyze literature and curse like a truck driver at college, then found herself and her place in the culture at, in and through the movies.

Mickey Mantle was 19 years old when he burst into our lives, as strong as the heart of the great golden West, a fielder of dreams in a time of infinite promise.

Maybe he would just check into the Biltmore, sleep for three days, and then head back into the golden West.