The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-02-05


Ahrut four miles east Of Wheeling, two
fine farms owned by different parties, join
each other. The proprietors Of thctwo sec
tions Of land have been fast friends n if
teen years, us were their fathers before
them, and would have continued 50 but for
the circumstances we are about to relate.
They sat Mt each others board, rar:ook of
each others grub and did everything in part
ncrship and familiar friendship. The
sons of the one courted the daughters OF the
other. They were Of the same religion and
''sat under" the same preacher. They ap-
propriatcd each others property as If it
were owned in common, and a more social
genial, and agreeable relationship never cx,
listed between two families. All this friend
ship was broken up, and all these social
ties were sundcrcd by Il confoundcd stub
born mule, whose great, great grandfather
ought to have been poisoned the minute
he left Malta. The mule belonged 10 Farmer
Wheat, as we shall call him, and was as
ugly and vagabondlsh specimen Of his
race as could be.
Well, this mule had none Of what Prof.
Fowler would call Inhabtatiycncss, nor any
other rcdecming organ. He was always
leaving his masters stock yard, and stick
ing his melancholy phiz into farmer Ryc's
granaries and choice stacks. Farmer Rye,
with commendable patience, would conduct
him back to his own vine and fg tree with
sober lecture on his breach Of hospitality,
but said nothing to his excellent neighbOr
about the ANNOYANCE, until the long cared
auadruped became an uncomfortable nuisance.
Farmer Wheat when spoken to upon the
subject promised to see to the securing of
his muleshp, and change the latters preda-
cious style of living. Notwithstanding
this promise, the mule continued to tres
pass and farmer Rye continued to grin and
bear it. A few nights 90, however,
the sraminivcrous brute broke into Rye's
barnyard, and after consuming about two
tons of hay and one sheaf Of oats, adding
insult to injury BY kicking and manning for
life, valuable horse belonging to the above
named exemplary gentleman.
This was the hair that broke the mules
back. Here forbearancc ceased to be Il
virtue, and Farmer Rye, aroused by the
noise in his barn yard, arose from his bed,
took down his rifle and sent a bullet straight
to the lapk head of the cause Of ali his trib
ulations, and dead iackass lay wclterlng
in his own gore. When Farmer Wheat
learned the fate Of his beloved jackass that
had been in his family for years, and was
connected with so many pleasant assoela-
tioDs-he went over to Farmer Rye and
rung his nose, whereupon the son Of the
latter knocked him down with fail, and
all about poor starveling of a jackass.
Now all is discord and dissension between
the two families. No more courting; no
more social gatherings: no more drppings
from the same sanctuary. All the little
pleasantrics that 60 to make country life SO
agreeable, are knocked into the middle OF
next week. Farmer Rye is going TO sue
Farmer Wheat for damages, and Farmer
Wheat is going to sue the son Of Farmer
Rye for assault with intent to kill. When
the county court comes on we will give the
sequel to ''what mule did, Wheeling
Intelh9encer.