“Faro Nell, who is only a child as you-all might say, an’ ready to be engaged an’ entertained with childish things, goes trippin’ over to size up the gala scene.

“Thar’s a passel of young Mexicans who’s Ridin’ for the Chicken’s Head.  This yere is a sport something like a Gander Pullin’, same as we-all engages in on Thanksgivin’ days an’ Christmas, back when I’m a boy in Tennessee.  You saveys a Gander Pullin’?  Son, you don’t mean sech ignorance!  Thar must have been mighty little sunshine in the life of a yooth in the morose regions where you was raised for you-all never to disport yourse’f, even as a spectator, at a Gander Pullin’!  It wouldn’t surprise me none after that if you ups an’ informs me you never shakes a fetlock in that dance called money-musk.

“To the end that you be eddicated,—­for it’s better late than never,”—­I’ll pause concernin’ Boggs an’ the Mexicans long enough to eloocidate of Gander Pullin’s.

“As I su’gests, we onbends in this pastime at sech epocks as Christmas an’ Thanksgivin.’  I don’t myse’f take actooal part in any Gander Pullin’s.  Not that I’m too delicate, but I ain’t got no hoss.  Bein’ a pore yooth, I spends the mornin’ of my c’reer on foot, an’ as a hoss is a necessary ingreedient to a Gander Pullin’, I never does stand in personal on the festival, but is redooced to become a envy-bitten looker-on.

“Gander Pullin’s is conducted near a tavern or a still house so’s the assembled gents won’t want the inspiration befittin’ both the season an’ the scene, an’ is commonly held onder the auspices of the proprietor tharof.  Thar’s a track marked out in a cirkle like a little racecourse for the hosses to gallop on.  This course runs between two poles pinned into the ground; or mebby it’s two trees.  Thar’s a rope stretched from pole to pole,—­taut an’ stiff she’s stretched; an’ the gander who’s the object of the meetin’, with his neck an’ head greased a heap lavish, is hung from the rope by his two hind laigs.  As the gander hangs thar, what Colonel Sterett would style ’the cynosure of every eye,’ you’ll notice that a gent by standin’ high in the stirrups can get a grip of the gander’s head.

“As many as determines to distinguish themse’fs in the amoosement throws a two-bit piece into a hat.  Most likely thar’ll be forty partic’pants.  They then lines up, Injun file, an’ goes caperin’ round the course, each in his place in the joyous procession.  As a gent goes onder the rope he grabs for the gander’s head; an’ that party who’s expert enough to bring it away in his hand, wins the hat full of two-bit pieces yeretofore deescribed.

“Which, of course, no gent succeeds the first dash outen the box, as a gander’s head is on some good and strong; an’ many a saddle gets emptied by virchoo of the back’ard yanks a party gets.  But it’s on with the dance!  They keeps whoopin’ an’ shoutin’ an’ ridin’ the cirkle an’ grabbin’ at the gander, each in his cheerful turn, ontil some strong or lucky party sweeps away the prize, assoomes title to the two-bit pieces, goes struttin’ to the licker room an’ buys nosepaint for the pop’lace tharwith.