Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-09-04
/" BUSTED"
BY FRED w. LORING.

after an unusually severe march, and Mr..
English as usual, was expanding into
aoWerv language, to the mingled disgust
and admiration of his comrades. No
noint of difference had as yet arisen, and
bepan to wonder whether the fatigue OF
the day would prevent the evenings GUS
tomary discussion. Mr.. English, how
ever. solved my doubt and precipitated
ARGUMENT by a remark about that faith
fnl hut eccentric animal the mule" This
raised a chorus Of remonstrances from
the packers, who had been sorely tempted
that day by mule eccentricities.
"Well," said Mr.. English, stick to
nv point. The mule is faithful. If you
treat him we'll, he will treat you well.
And as for knowingness, why he's got
more knowingness than many in this
here crowd"
ayes, he has knowingness," said John
Courts the chief packer; but he has got
ugliness, too, hain't he, English? just an
sWer that, English"
81 will answer it," said Nr. English.
"Didn't YOU never know men that had
ugliness?"
sBut mule amt man." said John
Courts. "And rules which applies to
one disregards the other. A mule amt
a man. and amt of as much use as a
man"
"Ain't he" said Mr.. English. "Suppos-
ing YOU was starving, which had you rath-
er eat, mule or man?'
"Why mule" reluctantly admitted
John Courts.
"Then don't tell me-" said Mr.. Eng
lish, decisively, 4" that mule amt of no
more use than man."
This piece of logic being apparently un-
answerable, brief silence ensued, after
which Mr.. English continued:
"But the mule, as | before remarked, is
truly faithful. / knowed a mule once
that belonged to Joe Childers. You re-
member Joe Childers, that come up here
from Tucson, Manwel?"
Manuel, a stout, swarthy Mexican, adj
mitted that he did remember Joe Chill
ders.
"Well," said Mr.. English, "Joe Childers
was murdered over by the sink of the
Amargosa; and if it hadn't been for the
fidelity of his mule his murderers
wouldn't never have been known. When
first l knew Joe Childers, he was up in
Tuolomne neighborhood, nigh onto fifteen
years ago He was mighty thick with
two Mexicans-Manwel and Warn was
their names. Warn never amounted to
much, but MARVEL was the leader of the
two, and he was a low fellow. He kept a
bar there for us boys, and one night we
was a-sitting there, when up came fel-
low On horseback, leading bronco mule.
"'Which one of you gentlemen is Joe
Childersg' he asked.
"'Thats he,' says Joe, rather surprised.
az have brought you letter from your
late partner, Tom Egan,' says this fellow,
who, being low-spirited through recent
bad luck, jest shot himself
"Well, this news ketched Joe mighty
sudden, for he was very aftectionate man
and sought great deal by his partners.
But pretty soon after the messenger had
rode away he read his partners last letter
to us fellows. 1t went like this:
"'DEAR JOEL am busted. This mule
is all that I've got left, and | send him to
you with the affectionate regards of your
friend and faithful partner,
Tom EGAN'
"And there stood the mule. 1t was one
of them little, worthless looking runts
that are so tough that nothing can't wear
them out 1t looked SO ridiculous, as it
stood there, that us fellows broke out into
laugh.
"Just let up on that said Joe. This
animal was the last gift Of my late partner,
and Pm bound to have it respected
"'What'll you call it, Joe? says one.
swell, that set the boys to talking. Some
was for General Scott, and some for Jen-
ny Lind, and one fool suggested Column
bia, which want at all appropriate; but
Joe cut them all short
Gentlemen says he, this bronco is
mine, and / expect to have the naming of
it. This being so, / shall call it Busted,
in memory of the financial condition Of
my late partner at the time Of his death.
And now let's go into Manwels and drink
Busted's health
"Well, sir, it was just astonishing to see
how attached he grew to that bronco. He
never spoke cross to him, and never
seemed to get mad and that mule, though
he had some low ways with him, set a
great deal by Joe. But the others didn't
like him much, and Maxwell especially
was very down on him. And suppose
Busted was the cause Of the quarrel be-
tween him and Joe, if the truth was only
known; for one day MARVEL was feeling
pretty ugly about something, and Busted
was standing there in front Of his store,
and he began to swear at him in Spanish.
But, though it was in Spanish, it made
Joe ALFRED mad.
"'Just look here, Maxwell said he,
none ofyour swearing at Busted. won't
have it,
"Well, Maxwell got his back up at that,
and drew knife on Joe; but Joe was too
quick for him, and he did just give him
the most well. old thrashing that
you ever see. After this MARVEL was
mighty pleasant, but distrusted him.
Them Mexicans, with all their carcjotng
and caram5ering. are nothing to be fright
ened of, if you meet them boldly; but they
are treacherous as can be, and if they
can hurt you on the sly, they will. Well,
Joe and l, we determined to 60
out over the Amargosa way prospect
ing. 1t was wild-goose chase, anyway,
and we knew it; but still We went. How
We suffered! We got into canyon, and
come to place where there was first
steep wall of rock twenty feet high. We
slid our animals down. / had horse
and Joe had Busted" and there we was.
We went along little further, and came
to another precipice two hundred feet
high. Well, of course, we couldn't do