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That
byline above should have read "and Curtis Tunnell" because everything
I know about that old steer came from Curtis' article in the East
Texas Historical Journal, Vol., XXXVIII, Fall 2000, pp. 68-71. I provide
that citation in case you want to read about it in the colorful language
of Buster Moore, who told it to Curtis.
Some of you might remember Curtis from his nearly two decades as director
of the Texas Historical Commission. In this case he was engaged in
oral history collection when he interviewed Moore, a real, old-time
cowman with stuff on his boots and salt in his language. This version
will attempt to preserve the favor without the sodium.
According to Buster, he was drinking coffee in the Texan Cafe in Huntsville
when "Old Man Al C______" [Curtis preferred to protect the guilty
and the innocent with names, other than Moore], asked him what he
would charge to bring in an old wild steer. Moore said he would do
it for $35, but "C_____ had married an S_______ and they're real tight,"
so he left.
When a flood came, C_____ sent others to fetch the steer, but they
only succeeded in chasing it into the water, followed by other stock,
so again he asked Moore what he would charge to catch it. "$50," was
the reply. C______ asked why the price was higher, and was told that
the previous bid had come before the task was made more difficult.
C _____ said he would not pay that much but he did agree to sell the
steer to Moore for $100. Moore handed him a $100 bill and the next
day went down in the bottoms, caught the steer, hauled him to the
abattoir, and sold him for $385. He also asked the slaughterer to
save the steer's massive head.
Back in the cafe, C_____ asked Moore what the sale of the steer had
brought, and screamed "My Lord Almighty!" when he heard the figure.
Moore asked why he had not hired him to catch it for the original
$35. C______: "That was just too much money." Then he offered to buy
the steer's head as a souvenir for his son, and Moore received back
the same $100 bill with which he had bought the steer the day before.
A few years later when Moore asked about the old steer's head, C_____
said his son really didn't care anything about it so he was going
to will it to Moore when he died. After the funeral, Moore called
on the widow and asked her about the steer's head--and she paid him
$35 to haul it off.
There are several things to ponder about his story, but I leave such
cogitation to the reader -- except to say "thank you" to Moore, Tunnell,
and that old steer for a wonderful story. I think it is about as true
as it ought to be.
All Things Historical
June
24-30 , 2001
Published by permission.
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