It's in the morning as we-alls has saddled
up an' lines out to comb the range roundabout for cattle. Thar's a
tenderfoot along whose name is Todd, an', as he's canterin' off,
Jaybird comes a-curvin' up on his bronco an' reaches over an' tails
this shorthorn's pony.
"What's tailin' a pony? It's ridin' up from the r'ar an' takin' a
half-hitch on your saddle. horn with the tail of another gent's
pony, an' then spurrin' by an' swappin' ends with the whole outfit,-
-gent, hoss, an' all.
"It's really too toomultuous for a joke, an' mebby breaks the pony's
neck, mebby the rider's. But whether he saves his neck or no, the
party whose pony is thus tailed allers emergers tharfrom deshevelled
an' wrought-up, an' hotter than a wolf. So no one plays this yere
joke much; not till he's ready to get shot at.
"As I says, this Jaybird watches Todd as he rides off. Bein' new on
the range that a-way, Todd don't ride easy. A cow saddle ain't built
like these yere Eastern hulls, nohow. The stirrup is set two inches
further back for one thing, an' it's compiled a heap different other
ways. Bein' onused to cow saddles, an' for that matter cow ponies,
this Todd lops over for'ard an' beats with his elbows like he's a
curlew or somethin' flyin', an' I reckons it's sech proceedin's
makes Jaybird allow he's goin' to be funny an' tail Todd's pony.
Pages:
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230