The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-01-21
RIDING A BUCKlNG MULE.
"Puncher's" Adventure De
scribed by Il Story Teller.

The Century Magazines prize for the
best short story submitted 10y "A college
graduate in lN+1 WIS awarded to join VI.
p>ki~un OF Leland stanford University.
whose HON. IS IA the Indian Territory, ana
whose blood is partly Indian. only the
Master Shall Praise Is H. tlti,, and one of
It's scenes IS a description OF Il TIb" on a
huChIUE mule.
''Out OF a knot Of excited men Hammer
went straight To the waiting. restless mule.
With q mock air of hrtvado h" struck the
excited mule across the flank with his SUM
hrcrU. after roughly using m" r'lDS. No
Gn" who has not learned by experience how
To mount Il plun&irE h"rS, can understand
how Hammer lifted himself ont of the chaos
of rearing mule and struggling attendants
into the saddle before he signed to the men
To- turn the animal loose.
When the mule fotui itself FIRE" TO act
there was Il mumcntATy pause. Then be
gan tn" short, nasty jumps straight INTO
the air. with tn" amman back bow 81.
it, legs stiff and its head lowered. II WAS
the first powerful effort vi the aucer.d
beast. made with dcyiish confidence Han
n"r wdS scarcely shaken by these first
straight jumps. but then began the twist
ing series. which il the second cXpeil~ut
OF a hucking animal. \ jump hiSh into
the air. with 4 seemingly impossible twist
turned almost half round. Before. the rider
caught his breath another jump ami anpth-
cr half-turu were made. T.'~e are the
motions that make a brnucho-buster's lie
shorter. Hammer was bleeding 1T the Hose
In half a minute.
The twisting jumps were continued until
the strength of the null Was almost cX-
haustod. and as yet only IN" hat Of the
pUucbcr had been diSlDiE,i. y short pause
followed during which the mule changed
its tactics. and Hammer rhwuCkcd its
Sweaty neck with his open haut. The next
motion was a sudden rearing by the mule.
A. it rose on its hind legs thu rider yanked
iierccly on IN" reins. and. slipping Ia the
ground on ON. side. allowed the hrut" 10
fail on its back. The Saddic-hOrn buried
itself IN IN" earth, aud IN" mules houfS
beat tn" air a moment before IL scrambled
TO its feet.
Hammer Wa cooler han The mule now,
ana SWUNG himself back into the saddle
with tn. first long leap Of the desperate an
imai. This was IN" easy part Of the trial
for the rider and the spectacular part for
the world. Tn" mule ran straight away for
the opposite side Of the fence of the fair
grounds with long. IGuEiEE jumps. rising
and pitching forward with the speed of q
racing yacht. Hammer brought his craft
about before IL sailed into the fence. and
beat II fore ana aft with q flourishiur
hand. He WAS wild with triumph now, his
hair blowing in the wind. II, leaned for
ward a. in a race, urging the thoroughly
tired ana conquered mule straight for the
crowd. \ particularly vicious dig with the
spurs made the beast plunge into the scat
tering knot uf spectators aud rise TO four
barred gate. At the opposite side If the
track no fence barred its way. and IL ran.
frightened and quiVerinE. under the avn
ing of a ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS stand. scatter
ing glasses aud CDnfeCtiouS to the winds
and wrockinC the stand. Hammer slowly dis
subducd mulc, tfou. turning and picking up
an GnbrOkg1 bottle of soda. proposed a
toast To our gentle old family-buEgy
hoss,"