[BITList] Don't mess with Oldies.

[John Feltham]

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 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.
Don't mess with old men, they didn't get old by being stupid.

I just love a story with a happy ending, don't you?