THE OLD PROSPECTOR
I think we’ll all agree that this “parable” teaches two very valuable lessons.
An old prospector shuffled into town 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, –
just never wanted to.’
A crowd had gathered quickly and 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 in order to not get a toe blown off or his boots
perforated was soon hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet and
everybody was laughing fit to be tied.
When the 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 back. The loud, audible double 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 quiet was
almost deafening. The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old
timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels. He found it hard to
swallow. The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man’s hands.
The old man said, ‘Son, did you ever kiss a mule’s —?’
The boy bully swallowed hard and said,
‘No.But I’ve always wanted to.’
There are two lessons for us all here:
1. Don’t waste ammunition.
2. Don’t mess with old people.
