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 licked a mule's ass?"
The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "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.
And don't mess with old men, they didn't get old by being stupid
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