"
"I reckon yer thinks ther cow what yer a-straddlin' of now kin run
some."
"A leetle bit. But, yer see, when I got him he was a broken-down cow
hoss what hed been ridden ter death an' fed on sand an' alkali water so
long thet he wa'n't much good nohow."
"Jest picked him up wanderin'?"
"Not eggsactly. Yer see, it wuz this way: I was coming ercross Noo
Mexico about a month back, when I runs foul o' a hombre what is all in.
He hadn't et fer so long thet yer could see ther bumps made by his
backbone through his shirt. I hed some grub in my war bag, an' I fed an'
watered him. This yer nag wuz all in, too, an' he hed a long way ter go,
so when ther feller ups an' perposes ter trade ponies I give him ther
merry cachinnation."
"Ther what?"
"Ther laugh."
"Go ahead, podner, yer shore hez a splendid education."
"I see thet he'll never git ter whar he's goin' on ther nag, an' I
thinks I'll do him a favor by sittin' him on a piece o' live hossmeat,
an' I said I'd trade if he hed anythin' ter boot.
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