The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-13
THE BLUE MULE OF QUITOVIC.

When Ricardo bought the mule of the
stranger who passed on, there was moth
ing to distinguish him from the innumer-
able mules of oblivion except a streak
of thin blue hair forming a tropical zone
around his body just behind his Shout
ders. Whether this was natures frolic
or the freak of some former owners hui
NOR Ricardo did not inquire. That was
immaterial, inasmuch as the mule had
four legs free from eccentricities and. as
the prudent Ricardo had taken pains TO
demonstrate, could pull we'll at the ar
rastrar pole.
Ricardo was delighted with his acquisi-
ton. He could see in it the dawn of a
new prosperity, a rainbow of delightful
promise. mi favorto!' he exclaimed
patting the beast fondly, as9he tethered
and fed him on that first night of his
proud proprletorship; "ah, mi favoritor
The mule placidly chewed the straw which
Ricardo offered but did not respond to
his .endearment with so much as a wink
1t was a brilliant moonlight night q
fitting time and occasion for an exchange
of sentiment, but there was blank ex-
preston on the mules face that disturbed
the impressionable Ricardo. He disap-
peared, returned with tall
low candle, and held il be-
fore his companions eyes as if more
intently to study his physiognomy. Not a
shadow of change passed over the beasts
countenance; not a blink nor a sign of
curiosity was aroused by the sputtering
dip When his new and admiring owner
lifted his head, the blue mule gaZed
calmly into the armament as though the
candle were a part of it and then plunged
his nose again into the straw brought
from the valley of Sonoyta, fifty miles
away, where things grow.
GAY, ell estrangero!' said Ricardo re-
swinder!" Ricardo could ex-
press his thoughts in two languages, but
that was all he said. 1t was evident that
his mind had reverted unpleasantly 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 happened He spoke genially
to his beast, hit him inoffensively with the
rawhide as a mere matter of form, and the
blue mule plodded cheerily upon his end
less journey. Imagine a circular pave
ment of large fiat stones with double
rim made of two rows of smaller stones
set on edge; in the center an upright re-
volving shaft from which a pole radiates
nOf1LOnJdlly 10 the OulSluG OF the circle.
bound to the pole midway a heavy block
of granite, and hitched to the poles outer
end the blue mule. A 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. Ri
cardo dumps the ore into the puddle of
water and quicksilver in the arrastrar
and it Is ground into a paste as the mule
drags that heavy block of granite over Ii
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 befooled into thinking they
are getting ahead
A swarthy, corpulent man with straight
black hair and a feeble fuzz of beard con-
trastlng humorously with his great bulk.
passed by and grunted at Ricardo. The
mule-driver saluted gravely. He saw moth
ink homogeneous in the alcaldes beard. nor
could he regard with aught but seriousness
the great man of the town and district
sole representative of law and authority.
owner of the mills and virtual PROPRIETOR
of the town and its Inhabitants Woe be
to the peon who should incur the ill-will of
the alcalde or of the alcalde's hairless dos
trotting by his side!
Another traveller came down the sandy
path. Although Ricardo had been attend
ing 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 alcal
des house. He looked UP as IL a gracious
cloud had passed before the sun in that
cloudless, pitiless sky saw the girl. and
smiled:
"Mucno calor," he said as she drew near
Topics of conversation are much the same
in all lands and among all classes and con-
ditions.