Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-06-16
dads GAME ~;
PETER sHAo AND THAT MULE COLT.
A MISSISSIPPI STORY.
As Told by the Late Colonel $. l.. Harmon
Iror the Diapatch.

evening. Mr.. Lawyer Dillon" Come in"
said Dillon, land take seat by the fire
and warm yourself" The lad kicked a
pound or two of mud from his boots and
| stepped gingerly and with extreme caution
( across the carpet TO the fire and seated
/ himself. He was thinly clad and shiyering
! from cold. His broad-brimmed hat was
| turned mp in front and pushed far back
upon his head, exposing his large blue
| eyes, deep, well-tormed brow, and large
red face sprnkled with freckles; but
| honest and omen, and marking him farm
/ cr's boy of some sixteen summers, and
/ who might have passed as Texas cowboy.
/ well. Captain, Major. Colonel, Gineral,
/ or what ever they calls you-I believe it's
perlite ever sense the war ter call the town
/ folks and rich men by some big name"
said the boy.
NV name is simply Horace Dillon" said
| Dillon with pleasant smile.
/ well. Lawyer Dillon, then. my name If
simply Peter Shad, the same as was fetched
/ up in 'Possum HOller. Ilarnedyou wanted
/ or Oflice-bOy.n
! Horace Dillon told him that he would
/ doubtless make good clerk for a lawyer,
| but that in so small place as Batesville
( he did not require one.
/ well" said the boy. Pm monsus sorry
Won don't want no boy, kais | Is powerful
/ sot on being a lawyer. | believe I'll be
/ goin now. as | have nothin' more to say,
! and rs done saint the Doctor on out home
ahead on me-"
MAY ] ask who is sick at your house,"
"Sartinly. Nobody. Pap's sorter bruised
! and skint up"
How did it occur;"
at wuznt er cur er tall hit was sumpn
/ er darn sight wuss."
- mean, how did it happen?'
90, yes. / drap on TO 1t now. Would you
| keer 10 know
Certainly, if you have no objection to
| telling me-"
The bov chuckled. drew his chair nearer
/ the fire, set his feet against the mantel-
piece, pulled from his pocket Il bundle OF
/ homegrown tobacco leaves, selected a
! leaf. smoothed it out, and putting one end
/ of il in his mouth proceeded 70 wind
/ II in after the manner of COW taking IN n
corn-shuck, pulled off his hat and dropped
| it on the floor; strOked back his sandy
! hair. and said: "Mcll, lawyer, its right
! funny ef il wuz my daddy. We all IS had
| sum trouble in our time, and don't you
| forget hit. Aull OF my five sisters jine the
! church every spring and does mighty well
/ twill the nights begin 10 git long III winter,
I and the Young folks gets to gathering
| round at cuttings. caudy-punings, an
| SIGH, and then they falls fun grace. They
say the preacher don't know what he's tai k
| ing bout: why didn't David play the fiddle
/ and dance before the Lord and gineny-
crymany. YOU Just aughter see 'em dance
/ that hugin' dance, Whar they grabs one
another and whirls round and round twill
! they gifts twisted an tangled up waSenei
| den the old turkey gobblers err tighten.
| Then the ParsOn he say faint spectacle
and hits sinful and q gal what would hug
/ in the dance would hug IN the dark ana
| Pap he lowed dancing won't no wusser den
| lambs playing in big gully, and 1t were
/ a SIGHT better than gWlue from house 10
! house carving news and kaslonlng neigh
| bors 10 fail out The Parson he got hot
! PICARD like Pap had put a cap ON his head
| that fitted too woil-and he pitched IN 10
! 'busing Pap twill Nam cOuldent stand It,
an She said TO Pap. she did, that she
| always knoWed he never had 40 sperit nor
no sand in his giZzard." Mld that Pap ht
upon that parsOn like duck upon JunnY-
! bug and rode him all over the yard, and
was hollcring to the ParsOn to buck an Il
| fling the old man. and Nam she was tell
/ inc the old man to give 1t TO him.
and anxious to take a hand herself but
| she was always for fair play and
wouldn't help her old man. But when !
/ told the Parson to buck and fling the old
| man she just flew at me and knocked the
stufting Outen me.
