The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-05

n kicking. Mules sad Experience
with Dce.H me-

flock Meione IN Jsnuery CaDforn'an'l
% was visiting a gentleman VINO 'Neu VI
the vicinity Of Los Angeles. The morning
was beautifuI. The plash OF Nittie cascaues
aa,out The grounds, tie buzz OF bees ana 'ne
mile moving OF The foliage OF the pepper
rroes In the scarcely .perecpt'blc ocean
hreozo made nm a picture which | thought
vas complete. IL was mot. A mule wan
,aored ON The scene. The sceoe, thougbt,
~onld have got alous without him. lie TOOK
a different view.
ar course mules we're not SLOWED on Tue
Grounds. That Is what be knew. o1nat
was his reason for being thore. -
Il recognized him. Had met him. HIS
,ower lib hung down. He Hooked disgust
ed. IL seemed he DIDN'T Ike being Il NIUE
A day or two before, while i was trying
to nick up little child who bad got 100
near this mules heels, bekicked me TWO or
three times before could tell from whlch
way was hif. ] might have avoided some
W the kicking, but In my confusion be-
can 10 kick Mt the mule. uidnt KICK
with him long. lie ou'numbercd me.
Ne browsed along on the choice shruo'
btry. forgot the beauty OF the morning.
Remembered black,and-blue spot on my
leo. II looked like tlle print 81 mules
Where nv suspenders crossed were two
mo,y. rs have been informed. they were
side by side-twin blue spots. ana seemed
to be about the same aec.
Ithousht OF revenge. didn't want to
kick with him any more No. But enough,
IL 7 mad him tied down good aud fast, so he
could a.ot move his heels, how like sweet in
censs It would be to first saw his ears and
tail smooth of, then nut cut his eyes with
red. hot poker, then SKIN him alive, THEA run
him tbraieh a neutrality-suspicious..
While ! was thus think,Bg and getting
madden and madden, the mule, which had
wandered Gp close to a large bee hive got
stung. His eyes lighted up. as II that wac
lust what be was looking for. He turned
on the beehive aud took aim. He fired.
In ten seconds the only piece Of beehive
could see was about The size man ieei'
when he has Gold a joke That falls on The
company like piece OF sad news. ms
niece was in The air. Ii was being kicked at
The bees sSagmed. They Swarmed
GOOD deaf. They at on that mule earnestly.
After H. had kicked The last bic OF beehive
81 hioh that he could not reach II any more
he stopped for an instant. He seemed try
inc 10 ascertain whether the ten thousand
bees which were singing him meant II.
They did.
The mule turned loose. | never saw
ANYTHING 10 equal it. He was enVeloped IN
n dense fog OF earnCStne>s and bees ana
filled with enthusiasm and stlngS. Ihe
more he kicked the higher he arose from
the ground. | may have been mistaken.
for wa, somewhat excited aud very much
delighted, but that mule seemed 10 rise as
nigh as the tops OF the pepper-tree>. The
pepper-trees were twenty feet high. He
would open and shut himself like frog
swimming. Sometimes when he was In
mid.air he would. look like he was living.
and would think for mOmen! lie was
about TO become an angel. Only for mo-
ment. There are probably no mule angels.
When he had got up to the tops OF the
pepper.trees | was called TO breakfast. |
told them didn't want any breakfast.
The niue continued to he busy.
when Il mule kicks himself clear Of the
earth bis heels seldom reach higher than his
back-tbat is, Il mule's fOre-lcg> can reach
forward and his hind.lCgS backward unlil
the mule becomes Strengthened out INTO
line OF mule parallel with the earth and nj
teen or twenty feet therefrOm. This mule :
hind legS, however, were not only raised
INTO line with his back, but they would
almost touched his ears.
The mule proceeded as II lie desired 10
hurry through.
had no idea how many bees a hive
would hold until saw that beehive emp
tied on that mule. They covered him so
corpIetely that could not see any Of him
but the glare OF his eyes. | could see from
The expression Of his eyes that he didn't
lilo fhn way thuUS were going.
The mule still went on in an absorbed
kind OF Il way.
Not ONLY was every bee OF the disturbed
hive on duty, but ! think the news had
been conveyed to neighboring hives that
war bad been declared. | could see bee
fitting to and fro. The mule was covered
so deep with bees that he looked like IN eX-
argerated mule. The hum OF the bees and
their moving on each other combined III
eeihiGg hiss.
A sweet calm and gentle peaccfulness
pervaded me.
When he had kicked for an hour he began
10 fall short OF the tops Of the temperatures.
He was settling down closer 10 the earth.
Numbers were telling on him. lie looked
distressed He had always been used To
kicking against something. but found now
that be was striking the air. 1t was very
eXhausting.
He finally got 20 he did not rise clear Of
the ground. but continued TO Kick with both
| feet for half an hour; next WIN INST one
foot and then the other for another haIl
| an hour; then with his right loot only every
few minutes, the intervals growing LONGER
and longer, until be finally was Still. HIS
head dropped, his lip hung lower and low
or. The bees slung on. He looked as II he
thought that IA mean, sneaking advantage
| had been taken Of bin.
| | retired from The scene. ElrIy next
morning | returned. The sun came slowly
I'D from behind the eastern hills. The light
foliage OF the peppT.rrets tr,m bed with
his morning cares. His golden Kiss fell
upon the opening roses. A bee could be
seen fying hither, another tbltber. The
mule lay near the scene OF Yesterday :
struggle. Peace had come TO him. lie was
1 NJ li ts