The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-02-06
TOBACCO
RATES or FREIGHT
The Negro and the Mule.

just across the branch lives an old
negro, bent with age, yet still able to
work his small place. How old the
mule is | do not know. | had frequently
noticed them on the hillside in the spring
But now, 'running-around cotton-time,'
something impeled me to watch them
more closely. For three hours. every
time | looked, the mule the pillow and
negro were in the same place. began
to get interested, sent for my operaglass
the tableau was set, The blow was
as still as the mule and the negro SEEM
ingly as immovable as either. The
negros attitude had an air of II can
stand-it-if-you can, about it, still there
was a something which made me feel
that he might be thinking, Altogether,
the picture was one Of stubborn serenity.
They were standing about quarter
way across the field in the row. de-
termined now TO see the end of the play
if it took all day. 1t may have been
half an hour, perhaps less, when the
negro moved. First, he Strengthened
the lines back and laid them in the row.
q wish | could convey an idea of the
solemnity of his movements He never
uttered a word or noise of any kind, that
was apparent. Slowly he walked to the
head of the mule, and slowly turning
walked back again close by his side;
then, with greater solemnity, il possible,
he took the bush of the mules tail in
one hand, and gripping the tail higher
up with the other, commenced a slow
motion of grinding, much like an organ
grinder twists out his music. The mule,
however, was as undisturbed by the per-
Torrance as he would have been had
that revolving tail been any other
mules tail II there was anything at
all noticeable, it might have bsen an
atmosphere of satisfaction about the
mule, implying that something else had
stirred first. But the old negro had got
an idea and he intended to work it out.
So, steadily and slowly that tail went
round and round, with the precision and
regularity of a machine For twenty
minutes this monotonous grinding went
on, and | was firing of my watch, when
thought | saw or felt, o movement,
somewhere about the mules head, but
it was only his. left ear, which he laid
back, and in about five minutes the
other came over, very slowly-both re-
manned pointed at the curious proceed
ings going on atthe rear for ten minutes
or more, when the head began to come
around, and when it got into position to
take in the situation, there came mvs-
terious sound-"Whst in the ID are
We doin' thar! done want eny mo-"
| was not near enough to hear distinct
ly, but am quite sure that waswhat the
mule said, and then he started down the
aow, and didn't offer to come to halt
that day.
TEE MULE.
viii standard Standard stand
Thinking the whole day long,
But what abontI No fellows found out;
Unless It's that old colored hand.
The kick hes been sung, and peaus rung,
On his muleships way, in that line
But that old mans wit-without a lick
Fills the bill, for the coming spring time.
Make crank Of his tail,
Turn II round and around
He may think IT'S an organ,
An engine or Mill
Just be careful-iudicious-
And make him suspicious
He'll soon qut-"stondug still"
Marietta Ca Journal.