colt starter

while workin for T&C cattle  co. it was my job to start the colts each fall that the company had raised for the cowboys to use in the feed yard. after 60 days or so they would each take one to add to their string. feed yard work is hard on horses and the lameness factor is high. there was always 3 or 4 broke horses turned out for one reason or another.  so every horses was needed in turn.
     a lot of funny things happened while i was starten colts. one of them was a feller showed up lookin for work. we were short handed so sam put him on, told him be there next mornin at 5 a.m.   new hand showed up at 6, not good, sam was death on being late to ship fat cattle.  sam showed this cat his horses, told him shake a leg , jumped in his truck and rushed back to the scale house. i was in the round pen with a colt. now this round pen was made out of railroad ties stood on end side by side. there was a little crack between the ties but other than that it was a solid wall.  pretty soon i heard some one clear his throat. lookin around i couldnt see anyone . again the sound came and i realized some one was peeking between two ties. i walked over and the new man asked me to help him.  thought he had a serious problem so left my colt and walked over to the barn with him. there on the ground was a sears and roebuck saddle, new with a new cotton blanket a cheap jap import bit on a cardboard headstall lay in the dirt next to it. i asked what the problem he needed help with  was? he pointed  to the rig on the ground and asked if i would show him how to use it!! i almost passed out because i had heard him tell sam what a whampus kitty cowpuncher he was. i looked around to see who was watchin, then as fast as i could saddled his horse and beat a fast retreat to the round pen. this clown never untracked his horse , just crawled on and wallered him around and ambled toward the scale house.
      i stayed busy in the corral the better part of the mornin and was takin a breather squatted down next to the fence in the shade when some one above me told me i wasnt gettin much done sitten there. i looked up and sam was grinnen at me from on top of his horse. i straighten out and pointed to the colt in the middle of the pen, drippen sweat and told sam he was on strike.
    sam set there a minute and finaly looked me in the eye and asked if i saddled the gunsel s horse. i told him i had. he ask why i hadnt said anything to him about it. i told him in the first place i hadnt seen anyone until now and secondly i figgured he would figgure it out . sam laughed and told me i was right and would i please go turn those horses he assighned that clown out, he had already left.  didnt take long with sam. try your best tell him the truth and he would help you all day long. lie to him, or be lazy you were down the road.