Monday, March 19, 2012

Dan

 

This is the story of Dan, as told by Rufus Lawrimore in March of 1987.

Grand Papa had eight sons.  Blue was Papa’s second oldest son, he owned a horse named Dan, Dan was quite a horse.  Papa was always scared of Dan.

 

Papa and the older boys were working a farm about ten miles from home.  The younger children were playing around the barn when Jack, who was just a little fellow at the time fell from the loft.  He was knocked unconscious.  When they got to Papa and told him what had happened to Jack.  He said Blue, I need your horse.

Dan carried Papa the ten miles home.  Papa rode him hard.  When Papa turned the corner to the house his stirrup drug the dirt.  Dan was a red horse, but when Papa jumped from him at the house he was white, covered with two inches of foam.  Papa rode Dan so hard for so long that the horse went bellosed, his lungs collapsed and he was never useful again.

Jack had a concussion from which he eventually fully recovered.

A horse trader came by the farm one day and tried to buy Dan.  “Mr. Lawrimore, sell me that horse.  I can get fifty dollars for him from the dog food factory.”  Papa told the man, “Mr.  that horse brought me home when I needed to come, he has a home as long as he lives.”  Dan stayed on the farm for the rest of his days.

How many people out there today would have taken care of Dan?  Today we use things up and get rid of them.  I venture to bet that not may people would have remembered that horse became useless getting them to child that needed them.  The story of Dan is true, and there is something that can be learned from Papa’s loyalty. 

What would you do?  I try to do the right thing,  That’s the Briary River Way.

Buckman

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