Have you ever Danced?

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 gun-slinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

The young gun-slinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, "Hey old man, have you ever danced?" The old man looked up and said, "No, I never did dance, never really wanted to."

A crowd had gathered as the gun-slinger 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 gun-slinger, 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-barrelled shotgun, and cocked both hammers. The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air.

The crowd stopped laughing immediately. The young gun-slinger 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 gun-slinger 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?