The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-10-23
OLD.TIME "REMINISCENCES.
The Mule as q Southern hS Sitution-Hard-
ships Of Cropping In Places.
BY W. W.

=
ships Of Cropping In Places.
BY W. W.
"How'd she throw you, Jake? ?" was an
old gentleman's query to his servant, as
he stepped to the door one morning
and saw the latter just picking himself
up from the ground, while he yet held
q very vicious mule by the bride; and
the instant response. which seemed to
come as a thing understood, "Just as
she al,oays does, sir" declared, as well
as anything could do, the usual relations
subsisting between mule and rider, and
the all-suficient philosophy of the lat
ter, which could take anything almost
that occurred in this line simply as
matter of course.
That the mule was, and is, one of the
invaluable agencies of the South in the
manipulation of the cotton crop, and in
numberless ways besides, appertaining
to everyday economies, difficult to do
without, is SO apparent as to need no
demonstration; but to understand him
thoroughly is not to study his points
when, beaten, starved, overworked and
abused out of all patience, he turns in
to kicking and biting, and so avenging
himself, or insisting on better treat
ment, as he best may.
A great agency, l repeat, in Southern
progress, because SO perfectly indis-
pensable to the creation of those mill
ions of bales of cotton so essential as
an Offset to our Indebtedness abroad.
His chief points are his sturdy endur-
ance of labor in broiling sun, such as,
with all his many good qualitles, the
average horse can but poorly stand;
next, thriving where o horse would
starve; and, finally, a careless sagacity,
which, unlike that of the horse, permits
him to run away two or three times
day-if he can make it out so often
with the plow bouncing at his heels, to
finally trip him up and entangle him
until once more secured, and all this
without demoralizing" him in the least
for the next patient "round" he is
called upon and expected to take in the
row of corn or cotton.
But to see him under his most anus
ing exhibitions of strong points of
character, he should be taken when, in
conceit of overweening sagacity, he
thinks he has matters all his own way
illustrated ludicrously when, accustomed
to the imperious demands of man
whom he knows as his master. he sud-.
denly hpds rather t1mid young lady
putting him into requisition for short
jaunt. Docile before to the last degree
of amiable resignation, shown by his
Topping ears and his meek expression
generally, how suddenly the long ears
stifen up like spikes, to Immediately
thereafter fall fiat and viciously on his
head; and how savage and iendish the
expression of his eye as he looks around
with open jaws, as if debating whether
and how he will lift or tear his scared
rider from the saddle to trample her
beneath his hoofs.
And, asif all this was not enough on his
part to make her abandon little harm
less jarnt, next, his shaven and rat-ike
tail begins to whip and twist savagely,
while apparently debating, with head
down, whether he will tumble mis- load
off over his ears by kick up, or toss it
off the other way by rearing and pluug-
ing. And then, by way of climax, for
it is now plain he does not really want
to hurt his fair rider, he backs squarely
up against the big gate leading out on
the road, and kicks first with one leg,
then with the other, but, the scare SO
needful not yet accomplished, at last he
slams away with both, until everything
rattles again.
As it is the last feather that breaks
the camers back, that last demonstra-
tion finally accomplishes his purposes
and, as the vanquished lady rider turns
his head and pulls him around. toward
home, how meekly once more he strikes
into his old, easy jog-trot, his long ears
swaying pliantly and apparently help
lessly about, as if the mulish pate they
surmount had no mulishness what
ever under its gentle and amiable as
pect. ;,
Well, that was all triumph for that
one time; but, alas for Old Sancho,
there was day of reckoning, and this
is how it happened-this was the man.
ner of it:
There was pair of long, sharp spurs
handy, and provided for just such con-
ditions of coptumacy and. mulish, OBJ;
stinacy as was on that occasion lndulged
by the over-sagacious subject of this
notice; and, duly reported for assump-
tions of viciousness and dereliction in
the performance of duty, one of the
stronger sex mounted him for jaunt
over the very same ground. "There is
the gate" must have thought Old San
cho, and, as previously a few hearty hoof-
kicks and other vicious demonstrations
sent him back to his comfortable stable
of course, by parity of reasoning, the
same course would accomplish the same
desirable end again." But alas! mules
like men sometimes "reckon without
their host" and this time Old Sancho
had reckoned without his. He found
this out suddenly, when the sharp spurs
began to dig into his fat sides, while
the blows from stout switch were fair.
ly rained upon him. In vain he kicked
and turned, and reared and plunged
There was no chance to escape the tor
ment but to get away from there as fast
as he could; and get away he did. Put
ting off at the top of his speed, hi
fastened from the scene of so severe {
visitation, and the funniest part of i
was that ever afterward, when by chanc,
arriving on the same ground, no mattel
who was his rider, he was always In tn,
oreatast nosaible hurry to leave n spo