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Show Ballad of Spready Antler. 'Twas the Bull Elk Spready Antler, that from Oklahoma Ok-lahoma came, Eighteen hands high was Spready, the tallest kind of game. His sire was a tall Texan Elk, his dam a Cherokee, And very proud was Spready of his ancestral tree. His range was on the Cimorron; he had no wish to stray. Until, by accident, he chanced on one unlucky day To read in the Elkhorn Gazette that in the Wasatch Wa-satch range There was a summer browsing ground, luxuriant and strange, Where all the Elks would rendezvous for one majestic ma-jestic browse, Salt Palace licks for young Elks; for the old a big carouse. 'Twas the Bull Elk Spready Antler that soon made up his mind That this new range out in the West he speedily would find. And so he hired a palace car, and stored it fore and aft With food that might be eaten, and food that might be quaffed. And, boarding it, he ordered the swiftest kind of run To the Elk Stalk called the Wasatch beyond the setting sun. 'Tv,as the Bull Elk Spready Antler that on the fourth day found The higher altitude he sought, the looked-for browsing ground. 'Twas evening; all the lights were on, and Spready said, "It's great. Let us get off and take it in we will perambulate." perambu-late." Then through the thicket dense of men and boys and ladies fair, The Bull Elk Spready Antler began to push and tear. Until he saw a Lady Elk behind a table green, Who with a face divinely fair, and with a smile serene Besought the passing Elks to pause, and one small venture make To win surcease from sorrow in a monumental stake. 'Twas then that Spready Antler looked at the siren fair And to his own soul whispering inaudibly did swear That on all ranges east or west, or north or south, not one Such Lady Elk as that rare Elk was ever known to run. And so, enchanted and beguiled, he tried to buck her game. His heart meanwhile beat pit-a-pat, his soul was all aflame. He lost and lost and still she Bmiled and bade him once more play, Until his last hard splitter was spirited away. And then, still smiling, she explained that while his luck seemed bad, He should cherish the experience at gaming he had had. 'Twas the Bull Elk Spready Antler that, embittered embit-tered and enraged, A passage on a flatcar surreptitiously engaged. And with many compound adjectives and dire expletives ex-pletives swore That from his native stalking ground he'd never wander more. |