Barnyard; Chapter 5

Good Evenin',

And, back to the adventures of "Rustoleum". So, the owner here decided to go ahead and take old Rusty and somehow, or other I set it up, where the fella that owned him would drop him off at a neighbors house, though I can't remember, exactly why. But, I do remember takin' my old one horse wagon, a well made, but home made deal that was pretty tight, but safe, go pick him up.

When I had gone to see Rusty Barnyard, first time, the fella that owned him had said that he'd owned Rusty since he was little and that he'd roped off him, gathered with him, packed with him and there had never been a problem loadin' him. He'd even takin' the lead rope and jumped up on a flatbed trailer, parked in his yard, and Rusty had jumped right up with him. So, I really wasn't anticipatin' any problems, far as loadin' went, but I was wrong.

And, who knows, maybe it was that little bitty trailer, maybe it was leavin' home; maybe I had a different way a goin' about things, but rusty wasn't about ta set foot in that wagon. Quite a surprise. So, I tried all my best and most patient variations on gettin a horse to load, but to no avail. Finally, several hours had passed, I got my lariat, looped it over the end of the lead rope, pulled it tight, fed it up through the nose of the trailer and back along the side, to where I could pull on the lariat, which would pull on the lead rope, toward the trailer, so I could stand beside Rusty, rub and encourage him and keep him from driftin' off ta the side. No good.

So, now it was gettin' dark, I had other horses ta feed and water and it was just plain time for Rusty to get in! So, we started a sort of tug a war. I was still rubbin' on him and encouragin' him best I could, but every time he'd give an inch, I'd suck up the lariat and wrap it around a ball I had, welded on the back, case I ever had to drag a calf in. We were makin' progress, but it wasn't "pretty" or anywhere near my usual dealin's with any horse, I'd ever met.

And, I can't remember if the rope broke and then Rusty sat down, or if he sat down and leaned back and then the rope broke, but break it did, to our mutual astonishment. And, again, I do remember Rusty, quite suddenly fifteen or twenty feet back from where he had been, one half of one second before. But, in that split second of pure astonishment, I must have seen my "window", 'cause, with out hesitatin', I ran back, grabbed the remains of the lead rope and run into the trailer; a very tight fit. But, in his astonishment, he just followed me in. I tied a quick knot, slipped out and closed the door, 'fore he knew where he was.
I jumped in the truck, fired it up, put 'er in gear, made a quick loop around the neighbors house, with a wave, and headed home. Rusty, in my rear view mirror, still lookin' quite puzzled at how, on earth, he had ended up in that old tin can of a trailer.

More, man~ana.

G'night and Best, always.
jeune