The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1881-01-25
A Mule Kicks a Bee Hive.

/
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 precepti-
BILE ocean-beeze, made up apicture
which thought was complete. Ii
was not. A mule wandering on the
scene. The scene, thought, could
have got along without hiIa. lie
took different view.
| OF course mules we're not allowed
OH the grounds. That is what he
knew. That was his reason for being
there. oTi9
recognized him. Had met him
His lower lip hung down. lie elooked
disgusted. II seemed he didn't like
being mule.
| A day or two before while was
trying to pick up a little child who
had got too near the mules heels, he
kicked me two or three times before
l could tell from which way | was
hit. might have avoided some of
the kicking, but, in my confusion, |
began to Kick at the mule. l didn't
kick with him long. He outnumbcr-
ed me.
He browscd along on the choice
shrubbcry. / forgot the beauty OF
the morning. Remembered a black
and blue spot on my leg, 1t looked
like the prlut of a mules hoof. There
was another on my right hip.
Where my suspcnders crossed were
two more, asI have been informed.
They were side by side-twin blue
spots, and seemed TO be about the
same age,
l thought of revenge. / didn't
want to kick with him any more.
No. But thought If | had him tied
down good and last, SO he could not
move his heels, how like sweet in.
cense it would be to first saw his ears
and tail smooth off, then put ont his
eyes with o red-hot poFer, then skin
him alive, then run him through a
threshing machine.
| While / was thus thinking and get
ting maddcr and madder, the mule,
which had wandered up close to q
large bee hive, 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 fired.
In ten seconds, the only piece Of bee-
hive ! could see was about the size
man feels when he has told q joke
| that falls on the company Ikea piece
of sad news. This piece was in tho
air. 1t was being kicked at.
The bees swarmed, They swarmed
a good deal. They lit on that mule
earnestly. After he had kicked the
last bit of bee-hiye SO high that he
could not reach 1t any more, he
stopped for nm instant. He seemed
trying to ascertain whether the ten
thousand bees. which wcro singing
him meant it, They did.
| The mule turned loose. | never
saw anything to equal it. He was
enveloped in dense Toy of earnest
ness and bees, and filled with enthus-
iasm vnd stings. Tho more hekickcd
the higher he arose from the ground.
| may have been mistaken, for was
somewhat excited and very much de-
lighted, but that mule seemed to rise
as high as the tops OF the pepper trees.
The pepper trees were twenty feet
high. lie would open and shut him
self like frog swimming. Some
times, when he was in mid air, he
would look that he was flying, and |
would think for moment he was
about 10 become an angel. Only for
O moment. There are probably no
mule angels.
When he had got up to the tops of
the pepper trees, / was called TO
breakfast. told them l didn't want
any breakfast.
The mule continued to be busy.
When mule kicks himself clear OF
the Garth, his heels seldom reach
higher than his back that is, mules
fore-legs can reach forward, and his
i hind legs backward until the mule
becomes Strengthened out into aline
Of mule parallel with the earth, and
fifteen or twenty feet therefrom.
This mules hind legs, however, were
not only raised into a line with his
back, but they would come over until
the bottom of the h0ols almost
touched his ears.
The mule proceeded as II he desired
to hurry through.
had no idea how many bees a
hive would hold until saw that bee
/ hive emptied on that mule They
covered him go completely that ]
could not SOC any Of him but the glare
of his eyes. could see from the ex-
preston of his eyes, that he didn't
| like the way things were going.
The mule still went on in ON abb
sorbcd kind of a way.
| Not only was every bee of the dis
turbed hive on duty, but | think the
news had been conveyed to neighbor-
ing hives that war had been declared.
| could see bees fitting to and fro.
The mule was covered SO deep with
bees that he looked like an exagger.
ated mule. The hum OF the bees, and
their moving on each other, combined
in seething hiss.
| a sweet calm and gentle peaceful
mess prevailed me.
When he had kicked for an hour. no
began to fall short ofthe tops of the
pepper trees. He was settled down
closer to the earth. Numbers were
telling ON him. lie looked distressed.
He had always been used 10 kicking
against something, but found now
that he was striking the air, 1t was
very exhaussing.
II He finally got so he did not rise
lear of the ground, but continued to
kick with both feet for half an hour,
next with first one foot and then the
other for another half an hour, then
] with his right foot only every few
minutes the intervals growing longer
and longer, until he finally was still.
His head drooped, his lip hung lower
and lower. The bees slung or. lie
, looked as ifhe thought that a mean.
sneaking advantage had been taken
of him,
| retired from the scene. Early
next morning l returned. The sun
came slowly up from behind the east.
ern hills. The slight foliage OF the
|, pepper trees trcmbled with his morn
Ing catess. His golden kisl