The Impatient Yankee

Old Man Henry stories are pretty popular around these parts. No one knows how they got started, or for that matter, how much truth there is to any of ‘em, but they do go way back. Even Mr. Henry seems to get a kick out of ‘em. Some more than others, like the time that poor Yankee drove his car into the ditch outside of town. I don’t know where the man was going but he was driving like he was in first place when he missed that big curve. His wheels were still spinning when Mr. Henry came by pulling his horse trailer. Fortunately for the Yankee, he had one of his big strong horses with him.  Unfortunately for him, Mr. Henry rarely gets in a hurry.

Once the two men had exchanged greetings Mr. Henry got Blaze out of the trailer and hitched him up to the Yankee’s fancy car.  Then he grabbed a hold of the horse’s bridle and yelled, “Pull, Nellie, pull!” Blaze barely shifted his weight.

“Pull, Buster, pull,” Old Man Henry called out. Blaze just stood there, swishing flies off his rump. Mr. Henry adjusted the horse’s bridle, gave him another moment or two and hollered again, “Pull, Charlie, pull!”

Mr. Henry says the Yankee fellow was getting mighty impatient with the whole procedure. Just about the time he was ready to spit nails, Mr. Henry whispered, “Pull, Blaze, pull!” And just like that, Blaze pulled that little car out and up on the road. The Yankee visitor was very grateful but he couldn’t resist pointing out that he would have gotten out a whole lot sooner had Mr. Henry not called his horse by the wrong name three times in a row.

“Son,” Old Man Henry said, in that studious way of his. “You best be glad I did. Blaze here is blind. If he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try.”

Hugs,
Shellie