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.

"Shore, doorin' a contest a gent's got to keep ridin'; he's not allowed
to pause an' dally with the gander an' delay the game. To see to this
a brace of brawny sharps is stationed by each pole with clubs in their
willin' hands to reemonstrate with any hoss or gent who slows down or
stops as he goes onder the gander.

"Thar you have it, son; a brief but lively picture of a Gander Pullin'
as pulled former in blithe old Tennessee. An' you'll allow, if you
sets down to a ca'm, onja'ndiced study of the sport, that a half hour
of reasonable thrill might be expected to flow from it. Gander
Pullin's is popular a lot when I'm a yearlin'; I knows that for shore;
though in a age which grows effete it's mighty likely if we-all goes
back thar now, we'd find it fallen into disuse as a reelaxation.

"In Ridin' for the Chicken's Head, a Mexican don't hang up his prey
none same as we-all does at Gander Pullin's. He buries it in the
ground to sech degrees that nothin' but the head an' neck protroodes.
An' as the Mexicans goes flashin' by on their broncos, each in turn
swings down an' makes a reach for the chicken's head. The experiment
calls for a shore-enough rider; as when a party is over on one side
that a-way, an' nothin' to hold by but a left hand on the saddlehorn
an' a left spur caught in the cantle, any little old pull will fetch
him out on his head.

"This day when Faro Nell comes bulgin' up to amoose her young an' idle
cur'osity with the gayeties of Chih