A Cowboy

In the days of the Wild West, there was a young cowboy who

wanted more than anything to be the greatest gunfighter in

the world. He practised every minute of his spare time, but

he knew that he wasn’t yet first-rate and that there must

be something he was doing wrong. Sitting in a saloon one

Saturday night, he recognized an elderly man standing at the

bar who in his day had the reputation of being the fastest

gun in the West. The young cowboy took a place next to the

old-timer, bought him a drink and told him the story of his

great ambition. “Do you think you could give me some

tips?” he asked. The old man looked him up and down and

said, “Well, for one thing, you’re wearing your gun too

high. Tie the holster a little lower down on your leg.”

“Will that make me a better gunfighter?” asked the young

man. “Sure will,” replied the old-timer. The young man

did as he was told, stood up, whipped out his 44 and shot

the bow tie off the piano player. That’s terrific!” said

the hotshot. “Got any more tips for me?” “Yep,” said

the old man. “Cut a notch out of your holster where the

hammer hits it. That’ll give you a smoother draw.”

“Will that make me a better gunfighter?” asked the

younger man. “You bet it will,” said the old-timer. The

young man took out his knife, cut the notch, stood up, drew

his gun in a blur, then shot a cufflink off the piano

player. “Wow!” exclaimed the cowboy. “I’m learnin’

somethin’ here.. Got any more tips?” The old man pointed

to a large can in a corner of the saloon. “See that axle

grease over there? Coat your gun with it.” The young man

went over to the can and smeared some of the greases on the

barrel of his gun. “No,” said the old-timer, “I mean

smear it all over the gun, handle and all.” “Will that

make me a better gunfighter?” asked the young man.