The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1881-01-15
4 Kicking Males Sad Experiene ee
With n Beehive.

Lock Meone, in January Californian.
/ was visiting a gentleman who
| lived in the vicinity of Los Angeles.
! The morning was beautiful. The
splash of little cascades about the
grounds. the buzz of bees and the gen.
tie moving of the foliage Of the pep
per trees in the scarcely-perceptable
ocean breeze made up picture which
| thought was complete. IL was not.
A mule wandered on the scene. The
scene, / thought could have got along
without him. He took a different
view.
OF course mules were not allowed
on the grounds. That is what he
knew. That was his reason for being
there.
| recognized him. HID met him.
His lower lip hung down. He looked
disgusted. 1t seemed he didn't like
being mule.
A day or two before, while / was
trying To pick up little child who
had got too near this mules heels, he
kicked me two or three times before
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 q black-and-
blue spot on my leg. 1t looked like
the print of a mules hoOf. There was
another ON my right hip. Where my
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 had him lied down
good and fast, so he could - move
would be to first saw his ears, smooth
1f, then put out his eyes with ahd-hot
poker, then skin him alive, then run
him through threshing-machine.
While / was thus thinking and get
ing madder and madder the mule,
which had wandered up close to
arge bee hive, got stung. His eyes
lighted up, as IL that was Just what he
vas looking for. He turned on the
beehive and took aim. He fired. In
en seconds the only piece of beehive
could see was the size u man feels
y lltIl lt lliS JDlt u Ioht tiltb ihio wa
he company like piece of sad news.
This piece was in the air. 1t was
,eing kicked at.
The bees swarmed. They swarmed
good deal. They lit on that mule
After he had kicked the
ast bit of beehive so high that he
ould not reach il any more he stop
,ed for AN instant. He seemed trying
thnnuanI
ices which were singing him meant
t. They did
The nue. turned loose. never saw
To equal it. He was envel-
ped in a dense fog of earnestness and
ices and filled with enthusiasm and
tings. The more he kicked the higher
he arose from the ground. | may
lave been mistaken, for | was some
What excited and very much delight
ii, but that mule seemed tn rise as
ligh as the tops of the pepper trees.
Me pepper trees were twentw feet
Ugh. He would open and shut him
elf like q frog swimming. Sometimes,
ihen he was ia mid-air, he would
Dok like he was flying and ] would
hink for IA moment he was about to
ecome an angel. Only for moment.
mere are lio abBtiSs
When he had got up to the tops
{ the pepper trees | was called to
reakfast. / told them | didn't want
ny breakfast.
The mule Continued Ia be busy.
When a mule kicks himself clear of
ne earth, his heels seldom reach
igher than his back; that is mules
re-legs can reach forward and his
a fh. nanIa
acomes Strengthened out into line
mule parallel with the earth and
fteen or twenty feet therrfrom. This
ule's hind-legs, however, were not
lly raised into line with his back,
1t they would come over until the
,ttom of the hoofs almost touched
y ears.
The mule proceeded rs if he desired
hurry through.
| had no idea how many bees
We would hold until saw that bee
We emptied on that mule. They
vered him so completely that /
Id not see any of him but the
are of his eyes. could see from the
preston of his eyes that he didn't
&c the way things were going.
The mule still went on in an absorb
KIM Ol " way.
Not only was every bee of the dis
rbed hive on duty, but | think the
.ws had been conveyed ~ neighbor-
g hives that war had been declar-
!. | could see bees fitting too and fro.
ne mule was covered ~ deep with
es that he looked like an eXagerat-
mule. The hum of the bees and
cir moving on each other combined
a seething hiss
A sweet calm and gentle peaceful
'ss pervaded me.
When he had kicked for an hour
began to fall short of the tops of
e pepper trees. He was setlingdown
,ser 10 the earth. Numbers were
ling ON him. He looked distressed.
: had always been used to kicking
ainst something but found now
at he was striking the air. IL was
ry exhausting.
He finally got so he did not rise clear
the ground, but continued 10 kick
tn both feet for half an hour; next
tn first one foot aud than the other
another half an hour; then with
right foot only every few minutes,
Intervals growing longer and
ger. until he finally was still. His
III uIOpDclt nt- anu
rer. The bees stung ON. He look,
as il he thought that a mean,
,aking advantage had been taken of
n.
retired from the scene. Early
It morning l returned. The sun
ne slowly up from behind the east
hills. The light foliage of the
,per trees trembled with his MORN
cares. His golden kiss fell upon
opening roses. A bee could be
n living hither, another thither.
e mule lay near the scene Of yes
lays struggle. Peace had come 10
n. He was dead. Too much kick
against nothing.
-
ince "George Elliott'' died Miss
te Field has contributed several
sr.lnnnrua - I<.z.. IN a