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SUNRISE
It was a warm night back in the summer of
1850, in a Dallas, Texas saloon. The saloon was packed with handsome cowboys and
pretty saloon girls.
Two cowboys were sitting at a table in the corner of the saloon, facing each
other. Their names were Boots and Spurs. Now, Boots and Spurs had never met one
another until this night. Boots was tall and slim. He was clean-shaven and he
dressed well, for a cowboy. Spurs was the exact opposite. He was short and a
little on the chunky side. He had a black beard and a moustache. His clothes
were full of holes and they were filthy dirty.
Boots grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the table and headed toward the door.
Spurs, at the same time, grabbed the other bottle of whiskey from the table and
headed toward the door. Both cowboys collided into one another.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" shouted Spurs.
"Hey yourself," said Boots angrily. "You should watch where you're going. I was
here first."
"Oh no you weren't," shouted Spurs, even louder. "I was here first."
The two cowboys stood in the middle of the saloon arguing like children. The
bartender, who happened to be keeping a close eye on the two cowboys, came up to
them.
"Gentlemen," the bartender said. "I don't want any trouble here. I run a clean
and respectable business and I aim to keep it that way. Now, why don't the two
of you take your business outside?"
"Alright," said Boots. "Let's go!"
"Well, why don't we wait a little while," said Spurs. "I'm getting mighty
thirsty. Why don't I meet you outside at sunrise?"
"Sunrise it is," said Boots.
The two cowboys went back to the table that they had been sitting at. Every so
often, Boots looked over at Spurs and Spurs looked over at Boots.
The other occupants left the saloon shortly after midnight. Only Boots, Spurs
and the bartender remained. Both cowboys sat in their seats and drank and drank
and drank.
Finally sunrise rolled around. At the exact same moment both men staggered
outside. The bartender locked the door behind them and went upstairs to bed.
The sun was bright orange in the distant sky. Boots and Spurs found themselves
face to face. Just as they were about to raise their fists, both of them passed
out in the middle of the dusty street.
A few weeks went by and Boots and Spurs were in the saloon at the exact same
time. Once again, they were seated directly across from each other.
"Now gentlemen," the bartender said when he saw the two glance at each other. "I
don't want any trouble out of either one of you tonight."
"Well, I don't know what you are talking about," said Boots. "I've never met
this man in my life before."
Spurs shook his head up and down.
"That's right," said Spurs. "We've never laid eyes on one another. I never
forget a face."
The bartender started to say something, but decided against it. He walked away
from the two, shaking his head and laughing to himself. |
SUMMER STORIES
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