The Benton record. [volume] (Benton, M.T. [Mont.]) 1875-1879, 1877-09-07
The Mule.

! 1ne Mules
The mule is the only animal that Noal
didn't take in the Ark with him. | hay
looked over the freight list carefully, AMI
could not see q mule way-billed for an,
place. So clear-healed q man did not dare
to take one on boar3, as he knew be would
kick a hole through her ia less than {
week. I don't know man on whose heac
you could pour quicksilver and run les.
risk Of its spilling off than on Noah's. Ell
was dreadful leqel-headed man, and
before the freshet was over every body Of
earth realized the fact
| The origin OF the mule is enveloped IL
. good deal Of mystery. Tradition informs
us that when the food subsided, and The
| ark had landed on Mount Ararat, NOAH
was very much surprised IN one Of his frs
observations, to find q good, healthy mnle
standing on the top ofan adjoining mount
ain. The same tradition informs rs thai
the mule is the only animal that lived
through the food outside Of the ark.
The mule can be considered in q good
many ways, though the worst place from
which to consider him is directly from behind
anywhere within radius Of ten feet. !
never consider mule from that point, IN
less | am looking out through the Aue ofa
boiler.
Sea captains and people who have to do
with mules always pay an extra rate to
Iife-insurance companies. A mule and a
belt Of country where yellow fever is iadig-
enous, generally stand the same as regards
the death hrate.
The word mule come from the Greek
and signifies ITO STOP" and the mule him,
self comes to a stop also. Like multiplied
BY like produces like. Grasshoppers null
tipied by grasshoppers produce famine,
and potato-bugs multiplied BY potato-bu gs
produce a rise in the price Of yeast. But
when you try to multiply mules BY mules,
they don't multiply, and hence the word
mule. You may study your arithmetic,
and read through all of Trains lectures,
but you cannot discover why this is SO,
any more than you can why woman can
not put on q rubber without leaning up
against something.
The mule has one more leg than milk
ng-stool, and he can stand on one and
wave the other three ronnd in as many diff
ferent directions. He has only three senses
hearing, seeing and smelling. lie has
no more sense Of taste than stone Jug,
and will eat anything that contains nutri-
ment, and he don t care two cents whether
it be one percent, or ninety ynine. All he
asks is to pass him along his plate, with
whatever happens to be handy round the
pantry, and he woa't go away and blow
how poor the steak is. He jast eats what
ever is set before him, and asks no ques-
tons
Mules are naturally deaf, but that
supreme wisdom that teaches the little boy
to wipe his nose on his sleeve, has fitted
the mule ont with pair Of ears that coun
teract his deafness, 50 he can hear as read.
ily as o person when you don't want him
to. These ears answer double purpose:
as tunnels to pour sound into his head, and
also al fans to brush away the flies with
and keep his head cool. They are hung by
hinges to the sides Of bis head, and flap
backward and forward ike pair ofwet
round q boy'slegs. In cold lati
tudes quite 3 tasty business IS done il
mules ears. The ears are cut of and drii-
ID and sold for snoWshoes, and thea the
stubs are trimmed up, and the mules are
sent South and sold for horses. r this
way 4 great many fine horses we're purcbas-
d for the army bY the United States.
IfIwere 10 have large picture Of IN
to hang up ID ny parlor, and ] did |
lot wish 10 Sit for i myself, 7 should get
correct likeness Of . mule. There Is ii.