The
fat order buyer stepped out of his truck
And
cussed as he slipped on a rock.
He
said, “Jay O’Brien’s office sent me out here,
To
look at some good JA stock.”
Billy
said, “We’ll try to show you some cows.
But
we’ll have to ride all the way.
Your
Chevy won’t make it, it takes 4-wheel drive,
We
ain’t got one working today.
Carroll
Jack’s truck’s at the body repair,
Powder’s
down with a flat,
Frederick
don’t have one and mine’s at the school,
It’s
easy to see where we’re at.”
So
Billy to Powder to jingle the horses
And
Carroll Jack fell in behind.
They
saddled a big sorrel horse for the buyer,
The
cold-jawed and rough trottin’ kind.
They
rode out of headquarters through the horse trap
And
hit a long trot down the road.
The
sorrel’s side-steppin’ all over the place
He
can’t quite get used to the load.
He
kept askin’ Billy, “Son, where are the cows?”
Billy
said, “Right over there.”
He
can’t see a thing but mesquite brush and cedar,
No
sign of a critter with hair.
He
kept askin’ questions ‘bout breedin’ and such.
“What
bulls do you use on your cows?”
He
tried to ask Powder but Powder just grinned,
‘Cause Powder was thinkin’ ‘bout sows.
Powder’s
a feller you’d trust in a pinch.
He’s
partial to horses and dogs.
Powder’s
a cowboy, a bronc-ridin’ fool
But Powder sure likes to trap hogs.
He
turned to ask Freddie about weanin’ weights.
But
Freddie don’t know ‘bout that stuff.
Freddie
just answered the buyer in Swedish
That
Freddie sure knows how to bluff.
See,
Freddie’s from Sweden, a young buckaroo,
Who
longed for a home in the west.
When
he gets here he can’t even saddle a horse
Now
Freddie can ride with the best.
He
asked Carroll Jack ‘bout the crosses they use.
“I
reckon we’ve crossed up a few,
Some
white ones on red ones and yellers on grays,
We
got a black baldy or two.”
They
crossed Campbell Creek and they ain’t seen a cow.
The
brush is so thick you can’t see.
Powder
rode off, said he thought he smelled hogs
Over
there where his traps ought to be.
Out
there in the brush all they saw was some tails
And
some hides goin’ over the hill.
Lots
of deep tracks as they rode through the sand
They
ain’t seen a cow standin’ still.
Billy
and Carroll Jack thought they saw one.
They
spurred up and took down their twine.
He
heard Billy yell as they both disappeared,
“Take
the red one, the baldy is mine.”
With
Billy and Carroll Jack crashing through the brush
The
buyer was left with the Swede
Who
said, “Mister, I’ll tell you the name of them cows
We
call ‘em, THE VANISHING BREED.”
RED STEAGALL/1996
Andrew Bivins, Red Steagall, Buck Reams by the campfire with the wagon.
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