Yves had a bunance er trouble in our
i y.
| Pan cum home drunk. He shut the back
| cate and thought it wuZ the back door and
! that he WIZ IN the house. He jest LAID
! down on the cold ground. Mex morning,
! fore God. be wuZ most freq 10 death, ana
Mann had TO rub him four mortal hours
| fore she could timber him up. But for all
| this. Pap Wuz still the bull Of the woods
| and amt no Trader of a wildcat IAN you IS
nv a tame kitten. But | always said he
/ would meet up with his match, and show
/ 'uuf he did. You see, he tuck II IN ms
! head luther day 10 break Wild Bill. the
mule colt. what was four year old about
/ fodder-pulling time Nam lowed he WIS
/ cittin too old 10 be fooling long Of colts,
| but he lowed he had been West and know
| ed all about fore-lcgged critters, and " on
( recon Pm a skered Of a darn little mule
| colt ," And Nam said she did. Old man,
remember, caution Is not tear, nor rashness
| val0r's test
The old man sorter smiled, he did: said
| he'd rid 'em on the western plains. Taxed
| him to femme ride him, bat he lowed was
! too reckless to ride "a Wild mule. As !
| knowd he was powerful hard-Winded, and
| so was the mule. didn't sed nothln' We
an the gals went down IN the field 10 help
him. and 20 see the fun, We did.
We drove the critter ny III or fence cor
ner. an kept Qitten klOsur an klOsur. Sal
! an two or three nv the luther gals ,huck
! thur cotes twill they skered him jam up
crgainst tho fence. Pap crawlcd up on he
fence and flung runnlng-nOOse over ms
head, an lowed that was the way he used
% rope 'em on the plains Then he took
stitch rOun lis nose like he was knitting
on a fsh-hook. an lowed he did, that That
kind of halter was what the AllNkin
called "a bow-saul. He let his self down
from the fence. easy ike, astraddle nv the
mule The mule sorter squatted, ne dld,
an kinder shiy red an his eyes popped
out Ike snails horns an looked
skercd at the gals shakin' thar
coats. The old man shouted, " clar
the track. the riders up The gals run
outen the way and the mule made break
and here he come or charging an or snort
inc. an or rarriug an or pitching, twill
somehow ne got one fore le- over the rope;
an Jest sls il was titenen Pap toCh er altired
quick snatch an down cum the crittcr with
the slip-knot er choal,in him. SO he lald
thar. he did, ct watering his eyes. nat $
the WAY flung 'em in Texas enc time OF the
NGxikin war" sed Pap, an he straddledthe
mule aein an told me TO let him up. | had
to take the stitch often his nose tore |
could loosen the shp-knot, an When /
lnoseucd il an Gin him wind an fore /
could cit the stitch back on his nose the
kusscd mule sprung up quicker AN light
ming an commenced er rarIlng and pitch
ING ike a Mustang pony an or pulling an
blowing like er steem injlne what's trying
10 bust Its biler. Up an down he went,
standing fust on one can, then on luther
"Wo-wo-wo. Bill. ~ ses Pap but the darn
mule colt didn't wo worth er cent an Kept
eitten wusser. They Waited roun' an
roun'. The old man sashaid from
one can OF the critter ter luther. Sum
times he wer on the root OF his tan,
then with his head twixt the blamed mules
ears. then up in the arr, then down on the
mules back bobin' up an down Ike
chur-dashcr. he WIS, while the gals WIS
screemin an or yelling ter him ter Jump
off: bus the more they hollered the more
Pan frez ter that kussed mule colt. P'aP's
white locks WIS or tiashiu' III the sunshine
an or poppin Ike whip-crackers, by en-
bv the evcrlastin critter stood on his tore
Ices with his heels in the arr-stuek his
head twixt his legs, an down cum the old
man with q belly-buster on the ground.
After stompin' him and kickin' at nm the
'tarpal critier shot across the field Ike a
old Mollv-CottOn-Ta with y greyhound
arter her, draggin poor Pap by the rope
what had cot fastened round his arm Er
cloud of dust rize up behind them, an
never hered Sch er alfred racket IN my
-, do,,s az they made gwlne thru the