Two Unhappy Cowboys

This is a true tale about two unhappy cowboys, Wrangler and Dusty.

They lived in Wickenburg, AZ. and worked at a dude ranch along the gold-bearing Hassayampa River. This is the river where the Indians said if you drank from the water, you would never tell the truth again.

Wrangler and Dusty were broke. Worse than that, they had just been fired from their last job.

'I'm a good poker player,' said Wrangler. 'If we could get a stake that would take us to Las Vegas, that would be okay.'

The partners had only one valuable asset they co-owned. That was a rank Mexican bronco called Meano. The horse didn't like to be ridden and would kick the sides of the corral when it was herded into the pen.

Dusty had an idea. 'We could sell Meano,' he said. 'The horse ain't worth a damn and we could surely get a couple of hundred for selling him.'

They ran an ad in the local newspaper and got several calls on the horse. One caller was a rancher who said he would come by at noon to see Meano. The man arrived on time, inspected Meano, and paid them $300 for the horse.

As Wrangler and Dusty were unloading Meano from the pickup truck, the horse began bucking. It slid upside down, slid out the back of the pickup, and broke its neck.

The man walked up to Dusty who was still holding the money. He removed $150 from Dusty's hand and said, 'Even?'

Dusty sighed and put the rest of the money in his pocket. 'Even,' he said meekly.

Now Dusty and Wrangler were without a horse, but they had $150. As they were deciding how they would get to Las Vegas, a rancher pulled up in a camper. He knew Dusty and Wrangler.

'Howdy, fellers,' he said. 'I'm driving to Las Vegas and I could use some company.'

The two cowboys sprang to their feet and headed for the camper. All the way to Las Vegas they sang cowboy songs and drank beer from an ice-cold keg. They arrived in Las Vegas just after midnight.

The Strip was alive with bumper-to-bumper traffic. Dusty and Wrangler were feeling no pain from the effects of the beer. They each had $75 and they were ready for the tables. They wondered if the tables were ready for them.

'You boys gonna be okay?' the rancher said. 'We're putting up at the Westward Ho and we'd be glad to pay your rent for the night.'

Wrangler and Dusty just stuck out their hands, unhappy no more.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).