An old prospector shuffled into the
town of El Indio, Texas leading an old tired mule. The old
man headed straight for the only saloon in town, to clear
his parched throat. He walked up to the saloon 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 kissed a mule's butt?"
The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "No sir.....
but... I've always wanted to."
