The Cowboy

A cowboy once rode into a small and dusty town in the old west. Tired, hot and thirsty he spotted a saloon and stopped for a drink. He gave a sigh of relief as he walked into the cool shade and sat down on one of the barstools.

"Gimme a beer there, partner." he ask the barman. The barman said nothing as he eyed the stranger while filling up a mug with cold, frosty beer. The cowboy closed his eyes with pleasure as he took a long pull from the mug.

The locals in the saloon were watching the cowboy, trying to interpret his intentions. Who was he? Where did he come from? Why was he here? There was a murmur of muted conversation as they tried to guess where the cowboy had come from. It wasn't long before one of the locals quietly slipped out of the door while the cowboy wasn't looking.

The cowboy finished his drink, paid his bill and wandered back into the noonday heat. It wasn't long before he came back inside, standing just inside the door and eyeing the locals suspiciously. In a swift motion he grabbed his gun, flipped it up into the air, caught it without looking and fired a shot into the ceiling.

"Which one of you sidewinders stole my horse?!" he yelled, startling everyone with the force of his voice. No-one dared look at him, or volunteer any information as to where his horse could be.

"Alright then, I am going to sit myself down, have another beer and when I am done I am going to go outside. If my horse ain't back I am going to have to do what I done in Texas. And believe me, I don't want to have to do what I done in Texas!" the cowboy said, walking back to the bar.

The barman handed the cowboy another beer and the cowboy drank it slowly, not saying a word. The tension in the room grew as the cowboy finally emptied his mug, paid the barman and stood up, piercing the locals with his angry stare.

He walked outside and, sure enough, his horse was back, tied to the same post where he left it. The barman wandered outside while the cowboy was saddling up.

"Say partner, before you leave, I need to know, when your horse was stolen in Texas, what did you do?" the barman asked the cowboy.

The cowboy threw him a sidelong glance and said "I had to walk home."