Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-12-28
A CHRISTMAS LEGEND
OF an Army Male That Never
Scared.

The Father Of the Taxing District
came to town as usual on Christmas
day and on a mule. Thisis time hon.
ored mule. near akin to the one that
General jackson left at the barracks
in Alabama in 1891 and was
recently commended TO the care
of the government by General Sher-
man. The boys were looking for
him-that is, the mule. Governor
Hadden heard the rattle Of small
arms at the fort and came up Second
street and then turned up Madison.
Just below Main he had business at
an insurance office and went in leav
ing his faithful charger with lip hang
ing over the edge Of the eurbstone.
There were at least two brigades Of
boys, old and young, big aud little,
drawn up around the corners Of Madi-
son and Main and they we're bombaId-
ing each other in a style to remind a
blind man Of the battle Of Gettysburg,
The air was full of the smoke Of wis
famous gunpowder. Fer . moment
there was a lull as if a algoi truce had
been raised on a pole All eyes we're
directed at that innocent, unprotected
mule. 1t was no time until half a
dozen small boys, with armsful OF fire
crackers furnished by bigger boys,
surrounded that noble animal and
laid train for his destruction. There
was a pepperbox rattle, fash, wall
Of FIRE aud a roar, then a cloud Of
smoke. Where, oh where, was thar
mule A moment later he was discov.
cred about the center Of the battle-
field. Being deaf he had heard moth
log. Being nearly asleep, he saw moth.
ing. But the smell woke him up,
He looked into the insurance Office
tipped an car forward like a cornstalE
in breeze, gave a quiet wink as much
as to say, lam in no hurry" and re
sUmed his nap This was provoking
and the boys sent a committee to buy
up all the big torpedoes and ONT
pound crackers and Roman candles il
he neighbqrhood. A stack Of thest
about Q yard high we're placed
under the middle Of tina
condemned mule-and between
his corrugated legs. Then the!
fairly built breast works around him
all innocent and dreamy as he was
There were crackers to the right o
him, crackers. to the left Of him crack
ers behind him and crackers beior
him-crackers under him, cracker
everywhere. A slow match was ap
piled, for it was slow mule. 1t was
moment Of awful suspense. Tn
ticking Of a pawnbroker's shop cOul
have been heard. The sappers an,
! miners did their work too we'll. Tn
t mine all went of at once. There wa
5 a quick fish, a vertebral shock,
reyerbrsting roar, a dense, murky at
mosphere. Strong men lodged int
the peighbcring saloons to escape Ii
/, falling hoofs and scraps of that prede.
tinated mule. Where, oh, where wa
that noble beasl2 Let the wild wave
J aud winds and wire fences answer an
deliver up their share. The crow
: gathered sOlemnly around, expectin
to see hole in the ground. You ms
break, you may shatter the vase II 70
i will, but the form Of that mule wa
standing there sill. He was wild
/, awake for once; his back was slight
arched, and his shoulders twitche
oon7ulsively, like Mark. Twain's frol
D when ordered to jump after swallow
; ing a tumbler full Of shot. Lookin
around at the wondering crowd in
reproving sort of a way, he wake
leisurely acrois the street, backed u
against the sidewalk and resumed hi
nap. The boys, now thoroughly rc
bukcd and ashamed Of themselves
! slipped away in different direction
and gave it up as bad job. Presider
: Hadden now came out with a quit
smile in bis eye and said: Boys,
expected some kind of a reception lik
this, aud | picked out a mule for th
. occasiOn--one that never scares.
!, He was right and the crowd was sold
t When that mule dies, If ever. the re
mains ought to be cut up and mad
into telephone wires.