The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1881-03-31
MIKE AND HIS MULE.
Mans Bate with a Street-Car Line.
Philadelphia Evening News.


Philadelphia Evening News.
Recently during n heavy snow storm
jolly old Irishman drove around from
Eleventh street into Walnut, and stop
ped his loaded coal-wagon on the car
track in front of the house for which the
coal was ordered. There was ridge
of snow from two to three feet high on
each side of the street-car rails, extend
ing to the sidewalk, and to back the
coal-wagon in over that frozen mass of
snow was an obvious impossibility.
The 1rishman surveyed the scene for a
moment, and then, grasping the coal
shovel which lay on the top of the load,
he went vigorously to work to shovel
out a sort of cut in the miniature noun
tain of snow through which to back his
load to the sidewalk. He had not been
thus engaged two minutes before a
| Street-car came up.
''Drive that wagon out of the way"
shouted the driver of the street-car.
The Irishman continued to shovel
away the SNOW in calm Indifference.
eli! there, you coal man; get that
wagon outin' thar; dye hear?' again
vociferated the driver.
The Irishman worked on shoveling
with a sweet and pensive air.
''Say, there, you - -, do you
want to keep me here all night with
your - wagon blocking the wayP"
madly whooped the driver.
And still the Irishman kept right on,
and the mule seemed to smile softly, as
it were, at the condition of affairs. By
this time three other cars, carriage,
two grocers' wagons, and a dray had
accumulated behind, and the line was
CT, for l,a yV.,ln,,f
Theatre.
But the Irishman didn't seem to mind
it. Neither did the mule. The first
kept on shoveling the snow, and the
latter watched the performance in an
absent-minded sort of way. Then
things began to get lively. The con-
ductors and drivers of the first three
cars came up and had swearing bee,
the audience consisting of the mule, the
Irishman, two women, seven men and
twenty boys. 1t was sympathetic au-
dience, the boys especially testifying
their appreciation of the efforts of the
drivers by frequent and encouraging
shi-hi's. :"
About this time the scene had become
truly animating, and Neacs reporter,
a lot of laborers, several other women,
two Chinamen, and hundred OF so
more boys from school, made the tout
ensemble complete. From the windows
of every house in the block fair women
and brave men looked down approx
ingly at the inspiring scene, and the
procession, which was headed by that
mule and coal cart, and which extended
down to Washington square-nearly
splendid effect when that Iishman gave
the command to move. But he didn't
seem to appreciate the condition of af-
fairs. and he worked right ahead, cheer
fully whistling ''Rory O'More."
Finally policeman arrived with a
rush-he was moving ut the frantic pace
of a mile an hour-tO see what the row
was all about. But it's greatly to his
credit that he soon found out.
Take away that wagon said the
policeman, in mis- sternest and most alI-
thoritative tones
..An' be me sowl l can't lift the wag-
on, can I?' said the Irshman.
And the crowd yelled with delight,
while the NescS man suggested that that
was the mules business. And so they
all went to work. The policeman and
several conductors and nine drivers all
pushing the wagon and Mike holding
on the head of the mule. and saying,
NGlG up, while he gently but hrmly
eXerted the pressure the other way.
But the brave mule was conquered at
last, and as he got his weather eye
round at the car-track, and as Mike
patted him on the head and bowed in
response to a compliment about send
ing Irishmen where they wouldn't be
troubled shoveling snow, it was with
profound satisfaction that master and
mule realized the fact that the combined
efforts of their enemies had placed the
wagon in the very spot where it was