Nearly There

“C’mon, Old Scout?  See the  tracks? We’re nearly there. Just over that rise where the sun is fixin’ to set.

“Nah, c’mon, don’t go all ornery on me now!  I’ll yank yer tail, ya flop-eared mule! There. That’s better.  You ‘n me, we come too far together to fuss.

“We’ll get to the base of the rise, where there’s a cool spring. We’ll make camp, and you’ll git  yer feed. We’ll sleep, and tomorrow we’ll cross over and be in the land where gold sits on the path, just waitin’ to be picked up.

“C’mon, Old Scout. Nearly there.”