THE RATTLESNAKE
Early in the morning as the day dawned I brought the work horses to the barn. This same routine happened each morning except on Sunday, so each horse went to its stall where the halters were fastened in place. After harnessing those that would be worked that day, each was fed a gallon of grain. After this was done I went to the house for breakfast. While bringing in the horses I noticed some fence that needed mending. After breakfast Dad took a four horse team and went to work on the township road. It seemed like he was always working away from the farm. I knew that this was how he obtained the money to put food on the table and clothes on our backs. I didn't mind. In fact I liked it because in his absence I was the man of the farm. Little did I realize that the farm was not a profitable business. It would have not changed anything if I had known. As a twelve year old boy my job was to look after the stock. This was my life and I loved it. I can remember thinking, "We are rich. We have enough to eat and a job to do." It was the Fourth of July but holidays came and went almost unnoticed. There was work to do and that came first. After breakfast I saddled the horse and tied some fence repair items to the saddle. The sun was up in a clear sky and already heat waves were begining to shimmer across the horizon. Off we went, Sailor, the saddle horse; Buck, the dog and myself. Mending fence was no problem. Any farm kid worth his salt could do it. We were busy. Sailor dragging the reins and grazing and I was mending some broken wires. /*-^ Nearby, Buck was nosing in the tall grass in the fence row. And then it happened. He pulled back with his nose in the air. A small snake no bigger that my little finger was hanging from his mouth. Its fangs were attached to his lower lip. It was a rattlesnake! Fence mending was quickly forgotten. I killed the snake, mounted the horse and we hurried to the house. Mama said that she thought Buck would live. We put him in the cellar because that was the coolest place. I spent a lot of time with Buck the next few days. He would take a little milk and water but his jaw swelled so big that he just lay there and I stayed by his side when I could. Days passed and he began to get better. The swelling went down and he began to eat. Soon we were ready to roam the hills again. A boy, a saddle horse and his dog were free to live again and dream