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."