Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-16
THE BURRO.
PFOspectOPs' Experiences With
This Picturesque Pack
Horse.
Denrer NeNs.


/ admire his perseverance. Some
people call it ~Obsinacey, but they take
but a narrow view of the burro's char
acter. They Looked at him through q
single barreled eye glass. have seen
a burro work for hours to get his loot
stuck in an empty tomato can. When
be succeeded | have known him to 20
miles oul of his way in the darkness
Of midnight to wake up some drowsy
prospectOr with its melancholy tiutin-
nabulation. | have known him to
come back repeatedly with his sere
made, Though he had not been enoored
aud no floral offerings we're received.
| have seen him crawl under the pro-
jecting bed Of a railroad wagon and
strain every nerve to boost it of the
road. True, he did not succeed in
his main desire, but no did everlast
ingly smash two coffee pots and de.
stroy the continuity Of his owners
bedding.
| have seen him desert a bundle Of
hay TO 60 away and MUNICH cactus and
gravel. He couldn't get the same
amount Of nourisLment from tho latter
in the same space of time, but he scorn
cd to be influenced by such a conside.
ration.
| respect his digestive apparatus.
One day | stood on a mountain side
with a dyspeptio from Greeley, who
for years had eaten nothing but gra
ham bread and cracked wheat. We
we're watching a burro feed. AS the
animal slowly and couscientiously
ehawed up the -four and gunny sacks
got away with salt bags and ham
covers, gathered in brown paper and
old socks, and fually tackled a large
sized sardiHe box, the te rs welled VI
10 the eyes Of the Greeley man, and in
q husky voice he said: "GraciousI il
| could only do that"
l worship the intellect of the burro
He cannot be humbugged. He knows
when he is within clubbing distance.
and when he is not you can yell at bin
till you are black in the face, but be
won't move. Some Of the incidents
that attest his sagacity are almost
marvellous. | was once sitting on q
soft sandstone boulder in the little
mining town OF O.. Down the
meandering street came old Skipton,
driving before him one OF the most
remarkable jacks | ever saw. In the
ruggedness Of his physical compost
tion he was almost scenic. Half Of
his left ear was gone and numerous
clear places on his hide made it ap
parent that he was addicted to the hot
bath
Where did you get that wreck,
Skip2n | asked.
Wreck" he replied sc%ornfully.
why, you ~tenderioot, that's Henry
Ward Beecher. He's the father Of
his country, and he's juss got more
brain power than any jack in this
State"
intellectual, is he2" l inquired.
"Well, | should blush. Why, III
Just Tell you a little acc ne did yester
day. We was a working up on the
hiRh Hopes-me and Jim Atkinson.
my partDer-and we got to feeling q
little peekish along about noon, and
went up to the shanty TO FIRE up.
Well, Jim he was sacking up a few
pounds Of ore TO have sampled, and H.
Ward was standing by, and somehow
Jim he slipped and fell in the shaft,
but he caught on the bucket, and she
commenced a flying down like thun
der, aud the shalt was near onto a
hundred feet. Well, what did Beeoher
do2 Why. he knew that il wouldn't
do to try and catch the handle, so he
lust backed up against the windIsss
and held hard till he stopped her and
saved Jim's life; that's what he did,
aud III take my p~aralyzed oath on it,
and soil Jim. See where it took the
skin of his clothes"
The cuticle was evidently gone, aud
Skip looked most solomnly in earnest.
| could not doubt him. We went
across the street, and skip took little
ginger 10 his.