The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-12-07

him. and rode far into the night. lie was
an able mule, not a bit contrary, and con-
sented to be led like u lamb. He even
showed sneed. keeping we'll up with 30.
1 could not take hun to our hummock,
but at midnight tied him securely TOT biazei
tsee. as well known to us in the swamp
as st. Michaers church.
An hour or two afterward / was on the
hummock. My adventures were soon told;
l had a mule. The use of that lovely mule
explained. At once G. r. a man from
Aiken, was ordered by me to take his horse,
go to the mule, carry it To-, who would
advance corn and meat for us, and the man
was to lind Il team and land our stores for
us. We could hold ont 4S hours more. He
was to be sure to bring tobacco, some pipes,
q O book or two, and above all some quiz
nine. described exactly the place where
that mule was tied-the tree with the three
blazes. The mule had his tail fastened to
his side. so that he would not bray, and had
o hair rope hitched above him SO that he
could not gnaw himself loose.
l was soon sound asleep. Early next day
| was awakened, and my A on scout stood
before me looking most uncomfortaDly.
No mule, Sir"
How no mule?"
And my horse is gone"
How the deuce?"
Seed the mule, Cap
"Yon have not allowed your own horse
to be captured.
Couldn't help it, sir" Aud my man
looked sheepish and his mates mad enough
to shoot him.
Found the mule--such a beauty. Cip.-
all right enough, and was making for the
Gut, when ] came across an old
aud q niger boy. They We're strangers, SO
they said, that the iunks had driven from
their homes. Old woman had the shakes,
and said b wanted to lie down and die
right there. Niger seemed to be half
wltted. Hadn't l just q morsel of bread to
give EN-! Where they went they didn't
care. Her old man had been Killed at
Murfreesporo', and she ha some of her
kin ~somewheres in Carliney, and she had
wandered and wandered. l had unhi,ched
the mule and the boy wanted to lead it. l
offered to show them the way, though it
was a little bit out of my road, to where
some niggers was camping, and they said
Yes, anywhere. Presently the old wo-
man, she says: You must have had a
mother yourself, young man. l have had
six sons-all of them in service-and they
don't know that their poor old nanny amt
hardly got a rag on her back nor o morselt to
put in her mouth. Young man, / can't put
oAO iooS bOloAS luSs u yuu WOuiu oLlS
give me u lit on that ere horse of yourn?
amt no rider, and haven't been on q
horses back ever since 1 was a gal. Tine
most Altered It'll shake uy old bones to
| pieces. and l might tumble off, She kind
of worked on my feelings, a-groaning and
accomplishing 30, forI always was q ten
der-hearted man. So / boosted her up,
sideways fashion, and she must have rid,
me a-holding her up on that horse, most
ten rods, when all of q sudden, 'Skat
Cyrus says she-them was her very words,
and captain before 1 knowed it, she had
glloped over me, and was a-riGing that
horse like n cir us woman, her skirts Just
a-hyihg, aud that simple-looking niger
was on that mule in q jitfy and both a. going
like blazts. Before l had picked myself
up they had cleared off. They knowed the
ground.
Next day, it was just by the skin of our
teeth that we vacated that hummock, and
10 never showed a fairer burst of speed
than in that stampede. So though I did
steal q mule I was not permitted to enjoy
him.