Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-01-27
A KICKING MULE.
HIS SAD EXPERIENCE WITH
BEEHIVE.

morning was beautiful. The plash OF
little cascades about the grounds, the
buzz of bees and the gentle moving OF
the foliage of the pepper trees IN the
scarcely perceptible ocean-b breeze
made up a picture which | thought
was complete. 1t was not. A mule
wandered on the scene. The scene,
| thought, could have got along with
out him. He took different view.
OF course mules were not allowed
on the grounds. That is what he
knew. That was his reason for be-
ing there.
| recognized him. Had met him.
His lower lip hung down. He looked
disguised. 1t seemed he didn't like
being Il mule.
A day or two before, while ! was
trying to pick up a little child who
had got too near this mules heels, ne
kicked me two or three times before
I could tell from which way was hit
| might have avoided some OF the
kicking, but in my confusion began
to kick at the mule. ! didn't KICK
with him long. He outnumbered me.
He browsed along on the choice
shrubbery. | forgot the beauty OF
the morning. Remembered a black
and-blue spot on my leg. 1t looked
like the print of a mules hoof. There
was another on my right hip. Where
nv suspenders crossed were two
more. as | have been informed. They
were side by side-twin blue spots,
and seemed to be about the same age.
| thought of revenge. | didn't
want to kick with him any more. NO
But thought, if l had him tied down
good and fast, so he could not move
his heels, how like sweet incense 1t
would be to first cut his ears and tail
smooth off, then put out his eyes with
a red-hot poker, then skin him alive,
then run him through a threshing
machine.
While was thus thinking and get
ting madden, the mule, which had
wandered up close to alarse beehive
got stuug. His eyes lighted up, as
if that was just what he was looking
for. He turned on the beehive and
took aim. He fired. In ten seconds
the only piece Of beehive | could see
was about the size a man feels when
he has told q joke that falls on the
company like a piece of sad news
This piece was in the air. 1t was
being kicked at.
The bees swarmed. They swarmed
a good deal. They lit on that mule
earnestly. After he had kicked thu
last bit of beehive so high that h'
could not reach it any more he stop
ned for an instant. He seemed try
inc to ascertain whether the ten thou
sand bees which were singing hin
meant it. They did.
The mule turned loose. | neve
saw anything to equal it. He wa
enveloped in a dense fog of earnest
ness. and bees filed with enthusiasm
and stings. The more he kicked tn
higher he arose from the ground.
may have been mistaken, for ] wa
somewhat excited and very much de
LIGHTED, but that mule seemed to rs
as HIGH as the tops of the pepp,
trees. The pepper trees were twent
feet high. He would open and shI
himself like frog swimming. Some
times. when he was in mid-air, !
would look like he was flying and
would think for a moment he ";
about to become an angel. Only tt
a moment. There are probably
mule angels.
When he had got up to the tops
the pepper tree, | was called to brea
fast. | told them didn't want al
breakfast.
The mule continued to be busy.
When mule kicks himself Gle
of the earth, his heels seldom rea
higher than his back; that is, Il mule
tore-legs can reach forward and
hind-lcgs backward until the mt
becomes Strengthened out into Ii
of mule parallel with the earth a
fifteen or twenty feet theretrom. II
l:.,l lou, hnrayar were I