Runaway Wagon story

So here's an old timey story, from the book "Charley: A Voice from the Past". This book was written by C. W. Ayers in the latter years of his life, recollecting his life in the west. He was born in 1885 and died in 1962. It's an amazing memoir. This is what we mean when we say things are fixin' to get a little western... LOL Enjoy!

"As I have told you, I wouldn't buy a team that couldn't outrun a wagon and I have told you I didn't have any britchin' on my harness. I had broke them bronks to that wagon and I alluz let them go just as fast as they wanted to go when the wagon got to crowdin' them going downhill. I wasn't acquainted with this road and, as I have tol' you, it wasn't a road. It was a trail. I was going downhill in a sweepin' trot and I came to a sharp turn in the road and for a short ways the road was awful narrow. When I got around that curve I was right on the edge of a deep canyon on one side and a hill on the other side. I was alluz afraid I might meet someone and couldn't pass or get my broncs stopped in time without having a wreck, but I was young and took some terrible chances. I looked ahead and there was an old elm tree stuck in the left hand side of the road and a limb stickin' out that would catch my bows.

"I was right onto it before I seen it. I was goin' about as fast as a common young man could run and I couldn't stop my broncs. That limb caught my wagon bows and broke them right off at the clamps. It made anofel racket and them bronks took off. It would take a good race horse to caught me. About now that blasted sheet and broken bows hung in that tree just long enough for that mare I was leadin' [tied to the back of the wagon is Charley's saddle horse] to get under it. Then the wagon jerked that sheet and bows down straddle of my riding mare. It like to scared her to death. By now I had run out on a little flat and I never seen such buckin' and kickin' in my whole life. That animal liked to turned the wagon over twice and finally she broke loose and that fool mare tore that wagon sheet all to pieces and broke them bows till they wouldn't made good kindlin' wood.

"By now I got Spot and Frank under control but my riding pony was gone out of sight so I unhitched and stripped the harness off old Spot and I got on him and started out to find my saddle mare. I rode about 2 miles and finally I saw her eating grass up in a little draw so I rode up there and she wouldn't let me catch her so I kinda drove her back to the wagon and fed the other horses. Finally she came up and began to eat. I slipped my rope on her 'n' then I harnessed old Spot and went on. It was late in the evening then but I had to have water before I could camp so I didn't go to fer till I come to a little creek. There I made camp."

Well, ho-hum, all in a day's work! =0)
Jay