The Anaconda standard., 1899-02-01

up for lost time. He fetched up in
| Breck's blacksmith shop, and Breck tied
him up until the squire came limpin'
in on his trail and got him. The butch
| er's hoss got as far as the crossroads,
| a mile on t'other side o. town fore any
body headed him off and stopped him.
| The Docs old hoss cut the whole cir
cult O. town, and got across the main
road jest about a half second before
| Nose Rich's team came tearin along
| that way, or he'd been swept off the
| face o. the earth, for Noses team was
| jest more than flyin', though Nose was
| hangin' on to EN- and see-saWin EN-
| the best he knowed how The Docs
| old hoss circled round and came to
stop plumb on the spot he started from,
| and hadn't broke a darn thing. Nose
! didn't git his team to standstll not
| until he run 'em square ag'in the side
| O. Jackson's barn, two miles below
| town. Bushville hain't had no setch
days sport since Ben Ledyard's tame
bear got loose and
But what has all this got to do with
this scene in your Uncle Johns wood
shed? l broke in with, getting little
impatient.
J" Well, said he, I told you Uncle
Johns mules run away, didn't I? Them
mules were never known to ever think
of doin' setch a thing as that before.
'mazing as Doc Wiggins's old hoss
Dandy runin' away. All this here
hain't happened nore'n two hours ago.
You see we never knowed Johnny had
a theory, and we only jest found it uot
awhile ago. Johnny and his little
brother Sammy went to town with the
| mules this mornin'-its that little pair
O. mouse colored mules of Uncle Johns,
gentle as kittens. I rode as far as
Beams place with EN-, at the foot of
the big hill. down yender about a mile.
l was at Beams yet workin, when I
see Johnny and Sammy and the mules,
about two hours ago, go by ag'in on the
way home. I see 'em ag'in Jest as they
was rising the top O. the hill. looked
at the ground, and when I looked up
the mules was gone, but the sled and
Johnny and Sammy was comm down
that hill like railroad train.
There's creek at the foot of that
hill 15 foot wide and foot deep. There's
a plank bridge across it. didn't have
time to more than wonder what Johnny
and Sammy and the sled was comm
back for, hind end to, before the sled
reached the bridge at the foot of the
hill sheered off to one side, and turned
summerset from the bridge to the
creek, landin' bottom side up. and
ketchin' Johnny and Sammy under it,
like chipmunks in a box trap. Me and
Beam run and tipDed the sled uu and
It there the young un's sot, up to their
chins in water, and yellin like wild
cats. We drug 'em out, and we hadn't
more than done it when Squire Rey-
nold's hoss came down the hill, the
sleigh a-sailin' after him like the tail of
kite. Soon as we got Johnny and
Sammy to the house. and some dry
clothes on 'em and they had quit shiv-
erin and shakin', 1 says to them:
Where's the mules?"
" '"Thev'ya gone ODIp saws Johnny
SO hurried on here to tell the folks
that Johnny and Sammy was all right,
cause I knowed when the mules got
home without 'em the folks would be
Uneasy / met Squire Reynolds limpin'
on after his hoss and Sleigh and I
think he was cussin' our mules. I guess
1t amt hardly an hour sence Johnny
and Sammy got home. cause I had to
go back with some clothes for 'em. So
L kin sa-- that Uncle John has only Jest
learnt that Johnny had a theory.
Seems that his theory was that a mule
had a certain spot on him that was the
tenderest spot on a mule. AS Johnny
and Sammy and the mules was raisin'
the hill time I seen 'em from Beams
Johnny was eXplainin his theory to
Sammy.
'''"Sammy," says he, "do you know
where that tenderest spot on a mule
iS?''
Sammy says to Johnny that he
didn't have no idea where it was
Then I'll show YOU" says john
ny, and he riz in the sled and give the
off mule a clip on one of his ears with
the long whip. This must d been the
time l looked down to see the ground.
and when looked up ag'in see that the
mule was gone and that Johnny and
Sammy must a been right, for as nigh
as we have learnt the mule that he
clipped on the ear jest give leap like
a deer and t'other mule done the same
That tore 'em loose from the sled and
away they went. The sled. not being
at the top of the hill, couldn't git no
further without the mules, and so
started back with Johnny and Sammy
1t was jest as you was comm along
that Uncle John learnt that Johnny
had theory, and he took him out of
the woodshed. I don't know whether
Johnnp found the tenderest part of
mule or not, but from what you heard
comm from the woodshed while ago,
hain't you got an idee that Uncle John
knowed where to find the tenderest
part Of a boy?'
II said I had and drove on to Bush
vile. where the consequential damages
of Johnnv's theory were still the topic
uppermost."