The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1882-08-18

ben Applcby. Of st. Louis. l1i .
mule" said the stahleman. (which
was one of the know;ngc>t cas>eS You
ever saw. / dunno where Ben found
him. but. one day no came dr. vim
home with this mule hilche Ter the tail
end Of his wagon. lie was aninnoc nj
Iookin' animal, plump nm fat, an
locked like he was gvin' - be good fer
suthin'. Well. The next day after Ben
got i'm home lie tried ter hitch i'm up.
but be wouldn't be hiichcd. lie Jest
everlastin'ly kicked the wagon inter
splinters. Tie kicked one ccnd cutter
Their stable. an kicked Their stall down.
an kicked everything in sight. Ben
took him out IN the corn-ncld one day.
an hitchei i'm 10 pillow. but he up an
kicked that pillow over inter Their next
lot. He was MI right under saddle, but
Their mint Ben tried ter hitch i'm ter
anything he jest kicked il outer sight
No matter where he was. II things
didn't SUIT i'm. be lest let himself out
an kicked. Nobody but Ben daSt 20
near i'm. Well. finally he diskiveged
that everybody was scared Of i'm. an
he 90, the idec that he was the greatest
mule IN that section Or ther country.
He had way OF cockin' one ear for
rard an the other backards. an
winkin' one eye when any one
came near i'm. as much A. 20 say: Git
on to me; I'm Ben Applcb,'s kickin'
mule. an don't yer iorgit II When
Ben would be ridin' i'm long there
road an they'd pass another mule. he'd
| jist git his ears ia position an wink an
grin as much ~ ter say: I'm the only
mule in this country. I'm kicker, |
am. He seemed 10 nndcrStan' that he
had the dead wood on Ben. an tibet no
body could hitch i'm to no sort of ychi-
ole He got chuck, ram. Jam full Of
conceit, an use ter parade hisself aroun'
| the barnyard like he owned the place.
Ben made up his mind a. how the mule
| wouldn't never be no count tell he was
broke 70 drive in harness He tried all
sorts Ter ways H. hitched i'm TO .
mowin machine, an the result was he
had ter git 4 new machine. The mule
kicked il all outer shape. He broke up
everything that Ben tried ter hitch i'm
to. Bimeby Hen got mad. He swore
| he'd take the conccit outer that animal
1 II il fnk his hull farm. Then be begun
| 10 study up ther case. till. one day 4
man came along with one Of them farm
engines what they run thrashin' mer-
| sheens with. Ben says 20 i'm. III
give yer five dollers II y0u'll lei me
hitch my mule ter that mersheen.'
I Git out yer mule ~ez the man. an
Ben led i'm outer the stable He
cant pull it, SEE the man. Never
mine. -ez Ben. be kin try il So he
I led the mule out in the road. an the
mule he knowei in "a mint what was
4 gon' on. lie cooked his ears tackards
an forrards. an grlnned and sez 70 liis-
self
They'm rpin' 10 hitch me 70 that
thing Dog-rone my skin. III kick II
inter the next county: I'm Ben Apple.
by's kiekin' mule. am. Watch me
now an see how do IT,.
We'll. Ben an the man got i'm
hitched up % the mersheen an he BEGAN
10 kick agin Their boilerh head He
kicked. ali he Kicked. an he kicked.
but the mersheen never bndged. Ben
an the man sat On the fence a waichin
the Job. an the man a.laughn' 20 kill
hisself. Ben looked kinder satisfied.
but he never fetched smile. Bimeby
the mule settled down on his four lers.
an swung his head aroun' an said 70
hissclf:
..Wat kline 81 dog-gone vehicle i
this. any how? She don't fetch worth
cent. Maybe son4cthin's the matter
with my les. I'll 20 for i agin. any
how
An he <ct his teeth together an
began to kick agin' Well sir. he
hammered bis heels agin' that boiler
head till he was black IN the face. bu.
she never weakened. Then he'd stop
an take breath an swear. an then ne 4
kick agin'. Well. sir. he KEEP that up
fur half an hour till be was - weak a.
4 cat. an then he stopped an Tapped
both ears fofsnrd an cried Ike baby.
Ben let i'm an there little while an
then he onhitched i'm an took i'm back
% the stable. The next day Ne hrtched
i'm up 70 . buggy. an he trottei Of
without sayin' 4 word. an to-da, ne i
Is decent an respectable mule - they
Il in the county. Ben's wife drives i'm
20 town mos every day in layton. INV
81 Louis Republican,