Lucy here..."Feeling sorry for yourself ain't doing you or anyone else no damned good." Johnny said that to me, and then he laughed his wild coyote howl. I was fighting mad. John said, "Hell, Lucy if you got to get on a high horse, by Christ, do it. Any kind of horse will do, as long as you aint pouting."
"Next thing I knew, he drug home the sorriest little no account Indian pony. Said he won him in a card game, he fully expected me to reject the ugly rascal. Oh my, but he was a sight. I decided to take the bet and call Mr. John's hand. Named him Five Card Stud, for that's what he said they were playing in the back room at ole Charley Perry's store at the Mission. Course that was before the fight broke out and John got the hell beat out of him, but that's a whole nother story altogether. Could be he stole Five for all I know."
"John said to me, "Right up front Luc, he ain't no prize." Between John and Five, they taught me how to find light in the darkest hour. Me and that big headed, slight bodied, crooked footed little sorrel, we loped a million miles together. He never left me afoot, not a once. We got in more than a few "tights", as John called em.
"Johnny was right. Now I'm saying it, Get off your butt, and quit yer feeling sorry for yourself. You can't be a judging when you ought to be a riding."
IF YOU HAVE TO,
GET ON A HIGH HORSE,
HELL ANY KIND OF HORSE WILL DO,
AND GO AFTER LIFE.
RIDE LIFE LIKE YOU STOLE IT.
OR WON IT IN FIVE CARD STUD
Illustration and text by Dawn Newland
From the Historic Novel "OF MEN AND HORSES"
The life and times of Lucy Tressler/ Thornhill