Josh and Arizona Blue "Trading Horses" (part three of three to the "Auction")
Josh and Arizona Blue
“Trading Horses”
Part Three of Three ‘The Auction’(1865)
Night, in the Smiley and Hightower fields were settling quietly in across the spring plantations, the birds had left their trees for the night, flying back to their own nests, the clouds sunk into twilight, chimney’s were pumping out smoke, the whole country side was rolling over into a sheet of night; with an intermittent and brief sound of sporadic thundering.
Old Josh was at the other end of the Hightower plantation, walking the horse, and on his way back to the barn, he spotted a confederate soldier, a man who at least looked similar to a confederate soldier. When the stranger spotted him, he jumped to his feet quicker than a rattlesnake, with piercing blue´-eyes, pulled out his revolver like a gunslinger, aiming it at Old Josh, said with a grin,
“I reckon you’re too old, old man to do anyone, any harm, which way is out of here?” he asked.
“You sho’ got some springs on those there feet of yours soldier, and yous faster than a whip with that there six-shooter, all you needs to do is head on down younder there a bit, and youall will come to Goose Creek, and find a bridge, takes that bridge, and you is on your way out of Alabama—ef-in thats where you is headed.”
The cowboy-soldier stood firm, put his pistol back into his belt snug against his belly, he was drowsily awaken, the only light was that of the moon, twilight had turned now into night, and the little fire he had going was at its last sparks.
“What’s the name of your horse?” asked the cowboy.
“I calls him, Dynamite, hes got what youall call spirit.” Said Josh with a smile.
“Dynamite,” laughed the cowboy, “Haw, what a name, how about Dan, I like Dan?” suggested the cowboy.
“Listen Mister, yous got the gun, and I is jes’ an ole nigger, yous can call him fish, or bone or rabbit or anything youall wants to call him, cuz you is who you is, I calls him Dynamite, and you calls him Dan, it all is ok, wes can call him Dan Dynamite the hoss, ef-in you wants to, cuz we all got a first name and a last name, and hoss only git one, so this here hoss gits two, cuz you say so, and that is that, and I is getting tired, can I go or does I got to stay here and give him a middle name now?”
The cowboy smiled, “I see you like to talk old man, this here horse of mine is like a mule, I’m taking your Dynamite, and my Dan, and we are heading out of here, now, is there a problem with that old man?”
“The hoss is not mine, it belongs to Mr. Hightower, youall can take it up with him, do as you is goin’ to do, cuz it white folk against white folk!”
The cowboy jumped up on Dan, and started to ride off, then stopped, said, “Tell your boss, the Army needed his horse, traded it for that there horse you got, he’s more on the order of mule I suppose, my name’s Arizona Blue!” and he rode off, and Old Josh, grabbed that horse of his, and named him ‘Blue,’ after the stranger, and walked on back to the plantation barn.
7-22-2008
“Trading Horses”
Part Three of Three ‘The Auction’(1865)
Night, in the Smiley and Hightower fields were settling quietly in across the spring plantations, the birds had left their trees for the night, flying back to their own nests, the clouds sunk into twilight, chimney’s were pumping out smoke, the whole country side was rolling over into a sheet of night; with an intermittent and brief sound of sporadic thundering.
Old Josh was at the other end of the Hightower plantation, walking the horse, and on his way back to the barn, he spotted a confederate soldier, a man who at least looked similar to a confederate soldier. When the stranger spotted him, he jumped to his feet quicker than a rattlesnake, with piercing blue´-eyes, pulled out his revolver like a gunslinger, aiming it at Old Josh, said with a grin,
“I reckon you’re too old, old man to do anyone, any harm, which way is out of here?” he asked.
“You sho’ got some springs on those there feet of yours soldier, and yous faster than a whip with that there six-shooter, all you needs to do is head on down younder there a bit, and youall will come to Goose Creek, and find a bridge, takes that bridge, and you is on your way out of Alabama—ef-in thats where you is headed.”
The cowboy-soldier stood firm, put his pistol back into his belt snug against his belly, he was drowsily awaken, the only light was that of the moon, twilight had turned now into night, and the little fire he had going was at its last sparks.
“What’s the name of your horse?” asked the cowboy.
“I calls him, Dynamite, hes got what youall call spirit.” Said Josh with a smile.
“Dynamite,” laughed the cowboy, “Haw, what a name, how about Dan, I like Dan?” suggested the cowboy.
“Listen Mister, yous got the gun, and I is jes’ an ole nigger, yous can call him fish, or bone or rabbit or anything youall wants to call him, cuz you is who you is, I calls him Dynamite, and you calls him Dan, it all is ok, wes can call him Dan Dynamite the hoss, ef-in you wants to, cuz we all got a first name and a last name, and hoss only git one, so this here hoss gits two, cuz you say so, and that is that, and I is getting tired, can I go or does I got to stay here and give him a middle name now?”
The cowboy smiled, “I see you like to talk old man, this here horse of mine is like a mule, I’m taking your Dynamite, and my Dan, and we are heading out of here, now, is there a problem with that old man?”
“The hoss is not mine, it belongs to Mr. Hightower, youall can take it up with him, do as you is goin’ to do, cuz it white folk against white folk!”
The cowboy jumped up on Dan, and started to ride off, then stopped, said, “Tell your boss, the Army needed his horse, traded it for that there horse you got, he’s more on the order of mule I suppose, my name’s Arizona Blue!” and he rode off, and Old Josh, grabbed that horse of his, and named him ‘Blue,’ after the stranger, and walked on back to the plantation barn.
7-22-2008
posted by Dennis and Rosa Siluk at 6:47 PM
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