Julius A. Hamby

A Tale told by Juluis A. Hamby

 

A young man named Bill Woody was fixing to join a Calvary unit of the Confederate Army when along came a fellow on a fine horse from Post Oak Springs. This fellow had a fancy bridle and saddle and a set of silver spurs. Those silver spurs fascinated him. After the fellow went on, Bill studied awhile and then got himself a couple of dogwood forks and carved out a right pretty pair of spurs. He then hunted a couple of long nails and hammered them out flat for stickers. Then he cut him some strips from a tanned groundhog hide. With these he finally managed to bind the dogwood spurs with the nail stickers on to his heels. Down in the field was a big old steer that they used for plowing. Bill mounted that steer and dug the spurs into the old steers flanks, and away he went on a dead run, snorting and bucking and headed for a big briar patch. When he nearly reached the patch he suddenly turned and Bill kept going in a straight line and landed in the middle of the patch. His Pa took the scythe and cut him out. This spoiled a good Calvary man because when Bill got over his ride he joined the infantry.