Songs of the Cowboys (1908)/Speckles

He was little 'en peaked 'en thin 'en Narr'y ano 'account horse
Least that's the way you'd describe him in case that the beast had been lost
But for single and double cussedness 'en double fired sin
The horse never come out O' Texas that was half way knee-high to him

The first time that ever I saw him was nineteen year ago last spring
'Twas the year we had grasshoppers that come 'en 'et up everything
That a feller rode up here one evening 'en wanted to pen overnight
​A small bunch of horses he said 'en I told him I guessed 'twas all right.

Well the feller was busted the horses was thin 'en the grass around here kind of good
'En he said if I'd let him hold here a few days He'd settle with me when he could
So I told him all right turn them loose down the draw
That the latch string was always untied
He was welcome to stop a few days if he liked 'En rest from his weary ride.

Well the cus stay'd around for two or three weeks till at last he decided to go
And that horse away yonder being too poor to move He gimme, the cuss had no dough
Well at first the darn brute was as wild as a deer 'en would snort when he came to the branch
'En it took two cowpunchers on good horses too to handle him here at the ranch

Well winter came on and the range it got hard and my mustang commenced to get thin
So I fed him along and rode him round some and found out old Freckles was game
For that was what the other cus called him just Freckles no more or no less
His color couldn't describe it something like a paintshop in distress.

​Them was Indian times young feller that I'm a tellin' about
And oft's the time I've seen the red men fight and put the boys in blue to route
A good horse in them days young feller would save your life
One that in any race could hold the pace when the redskin bands were rife.