The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1898-08-19

I Quicken 1 KIN tel yOu be swung That
rat up over his head an slapped II down
I k'splosh on a big stone that lays in
I there Three times he done that. an
I then cbuclzed the rat to one side. There
want 10 more life nor backbone left
IN it than there is in a wet dishrag.
Ny OF woman come along les then an
says:
~"Great Peenpaeki Amt he a
snOrterl"
An that got to be his name, though
I've always been sorry didn't call him
Hurricane Dick.
''Just then a mule in a log inclosure
on the opposite side Of the road raised
its voice In the most prolonged and ex-
asperating heehaw I ever heard a mule
emit.
That's Limpin BeIix,' said the na-
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. bought that
mule three years ago. I got him cheap,
an he 'peered like a bargain First
time tried him took him down in the
lot yonder to plOW corn He yanked the
piow the satisfyinest kind two OF three
times acrOst the lot, an then he stopped,
braced hisself, an hung down his ears
I cOaxed him, an I laid the CAD on him,
an 1 prOdded him with a pitchfork, but
he never paid no more attention to me
than If I was a house fly.
81 7 IabOred with him for an hour, but,
as nigh as I could make out. that mule
had made up his mind to stand there in
the sun till the Judgment day. was
maxim up my mind to 60 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, jabbed his bib way down inter
the mules ear, an hollered things in
that ear that was hair-raisin' 70 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 he 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 dealin' with, anyhow. Shorter,
he sOcked his claws an his spurs inter
the mule an rammed his head so fur
inter the mules ears that thort sure
he were gOrin' his bill through to get
at what brains the mule had An yell
Great Wildcat how he did yell things
way down ag'in the drum o that mules
earl An POOty 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.
50 Mex day he had a notion to 60 on
strike ag'in, but I got Shorter round
where he was, an he buckled IN Ike all
'persessed an from that time TO this
he's been the bes' mule in the deestric'-
This mOrnin', though, L 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 1 hain't been able to get nigh
him. He knows that Sporter's dead, an
he's gloatin', an he won't never be with
a cent to me ag'in, except as bait fer a
bear trap!
SO fer four year, pOoty nigh, that
amazin' rooster has cleaned this here
clearin' O rats an weasels an hawks
Even bar seems to have heerd o Snort
er, for there hain't one bothered US
sence he broke that mule. I pose we
won't be able to keep a sheep nor a
pig, though, now, soon as it gifts out
through the deestric' that Shorter is
dead. 1 wouldn't feel so clean cut up
and banged down by 1t, though, if we
could only find a feather layin' round
anywhere. Shorter died student an
complete.
Down yOnder long the creek they're
wOrkin' 4 stone quarry Shorter hadn't
never been down to look the works over
till yeste'day afternoon. Then he
meandered that way, jest as the men
had Knocked of for dinner. Sam Sill
Ger brought the news up. He said he
was settin' under a tree, ten rod or 50
from the quarry, eatin' his grub. He
seen Shorter wallzin' over that way, an
lOokin' u3 by an by he sees the son Of
a hurricane tuggin' away at sumpin'
the iercest kind. Sam got up an went
lords the quarry to see what Shorter
was exterminatin'. He got POOty nigh
the spot wheTf he see Shorter swing
sumpin' up over his head TO fetch IL
down ag'in on a rock, jes' like he killed
rats. Sam says when he see that ne
turned an run away as fast as his
legs'd carry him, but he hadn't gone
more'n three steps when sumpin' went
OF tremendous Sam was tumbled fat,
an he said he heerd stones an things
droppin' around there fer a matter o.
two minutes OF 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 a cellar. Sam has an
idee that Shorter dislzivered the strings
hangin' out Of some cartridges they
blast with at the quarry, the cartridges
being kivered up. Shorter, thinkini
they was rats tails, jes' went for one,
an never knowed his mistake. That's
Sans idee, an the heft O evidence is /
that he hain't fur from right.
So you kin ruther imagine that
there's gloom settin' down on this clear I
in thicker'n heas on a groun'hOg dog.
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