The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-01-28
THE MULE AND THE BEES


Californian.
was visiting gentleman who lived in
the vicinity Of Los Angeles. The morn
ing was beautiful, The plash OF the little
cascades about the gtbunds, the buzz OF
bees, and the gentle moving Of the foliage
Of the pepper trees in the scarCely.percep-
tible ocean breeze, made up picture
which l thought was complete. 1t was
not A mule wandered on the scene.
The scene, thought, could have got
along without min. He took different
view. rHr
OF course mules were not allowed on
the grounds. That is what he knew.
That was his reason for being there.
| recognized him. Had met him. His
lower lip hung down. He looked dis.
gusted. 1t seemed he didn't like being
mule.
A day or two before, while l was trying
to pick up little child who had got too
near this mules heel, he kicked me two
or three times before l could tell from
which way was hit. l might have
avoided some Of the kicking, but in my
confusion / began to kick at the mule. /
didn't kick with him long, He outnuin.
bered me.
He browsed along on the choice shrub
berry. l forgot the beauty Of the morning,
Remembered q blaCk.and.blue spot on my
leg. II looked like the print Of mules
hoof. There was another on my right hip.
Where my suspenderB crossed were two
moro, as have been informed, They were
side by sido--twin blue spots, and seemed
to be about tho same age
thought OF revenge. l didn't want to
kick with him any moro.
While was thus thinking, and getting
madden and madden, the mule, which had
wandered up close to u largo beehive, got
stung. His eyes lighted up, as II that was
Just what he was looking for. He turned
on the beehive and took aim. He fred.
In ten seconds the only piece OF beehive
/ could see was about the size man feels
when he has told a joke that falls on the
company like piece OF sad news. This
piece was In tho air. 1t was being kicked
at. U.
The bees swarmed. They Bwarmed q
good deal, They lit on that mule earnest.
ly. After he had kicked the lsst piece Of
beehive 80 high that hp could not reach
i any more, he stopped for an instant.
He seemed trying TO ascertain whether
the 10000 bees which were singing him
meant 1t. They did.
The mule turned loose. 1 never saw
anything 10 equal ii. He was envelopeh
in a dense fog Of earnestness and bees,
and filled with enthusiasm and stlng5.
The more he kicked, the higher he rose
from the ground. / may have been mis-.
taken, for was somewhat excited and
very much delighted, but that mule seem.
ed to rise as high as the tops iths pepper
trees. The pepper trees were twenty feet
high. He would open and shut himself
like frogswimming. Sometimes, when he
was In inid.air, he would look like he was
flying, and would think for moment he
was about to become an angel. Only for
momenut There are probably no mule
angels.t.
When he had got up to the tops Of the
pepper trees was called TO breakfast. L
told them didn't want any breakfast,
The mule continued 10 be busy.
When a mule kicks himself clear Of the
earth his heels seldom reach higher than
his back; that ls, q mules fore legs can
reach forward and his hind legs backward
until the mule becomes Strengthened out
into line Of mule parallel with the earth
and fifteen or twenty feet thereirom. This
mules hind legs, however, were not only
raised into n line with Lis back, but they
would come over until the bottom OF the
hooi almost touched his ears,
The mule proceeded as II he desired 10 |
hurry through.
had M idea how many heeo a biva
would hold until / saw that bee hive emp.
tied on that mule. They covered him so |
completely that l could not see any Of
him but the glare Of his eyes. / could
see from the expression OF his eyes, that
he didn't like the way things were going,
Not only was every bee OF the disturbed |
hive on duty, but think the news had
been conveyed to nelghborIng hiYes that