The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-02-13
rnr Mrlrs wrRr rnrs
And Cnclc sans Transfers Hated io SOC
tho Faithful Workers 10,

n. Y. Herald
"At aftrcnl Al hftccn, Going al
eftcsp' Who saya tho haliH 10 l hear
ts only SIS tor this mWlcc Wy, gentle
,nrn. she's worth morcn that Il Shr never
,lti another lick ~ work Whoa, Wcnch
Nm, lttlc old darlmy' Fifteen dollars
/ am ofTorcd--can't gct the haltt III.
,ecn oncci no l hear the haltS Mo-
r,ftcen twice, Thltd and last call ana
solA 10 MIR Cart Tor SiA" And tto aVv-
tioneer. who was also the civilian ole'N
IN the pos, uuartermaStcr'S office, tcnIo'-
IN carrsscd the face gray with 0g'' ot
the little brown mule and, hrushlnS h'S
hand across his own eyes walked SLOWLY
hack TO his desk In the oRlcc,
Mench was led on to th1 olaoNsp''o
shop 10 be branded On the lctt ot the
n.,E with VI &. S"-"mspcctcd con.
demncd. sold" Twelve other mu''s ma"
pasScd under the hammer In front OF net
,bot mornlnr, and then TO the hrand,ng
iron. The last one before her was 1lin'
whose neck was stll smoking With the
burning mark Ot condemnation, lic nat
gene for nit,,d and halt
Two years ago ,Nr quartCrmoStcr hat
nlcked out McnCh and Jim tN submit Go
the inspector Tor condemnation, e0t ono
al a time the tcamstcrs had all come 10
plead for their retention, ami he had
Welded to their cptrcaticS, last year
arain he had marked them for the list,
but again gave way TO the pleas or thcir
friends and comrades, the teamstcrs. But
this time the chief QuartermaStcr stepped
in with his authority, and, remark'ng
that there was no place IN the quarter
masters department Tor sentiment or
dercd wench and jim to be condemned
and sold
For more than score OF years these
two little beasts have faithfully SERVED
the government. and all this tune they
have been mates, In the pack train they
jogScd along together; In the waSon
train they pulled over the same sprcadcr,
In the camp they ate out OF the same
feed box: In the stable they stood in the
same stall; in the corral they were al
ways found side by side, Tonight. Tor
the first time in this Quartcr-ccntury
they will be apart; FOR Jim was bought
bV Mr.. Hammond. and Wench was
knocked down to MIR, Garland Uncle
Sans excheQUcr Is richer by $3.50!
No place for sentiment IN the quarter
masters Department. Ot course not
yet. "Breathes there man with soul so
dead" that he does not believe these two
| little dumb creatures viii miss each other
this night. and many a night,
As the sale went on the teamsters stood
on one side like mouruers at a comradc's :
/ funeral: on tho other, the farmers and
ranchmen and contractors and lumber
men from twenty miles around. all there
! to bid In as cheap as possible the mules
| the quartermastcrs department was done
with. Against the name OF each mule
! In the list stood the legend. "Oll and
worn out In service"
/ There were old Rooney and Rcvls and
| Ross and SchAefler. and the rest OF the
! teamsters who had driven and packed
| these mules over thousands OF miles OF
mountain ana prairie. Are they 10 be
\ laughed at for wearing sad faces now ?
/ Yet, they bore the ordeal like good men
and true. until Jim was led out Then
/ YOU could see their sleeves, one after an
other, drawn across their eyes.
This here's awful, boys" old Rooney
remarked. Il can't stan ii. ia rather
see the government bust than SEE them
| two mules sold"
You're right Rooney" old Bevls
| spoke ~ COVER ment mean enough TO
| sell them two mules amt NJ 10 stand "
! But their comments were stopped by the
auctioneers third and last call ON poor
\ little Jim
/ After the sale was over a farmer. wear
| ing canvas overcoat that he had bought
| at previous sale Of condemned stuT. and
| that bore in the middle OF the back the
big black letters II. c." stepped up 10
! the teamstars and asked why they hated
so E.uch to see the last two mules sold
Why" asked old Schaeffcr half angry.
tossing the moisture of his wrlnkled
cheek Because they're the best frieads
! We ever had. Them two mules was
back with the peck train the day Custer
and his men was wiped out They to;el
packs during all the '75 and - cam
paigns gin the Indians They're ths
best pair o. leaders that was ever In this
corral they can drive theselves, and in
their young days, whenever there was d
| tight or skeery place to so through or a
hard pull to make. they was the first ones
called for They heped pull the Seventh
from here 10 Riley and ;he Eighth from
there up here. There's never been cam.
paign or a march from this post that
them mules ain't gone on it, And they've
never been separated until today; an
burned II | blieve they'll work lick by
the selves. do you. Bevis?"
Il sho' hope they won't" this old fel-
low answered bitterly And they walked
away to the teamsters' mess