The evening times., 1898-02-09
THE BLUE MULE OF QUITO VIC


nothing to distinguish him from the in
Vulnerable mules of oblivion except
streak of thin blue. hair forming q
tropical zone around his body Just be
hind his shoulders. Whether this was
natures frOlic or the freak of some
former owners humor Ricardo did not
inquire. That was lmmaterial. mas
much as the mule had four legs free
from eccentriCities and as the prudent
Ricardo had taken pains to demon
strate, could pull we'll at the arras-
trar-pOle.
Ricardo was delighted with his acqui-
sition. He could see in it the dawn of
a new prosperity, a rainbow of delight
ful promise. Mi favOrito," he ex-
claimed. patting the beast fOndly, as he
tethered and fed him on that first night
of his proud proprietorship; 'ah, mi fa-
vOrito." The mule placidly chewed the
straw which Ricardo offered. but did
not respond To his endearment with So
much as d wink.
1t was a brilliant moonlight night,
a fitting time and occasion for an ex-
change of sentiment. but there was a
blank expression on the mules face
that disturbed the impressionable Ri
cardo He disappeared returning with a
tallow candle, and held il before his
companions eyes as il more intently to
study his physiognomy. Not a shadow
of change passed over the beasts coun-
tenance; not a blink nor a sign of Gu
rioSity was aroused by the sputtering
dip. When his new and admiring own
Ell lifted his head, the blue mule gazed
calmly into the armament as though
the candle were a part of it, and then
NIL in int ha fp1
brought from the Valley of Sonoyta
fifty miles away, where things grow.
''Ay Ell estrangero," said Ricardo. re-
"swindler!" Ricardo could
express his thoughts in two languages,
but that was all he said. II was evil
dent that his mind had reverted un-
pleasantly TO him who had passed on.
Next morning Ricardo tied the mule
to the arrastrar-pole. fastened the
badge over his eyes, and set him at
work as though nothing had happen
ed. He spoke genially to his beast, hit
him inoffensively with the rawhide as
a mere matter of form, and the blue
mule ploGded cEeerily upon his end
less journey. Imagine circular pave
ment of large fiat stones, with
double rim made of two rows of small
er stones set on edge; in the center an
upright revolving shaft from which a
pole radiates horizontally to the out
side of the circle bound to the pole
midway a heavy block of granite. and
hitched to the poles outer end the blue
mule. burro comes down from the
mountains with $50 pounds of ore on
his heroic little back. and gets his
first drink of water for three days.
Ricardo dumps the ore into the puddle
of water and quicksilver I'm the arras-
trar, and ii is ground into a paste as
the mule drags that heavy block of
granite over it in the little circle.
Walking around and around. the
beast would become dizzy were he not
blindfolded-one readily sees that and
congratulates the hoodwinked mules
on the happy and honorable way in
which they have been befooIed into
thinking they are getting ahead.
A swarthy. corpulent man with
straight black hair and feeble fuzz of
beard, contrasting humorously with his
great bulk. passed by and grunted at
Ricardo. The mule-driver saluted
gravely. He saw nothing incongruous
in the alcade's beard. nor could he re-
gard with aught but seriousness the
great man of the town and district. sole
representative of law and authority.
owner of the mills. and virtual proprie-
tor of the town and it's inhabitants.
Woe be to the peon who should incur
the ill-will of the alcade or of the al
cade's hairless dog trotting by his side,
Another traveller came down the
sandy path. Although Ricardo had
been attending faithfully to his work.
a thrill had come to his consciousness
at the moment she came through the
opening that never opened or shut, the
one door Of the alcade's house. He
looked up as IL gracious cloud had
passed before the sun In that cloudless,
pitiless sky. saw the girl, and smiled.
MuchO calor." he said as she drew
near. Topics of conversation are much
the same in all lands and among all