An old
prospector shuffled into town leading an old tired mule.
The old man
headed straight for the only saloon to clear his
parched
throat.
He walked up and tied his old mule to the hitch
rail. As he stood
there,
brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young
gunslinger
stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of
whiskey in
the other.
The young gunslinger looked at the old man
and laughed, saying, "Hey old
man, have you ever danced?"
The old
man looked up at the gunslinger and said, "No, I never did dance...
never
really wanted to."
A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and
said, "Well, you old
fool,
you're gonna dance now," and started shooting at the old man's
feet.
The old prospector --not wanting to get a toe blown
off--
started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet. Everybody was
laughing, fit to be
tied.
When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger,
still laughing,
holstered his gun and
turned around to go back into the
saloon.
The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a
double-barreled shotgun,
and cocked both hammers.
The loud clicks
carried clearly through the desert air.
The crowd stopped laughing
immediately.
The young gunslinger heard the sounds too, and he
turned
around very slowly. The
silence was almost deafening.
The crowd watched as the young gunman
stared at the old timer and the
large gaping
holes of those twin
barrels.
The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as
he
quietly said, "Son, have you ever licked a mule's ass?"
The gunslinger
swallowed hard and sa id, "No sir..... but... I've always
wanted
to."
There are a few
lessons for us all here:
*Never be arrogant.
Don't waste
ammunition.
Whiskey makes you think you're smarter than
you
are.
Always, always make sure you know who has the
power.
Don't
mess with old men; they didn't get old by being
stupid.*
///Py