Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-11-13
FINUEGANs MULE.
From the Oakland Times.

their hands-and that the talent for
storytelling IS one that is cultivated
to an alarming extent amongst them
as Il means of making the braves 60 to
theirgrayes OF course the natural
result Of this that great many duh
anecdotes told by duller men are al
lowed to pass muster as means Of
raising a lazy laugh, now and again,
but there is diamond in the dullness
occasionally, and it CLEANS all the
brighter for its dingy surroundings.
OF such was a stoiy that / heard down
in Arizona one day in a summer that l
passeg iE the land of the sun. 1t was
at one of the forts, no matter which
one, and there wasa group of officers
seated upon the vcranda of the largest
land coolest house in the quarters, just
atsunset. Beyond the blue mountains
in the west there arose, into the sky
Iquiyerlng rays or red and green and
lyellcw flaming to the zenith as
though the sun were 10th to quit the
valley upon which it had beat down so
Gcrcely all the day long, and over the
White sand that formed the soil about
the past there had come a grateful
shadow that was not yet relieved by
the coolness OF shade, Far out across
the plain gaunt forms of cactus stood
up like solitary broken columns in
some forgotten ruin, and closer at
hand were few gnarled aud ragged
mesquite trees under which halfuaked
Indians were louDging. 1t was the
most pleasant part OF the day the
darkness drops down and enyelops the
earth while the sunset lights are yet
in The SKY. Sudden Il monster jack
rabOitloped gracefully out lu front Of
The yeruda and paused for moment,
q gaze knowingly at the group Of men
whywc:c louuging there, TO lazy, abso-
Wtyls to attempt even TO crafty the
perfectly human passion for Slaughter.
"That jack, yawned the Colonel at
last, knocking the ashes from his
cigar and turning half round in his
big rocking Chair, reminds me Of
Fianegan's mule. Ever hear the story
OF Finnegan's mule? You knew Ned
FiRaogoH Major, lie was acontractorl
dowuat Tpcson before the railroad
was pat through. Well, you know the
army people had a wonderful idea OF
Tie climate OF Arizona, in those days.
IhougAt it was hell, litorally-and
after twenty years experience l am
constrained TO say that they are about
rlglt. Wen, FiGnegan had the usual
weakness Of contractor-but he was
really tie most accommodating fellow
you ever saw. lie was killed by old |
Cochise oyerin ella county, poor chap. |
Int about the mule. You see there (
was a g,eat demand for mules for am
buiaace sery ces in those days-it WAS
whea was captain under old |
Colonel G-, the Apaches hayinga a |
tg.c& ufual ug gonal ours they could .
t4e Colonel drew for the
finest lQrin Calfornia for his own
pa Iicua, USE. Wellthey came as far
as Tucson, being consigned to the
care Of F,unegan there, and people
who saw them say they were the
largestaId finest span that ever came
across Tie Colorado. They were per-
feet beauties! Wei, somehow, those
mules never got to the post aud
the Colonel stormcd about
it, he never could get satisfaction out
Of Finnegaa The mules had disap-
peared utterly. Well, you remember
when General went ON his
famous tourof Inspection though the
west and wrote beck about il, tell
wonderful things than ever
happened to any twenty men. He
struck Tucson finally, and Of course
Finnegan led in getting up areception
to him. He always came out strong in
that sort OF thing. The general had
those miiles in his minds eye, how
ever and he had heard Of Finnegan.
There was the usual parade, with
brass band aud speech making, and
Finnegan rode la the front carriage
with the General After it was ali
over they took drive oct to Silver
Lake, and ON the way the General
looh occasion to boach the subject Of
The mules. But Funegan was not dis
IufNed. j. ess you, he had been there