IN THE "ABILENE" COUNTRY 101 



I saw the rancher sitting on the ground and the 

 sick horse lay a few yards farther in the grove. 



Jumping out of the buggy, trocar in hand, Asa 

 yells at the rancher, "Didn't I tell you to keep 

 him up ? What in blazes you want to let him lay 

 around like that for?" The rancher answered 

 not a word but he appeared to be very much 

 amused about something or other. 



When Asa got close to the patient he says: 

 "There now, you see, you went and let him die. 

 I told you to keep him up. But we'll tap him 

 anyhow." With that he shoved the instrument 

 into the dead horse's flank and began a lecture on 

 the operation of tapping. When no more gas 

 came through the canula he pulled it out and told 

 the rancher he owed us ten dollars. 



I began to move over to the place where our 

 horse was tied and untied him ; I feared we might 

 have to make a fire-run out of that yard and I 

 wanted to be ready. 



But in a few minutes Asa and the rancher 

 came out of the grove and Asa handed me five 

 silver dollars, my share of the fee. 



As far as I could see everybody thought every- 

 thing was O. K. 



