Free Last Call by David Lee Page B

heard about
    who was a miner or trapper or something
    anyways he lived alone up in the hills
    I guess mebbe he’s a trapper and got it
    caught that happens now and then
    so he just picked up his finger
    stuck it in his pocket and went on home
    when he got there he took out his needle and thread
    he sewed that finger back on
    his hand but it didn’t work
    two, three weeks later it all swolt up
    green and the finger fell off
    so’s he built a fire in the stove
    held the stump agin it
    till he burnt all the green poison out
    I think a feller’d have to be
    pretty much of a man to do that
    I knew this other guy loading up
    a sow hog and she wouldn’t go
    he was trying to waller her into the truck
    he grabs her by the tail
    with one hand, the ear with the othern
    she’s screaming like hell the whole time
    him getting pretty pissed off
    he does this a time or two
    then grabs her again but
    gets the one hand in her mouth
    he feels something pinch
    pulls back his hand
    his finger’s gone that damn sow’s
    bit him off he looked all around
    didn’t find that finger nowhere
    he guessed that sow swallered it
    I don’t much like to talk about how I lost mine
    it still bothers me some
    mebbe I’m just too drunk but I started
    thinking about it
    this all happened before
    I went to work for the lectric company
    I was younger and hired on for the oil
    oh I made good money it wasn’t bad work
    I don’t think I’d do it again
    anyways we’s up on the panhandle
    had a rig drilling about eight miles outa town
    we’d work thirty six on and twelve off
    at least I would cause I could make so much
    I’d run chain awhile and then crow-nest
    never made no different
    I was just after the paycheck on Fridays
    I’d do about anything they wanted as long
    as the money kept coming in and they
    seemed to like that
    anyways we was down over a mile
    damn near seven fousand foot
    we knew the oil was right there
    we had to be coming through any time
    you just get the feeling it’s gonna blow
    here comes the foman cause we sent for him
    cause he has to sez when we can cap off
    to get ready for the last push through
    so we don’t blow all to hell and mebbe catch fire
    that foman he’s so damn drunk
    he caint tell dog puke from crap
    starts raising all kind of hell saying
    You get this goddam rig running right NOW
    we won’t hit no sonofabitching oil
    for two weeks nobody paid you to think
    that’s what I’m by god paid for
    you just drill till I say stop and then
    you just ast how long that’s all
    now get back to goddam work and stop
    trying to set round fucking off
    he left and we’s so mad we couldn’t see straight
    for a man to talk to us that way
    whether he’s drunk or not didn’t matter
    so we set the bit back down in the night
    and let her go what the hell
    about midnight the crewboss he says to me
    John you go up to the crow-nest we lifting
    that pipe out I aint getting blowed up
    for nobody and that was fine by me
    we’s all getting ascairt to where we’s just working
    not saying nothing just thinking
    about how long fore morning or till we got off
    it’s funny how you think the day’ll take
    the being ascairt away but it never really does
    anyways I climbt up the derrick to the top
    we’s getting ready to pull that pipe out
    all of a sudden the whole thing starts shaking
    where I’m about to get slung off
    I can hear the crewboss yelling
    Get down get DOWN this mama’s gonna blow
    by god I burnt the palms off my hands
    coming down I slid the wire guy rope
    to the platform and then jumped off on the ground
    the rest of the crew’s arredy running ahead
    so’s I try to catch up and then I hear
    that big devil’s mother touch off K_BOOM
    right behind me and caught on fire
    it blew me down on the ground and started
    me burning by god I was ascairt
    I jumped up and started running and I’d of
    burnt to