Back about 34 sum years ago we wuz at rondeevoo kickin our heels up an havin a rondeevoo of a good time.  He was but a young lad at the time and we called him Jerry, cuz that was his Christian name.  Well as it ended up this here reondeevoo wuz gonna be named “The Big Muddy”, but at the time we didn’t knowed it wuz gonna be called that.  So, here we is, an it wuz a might bit wet, an muddy, an snowy, an cloudy, an colt, an wet, an muddy sum more, but we wuz havin ourselves quite a time for sure.

Sum of the folks what was making us all keep in a line, sort a, called out ta the camp what they wuz gonna let out a whole keg of likker an if you dun wanted sum ya best git down ta the wagon right smart like.

I took ta runnin ta git there, but time I did, it wuz all took up by others.  Well, what to my eyes do I see, but  young  Jerry  sittin there with a whole quart of likker in front an his eyes was wide as kin be.  Ya see, I ain’t for sure he dun ever had likker afor, but he sure dun had sum in front of him right now.

Well, the folks what wuz keepin us in line, sort a, said that this here free likker wuz free cuz they wuz gonna see just who could drink down their quart the fastest, an they wuz gonna be drinkin it up all at the same time, an who so did finish first and slammed their quart mug down on the table first wuz gonna win sum more likker.  Whilest the rest would just have ta be happy they dun got any likker atol.  So I wuz amongst a whole heap o folks watchin and yellin fer Jerry ta drink it fast.  All sorts of yellin wuz goin on an advise wuz pourin out on just how it has ta be dun in order ta finish the fastest.  Jerry never wuz one fer listenin too good an when the contest wuz over, he wuz happy just sippin on his likker and smiling.  Sum other mountain man dun won hands down an wuz gatherin up his likker an hikin out with it.  There sits old, young, Jerry still a sippin an grinning.

Well, let’s just say that as fer as I knowed, that wuz Jerry’s first taste of likker, cuz I don’t right know any different, so I am gonna say it were and that’s how this story goes.

As Jerry wuz growin up sum, he took ta likin likker real good an whenever we wuz at rondeevoo his mules wuz loaded with more likker than beaver plews.  Youd a thought he wuz in cahoots with Ashley an the boys, but I knowed he dun rode in ta rondeevoo frum a nother direction.  I just recon agin, why  he didn’t have not much beaver plews wuz on accounta he dun spent more time in Taos than in the mountains where the beavers wuz.  An he had plenty o time ta load his mule with likker afor he cum ta rondeevoo.  Here agin it is my take on all this cuz it’s my story an that’s just how I see it.

Well here we wuz havin us a good ol time at nuther rondeevoo and someone dun called old Jerry ta the fire an asked him about his mules with all that likker an he dun said he liked his likker an that when he dun cum ta rondeevoo, he had ta make sure he an all his friends wuz well supplied.  So, he spent a heap o plew bucks on likker fer the good times.

Well the talkin stick wuz out an this old boy dun picked it up an said ta old Jerry,  “You are a mountain man of mountain men an I’m here ta tell everbody here in this camp that wherever mountain men shall meet you shall be knowed as  ‘Many Grimace’”!!

An ya know what?  They dun made him the booshway fer the next years gatherin an that’s just the way it wuz.

Bears Butt

June 2, 2011