The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-02-16
MICKY'S MULES,
BY ED. Mort.

down by the big stove where few MEM
bers of the Fairchild House Circle were
listening 10 Packy Griswold's narrative OF
his three days experience in New York,
last week. Taking advantage OF pause
in the recital, caused by sscky's stopping
20 look up a few facts and figures in his
note book, the red haired man said:
"Micky Callahan's mules don't haul logs
clear TO Sniveley's mill any more. They've
got on 10 a scheme that saves them two
mile trip"
Every one but Packy at once became
interested in the red haired stranger-not
that the narrative of the New York ex-
perience did not please the circle, but
Packy they have with them always; the
red haired stranger was only q transient
"pm glad to hear that Mickys mules
have got on to n scheme" said Landlord
Ross to the haired man. "Glad to
hear it."
The stranger smiled, took OFF his blue
spectacles, and rolled one sleeve of his
ulster up off his hand. He was about to
speak when Packy continued his narra-
tive.
81 was only mad once while ] was in
New York, - he said, "and that was when
boarded an elevated railroad train.
g" Conductor says i, stop and let me
off at 403 Broadway street.
The conductor looked sassy at me and
says:
"'You ought to took the elevated road
that runs on Bowery street and got off at
the corner OF Battery and Harlem he
says
$50 was so mad at making the mistake
in railroads that got of at the next stop
and took street car"
hams mules" said the red haired man.
" They'd have yanked you to your stop
ping place, slick and clean. Do you love
mules?"
The glare that Mr.. Griswold gave the
stranger was received by the latter with a
nod.
81 see you DON'T" he said. Neither
dol. In fact, have always regarded the
mule with awe. To convince you that l
am not partial TO the mule, and refer TO
Micky Callahan's from no desire TO laud
the race of mules through them, / will
state that in my younger days / was a
blacksmith. When the late war broke
out had two great opportunities open TO
me. One was to enlist in the army at SIS
a month and go to the front, and the
other was to take the job OF shoeing the
mules of a big tannery at $50 n month and
found. gave the two opportunities care
full thought, and concluded to take my
chances in the army. SO you may gather
somewhat from this that l had my opin-
ion of the mule, and in some respects /
have not modified it even yet. But Micky
Callahan's mules have changed my mind
on great many things relating TO their
kind.'
81 don't know anything about Mieky
- 4
Mr.. Griswold, recognizing the presence
of the red haired man for the first time,
"but wouldn't be afraid to bet some
thing that it would tucker 'em a good
deal to haul out of the water some of the
fish saw in New York. Talk about fish
up here In Lake Keukal Why, say, boys,
you remember that six-pound bass l
ketched down of o. Bluff Point that was
the talk from one end o. the lake to the
other? Well, pshaw! That big bass
wouldn't be more than decent bait fish
for some o. the bass i Haw in New York.
One thing kind o. puzzled me, though,
and that was them big bass being red all
over instead OF black, and / asked the
fishman what caused that.
"Well, you see,' he says, them bass
has got awful tempers, and they think they
know more than ordinary fish, too. so
when they get ketched and find it out
they fare up and turn red with rage.
But they are short lived and die before
they can get over their mad, and they flush
of temper stays with 'em in death. That's
what the fshman told me, and it looks
reasonable, don't it?"
Most assuredly it doesl" said the red
haired man. "Ten times more reasonable
than used to think most things sounded
that were told and written about mules.
Why, formerly looked with a cautious
and suspicious eye on every narrative l
came across in the newspapers having for
its object the exploitation of the mule.
These narratives generally exhibited the
mule as an acrobatic or gymnastic genius,
or as habitually addicted TO feats of Won
derful strength and surprising agility.
The destructible qualities of the mule,
also, were always particularly interesting
and startling features Of these tales. So
/ invariably laid them aside, within
convenient reach, so that l might find
them readily when / wanted to refresh
myself with really able and artistic lie.
But / want to say right now that
j have changed my mind in that respect
have seen what the mule can do, even
when circumstances over which it has no
control call for the exercise OF its GYM
nastic and acrobatic genius, and when its
reputation for agility and indestructi-
bility is at stake. have seen this, and i
feel that / have harbored in my mind
great injustice, not only to the mule, but
90 its historians, whose ideal mule never
in their Widest dreams OF its superhuman
capacity came out SO strong in its role OF
the impossible as did pair of real live
mules which came under my observation
not long ago. And those mules were
Micky Callahan's.
"Not all over the country has October
defed November, laughed December 10
scorn, and usurped the rights of January
as IL seems TO have done in this favored
locality. Weeks ago, over in northwestern
Pennsylvania, Old Boreas was laughing,
hal hal and the snow was n foot deep. |
was knocking around among the lumber
settlements and ran across an old friend
OF mine who lives at Mason's Topland.
The place isn't large, but IL Is named
well, for Msson's is on top of all tho