Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

everlasting conflict between them.
He also owned and controlled meek
and motherly wife who pulled down the
scales at hundred and fifty. 1t die
look like she could have managed Major
Duck, but she couldn't, and the conse
quence was that all her aspirations were
dwarfed.,
One of the tricks of the mule was te
stop to drink at every puddle, and
another was to come to dead halt al
the forks of ever road Ii Major Duck
wanted to go the road to mill, the mule
wanted to go the road to meeting; and
if Major Duck wanted to go to meeting
the mule would set his head on going to
mill.
The mule was as wicked rs Ahab that
tempted Israel to sin.
sl[ugh! by gad' said the Major, I'll
Farm We some manners, We brute. I'll
fix set O gear fur We that'll poster We
eff hit don't cyore We. Humph. by CAD y
Down in the wire grass they didn't
have any vehicles but those little two
wheeled carts with long shafts and a
back band over the saddle, and the
Major sat astraddle of the mule, with a
foot on either shaft, and drove.
There was nothing to prevent the
cart fitting up if it got too heavy be-
hind, and such catastrophe was not
infrequent
The Major fixed some rawhide straps
driven full of sharp nails that passed
from the shoulders clean around the
kicking end Of the mule, and he fixed
some lines that hung back in the cart.
The mule would kick up when the Ma
jor tried to force him to go the proper
course.
Every time the Major would hitch
up, the mule would kick up until the
dispute was settled.
"Humph! by CAD, Betsy" said Ma
jor Duck to his wife, eye hain't had
much Enjoyment, an perpose to let We
go to mill with me to-day an ridein the
cyart."
Il b'leive I'd ruther stay at home"
"Ye had, had We? Humph! by CAD!
Flew all to flinders when 1 could carry
ye to see yer nanny, in the heat O
crap time. Now we've got to go. I've
got business for We. Ye're just like yer
nanny any how. Always do jest what
we hain't wanted to do"
The cart was loaded with q couple Of
corn sacks, and the mule was harnessed
properly. AS the Major arranged his
compulsory harness tackle and flung
the lines into the cart, he remarked,
with hitch Of his breeches:
"Humph, by CAD! Bounce in, Betsy,
an when that ere mule stops and don't
want to go the right way, humph. by
CAD! You jest tighten them ropes, an
when say stick the dobbins to 'em, do
you set back on them lines"
"Mr. Duckworth, you're agwine to
cause that ERE mule to do sump'n dan
gers an Tn afeared to projick with
your tixments. S'rosen he were to run
away an 1 were to be kilt? You'd be
sorry then"
Sorry? Humph!by CAD! Ha;nt ther
es good fish in the sea as ever were
cotch out'n it? Humph! by CAD! I'd
get me another un. But, don't you fret.
This ere mules too much like jackass
to run away. His game is to fight it
out, an humph! by CAD! I'm agwine to
give i'm chance"
Down the road the little cart trundIed,
and the major kept chuckling to him
self
"Humph! Ivy gad"
At the top of long slope the roads
forked. About half mile ahead was a
little muddy branch. Both of these
points were among the battle grounds
of the major and the mule.
Just so. When they came to the forks
of the road the mule stopped short.
"Humph! by CAD I'm agwine to give
EN- jest one chance, dadborn yer picter.
Go long!"
The mule veered to the left and the
major pulled to the right.
go long, 1 say"
The mule sided to the left.
"Humph! by CAD slet yer eyes an
set back, an stick the dobbins to i'm,
Betsy"
Betsy set back and fetched mighty
pull.
There was wild bray Of surprise and
pain, and that mule flung his heels into
the air, and the wheels of the little cart
only touched the high places, as they
spun along the rooty road.
Betsy had set back little too far,
and she held to the lines to hold her
position, and that drove the spikes in
deeper.
Major Duck had to hold down the
shafts with his feet and cling to the
mules neck with his hands, and away