Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-08-26

door here, an you'll notice that some o.
them sizes up a leetle hefty theirselves.
Quickern I kin tell you he swung that
rat up over his head an slapped it down
ksplosh on a big stone that lays in
there. Three times he done that, an
then chucked the rat to one side. There
want no more life nor backbone left
in 1t than there is in a wet dishrag.
My oil woman come along jes' then an
says:
""Great Peenpack! Amt he Q
snorter!"
| San that got to be his name, though
I've always been sorry didn't call him
Hurricane Dick
| Just then a mule in log Enclosure
on the opposite side of the road raised
its voice in the most prolonged and ex-
asperating heehaw ever heard mule
emit.
"'That's Limpin Belix,' said the ma
tive. He hain't sung like that in three
| years afore. He knows Shorter is dead,
an he's gloatin'. That's another thing
that weighs me down. 1 bought that
mule three years ago. got him cheap,
an he 'peered like bargain. First
| time tried him took him down in the
| lot yonder to plow corn. He yanled the
pillow the satisfyinest kind two or three
times acrost the lot, an then he stopped,
braced hisself, an hung down his ears.
l coaxed him, an laid the CAD ON him,
an proddeI him with pitchfork, but
he never paid no more attention to me
! than if 1 was house fly.
Il labored with bin for an hour, but,
as nigh as 1 could make out, that muIs
had made up his mind to stand there In
the sun till the Judgment day. 1 was
maxim up my mind to go home an let
him stand, when along come Shorter.
He seen right away what was up, an
he turned his hurricane natur' loose on
to that mule. He hoped up on the
mules neck, socked his toes inter his
name, jabhed his bill way down inter
the mules ear, an hollered things in
that ear that was hair-raisin' to hear
The mule was took back tremendous,
but he was a mule, an he riz his heels
lords the sky, an Topped his ears, an
shook his head, an tried to skeer that
rooster away. But be didn't know
Shorter was the son of hurricane, an
arter awhile he kind O. settled down
an began to look round to diskiver what
he was 6ealin' with, anyhow. Shorter,
he socked his claws an his spurs inter
the mule an rammed his head SO fur
inter the mules ears that 1 thort sure
he were gorin' his bill through to get
at what brains the mule had. An yell!
hn Il oil
way down ag'in the drum O. that mules
ear! An poorly soon the mule begun to
look skeert, an by and by give up, hung
his head, an went to plowin' as if he had
never quit an never intended to.
"'Nex' day he had a notion to 60 on
strike ag'in, but 1 got Shorter round
where he was, an he buckled i'll like all
'persessed an from that time to this
he's been the bes' mule in the deestric'.
This mornin', though, went out to
put the harness on him, an what does
he do but kick up, an heehaw an hee-
haw, sumpin' he hadn't done in three
years, an haiu't been able to get nigh
him. He knows that Snorter's dead, an
he's gloatin', an he won't never be with
a cent to me ag'in, except as bait fer
bear trap!
$50 fer four year, pooty nigh, that
amazin' rooster has cleaned this here
clearin' O. rats an weasels an hawks.
Even bar seems to have beerd o. Snort
err, for there hai1tt one bothered us
sence he broke that mule. Is'pose we
won't be able to keep a sheep nor
pig, though, now, soon as it gifts out
through the deestric' that Shorter is
dead. wouldn't feel so clean cut up
and banged down by it, though, if we
could only find feather layin' round
anywhere. Shorter died student an
complete.
"'Down yonder long the creek they're
workin' stone quarry. Shorter hadn't
never been down to look the works over
till yesterday afternoon. Then he
meandered that way, jest as the men
had knocked off for dinner. Sam Sill
GER brought the news up. He said he
was settin' under q tree, ten rod or 30
from the quarry, eatih' his grub. He
seen Shorter walkin' over that way, an
lookin' up by an by he sees the son Of
hurricane tuggin' away at sumpin'
the fercest kind. Sam got up an went
lords the quarry to see what Shorter
was exterminatin'. He got Pcoty nigh
the spot when he see Shorter swing
sumpin' up over his head to fetch it
down ag'in on rock, jes' like he killed
rats. Sam says when he see that he
turned an run away as fast as his
legs'd carry him, but he hadn't gone
more'n three steps when sumpin' went
Off tremendous. Sam was tumbled fiat,
an he said he heerd stones an things
droppin' around there fer a matter o.
two minutes or more. When he could
git up and look back at the quarry, all
he could see O. Shorter was hole in the
ground as big as cellar. Sam has an
idee that Shorter diskivered the strings
| hangin' out Of some cartridges they
blast with at the quarry, the cartridges
being kivered up. Shorter, thinkin'
they was rats tails, jes' went for one,
| an never knowed his mistake. That's
Sans idee, an the heft O. evidence is