We sipped and saw. Yep. Windy Wilson, cowboy camp
cook, approaching the philosophy and coffee counter at the Mule
Barn. But what are you gonna do?
“Ya know, fellas,” he said, “I believe in them childhood dreams and
all. With me, my kid dream was to travel to the darkest corner of
Equilateral Africa and look at the varmints. They got a bunch of ‘em
down there. Some are kinda pretty and others can stomp you into
furry pink Jell-O.
“Wellsir, I got to figgerin’ just how I could swing a trip over
there to them Serum-getty Plains and all, and listen to monkeys
watch cheaters chase down them grazelles. So I thought I kinda
should practice up a bit in case I got the chance, so I sprung it on
my fellow students in the second grade. You know, with that show and
tell thingie. Most folks don’t get to do that ‘til they’re already
in Congress, but I stood up and tol’ them ‘bout my pet
hipplo-potamus in the backyard. Called him Fluffy. Hey, I told ‘em
story after story ‘bout ol’ Fluff. You know the stuff … how ol’
Fluffy bit me one morning when I was a-saddlin’ him up. Stuff like
that there. [to top of second
column] |
“Now truth was, I didn’t happen
to have ol’ Fluffy in the backyard, but I sure as sugar wished I
had, and I guess that transmaterialated itself to the audience.
Teacher called my mom just to check about Fluffy, though, so I musta
told a good one. Yessir!
“Never did get to darkest Africa and stuff, but I studied on it.
Seems the onliest folks in them days who got over there was
missionarities. Them missionarity types, turns out, was s’posed to
gather folks together and tell ‘em their ‘speriences and ‘splain how
to live more gooder lives and that. And I jest couldn’t see my
ownself doin’ that. Nossir!”
We just nodded. It’s quicker that way.
[Text from file received from
Slim Randles]
Ol' Jimmy Dolla
|