“Just great, here I am sorta stuck in this here old line shack with nothin’ ta do. I had just finished repairing part of the old fence line up here that somehow always seems to fall down.”
“Anyhow as I said me and Coochie are stuck in this old leaky line shack, cuz it is pouring down rain and dunt get me wrong I love the rain and I dunt mind if’n I get all wet er not, but I didn’t want Coochie ta get all wet.”
“I know that Pa wants me ta take a rain slicker with me, but I hate wearin’ em, cuz they make ya look stupid! I can’t understand why anyone would want ta wear one and look stupid. Hey, ya should see Hoss when he is wearin’ one. He looks like a big old mountain, but I ain’t dumb ‘nough ta tell him that. Nope cuz he’ll pound me inta the ground like he is always threatin’ ta do, or he will drop me in the trough. I sure seem ta spend a lot of time in that old trough!”
“Pa sent me up here ta finish the blasted fence but I know he sent me up here ta keep me out of mischief. Me in mischief. I dunt think so! I just got this feeling that my two older brothers and I mean much older brothers just might have somethin’ ta do with that stupid fence. Yup, I bet they are knockin’ it down so I have ta keep comin’ up here ta repair it. Yup, that’s what’s happenin’, my so called loving brothers!”
“It took me two days just ta get it done this time and I was ready ta head fer home when it started ta pour down rain, and I mean pour down rain! As I said before, I love the rain, but fer some strange reason I just dunt feel like ridin’ home in the rain, and ‘sides it is comin’ down so hard that it is hard to see the road, so that is why me and Coochie came ta this old leaky shack.”
“Pa will be so proud of me fer getting that fence all repaired, plus I also dun even more than fence work. Yup, I cleaned out several water holes too. They were fairly clean, thank goodness. Havin’ clean water holes fer the cattle is very important. Cleaning water holes ain’t that much fun though cuz ya gotta take yer boots off and go barefooted in em. I dunt like feelin’ all that squishy mud ‘tween my toes and that mud gets really slippery too.”
“Ya never know what in the world ya will find in them water holes. Could be somethin’ dead, er a sea monster er somethin’. So far I ain’t ever found nothin’ dead and I hope I dunt either. Yuck! I usually just find small branches, rocks, leaves. Ya know stuff like that.”
“I really hate it when I slip and fall in a water hole. I dunt mind being soakin’ wet, but not from a water hole! When that happens I just hope I’m really close ta a creek, river er the lake, so that way I can jump in the water and get as clean as I can. Dunt wanna smell like an old water hole! If I ain’t close ta fresh water I try ta get as dry as I can and then I head for the nearest creek, river er lake and jump in the water to get clean-clothes and all. Can’t get caught without clothes on now can I. Can ya imagine what Pa would say er do ta me if he caught me without clothes on? Yikes!”
“Please dunt tell Pa that I dun brought Coochie in the line shack with me fer company and too cuz I needed someone ta play checkers with while we wait fer the storm ta pass. Ya know, Coochie is a really good checkers player and he does beat me at times, but dunt tell no one. I’d never hear the end of that one!”
“I know, I know yer probably wonderin’ how on earth can a horse play checkers, right. Am I right? Well let me tell ya. Once I get all the checkers on the board, I point to a checker to see if’n that’s the one Coochie wants and if it is he will nod at me. If’n it ain’t the checker he wants he will shake his head no. He lets me know too which way ta move his checker. He really does, trust me! Then I get my turn.”
“Coochie is so smart, the smartest horse on earth! I am so proud of him, and I love him so much! I think I’ll let my family just how smart Coochie is, but then they know that already, but they dunt know he can play checkers. Won’t they be surprised? Bet none of their horses can play checkers!”
“Boy this shack is so old that it is startin’ ta fall apart. Pa has decided that we should rebuild all the oldest shacks ‘fore they fall down, and they are all really small too. The newer line shacks are much bigger and they all have a totally enclosed stable area, which is much better fer the horses.
The newer shacks too have a fireplace and a cook stove in em, and they have more bunks fer sleepin’. They also have a food pantry too. I wish I could help build em but I gotta go ta school. That ain’t fair!”
“I need ta tell Pa ‘bout the leaky roof in this old shack. I put a bucket on the floor just under the leak. Can’t have a mud puddle in the shack now can we. That’s the other thing too with the old shacks, they have dirt floor. The newer shacks have wood floors. Yup, this old shack needs ta be rebuilt!”
“Dadburnit, I just ‘membered that Hop Sing is makin’ fried chicken fer dinner tanight! I love fried chicken! Maybe if’n Coochie dunt mind getting wet, then we can head fer home. Hey Coochie if’n ya dunt mind getting’ wet can we head home? Just think how comfy yer stall is and yer dinner will taste good after our busy day. Whatcha say boy? He just nodded at me so looks like we can make it home ‘fore dinner. Yum, fried chicken!”
“We made it home in time fer dinner. I got Coochie unsaddled, dried off and he is now eating his dinner, and my tummy is growlin’ somethin’ awful cuz I fergot my lunch when I left this mornin’. I keep sneezin’, so I better not let Pa hear that!”
“As soon as I got in the house, there was Pa all worried ‘bout me getting’ caught in the rain. I proudly told him that I got the fence all fixed and the water holes cleaned out too. Also told him ‘bout the leaky roof at the shack. Boy was he ever proud of me too. Then he dun told me to get out of my wet clothes ‘fore I get sick. Oh Pa!”
“I told Adam and Hoss ta stop knockin’ that old fence line down and boy did they ever look guilty too! So now I know it was them. Gotta get even with em somehow.”
“I sure wish Pa would quit fussin’ over me, just cuz he heard me sneezin’. Heck, everyone sneezes from time ta time, but when I sneeze he gets all worried. Geeez! He thinks I’m getting’ sick. I sure hope not. I’m just cold is all. Then I had ta hear a lecture on the importance of wearin a stupid rain slicker. He dunt call em stupid like I do. Dadburnit all, I almost feel like goin’ back up ta that old shack cuz up there I dunt gotta hear ‘bout wearin’ a stupid rain slicker er bein’ teased by my so called lovin’ big brothers!”
“Sometimes life just ain’t fair, ‘specially if’n yer the youngest one in the family. Dadburnit! At least I got ta eat fried chicken fer dinner, and it was so good too. Hop Sing’s the best cook in the world!
The end.