Holbrook argus., 1900-05-12

Quicken L kin tell you he swung that
rat up over his head an slapped it down
k'splosh on 4 big stone that lays in
there. Three times he done that, an
then chucked the rat to ole side. There
want no more life nor backbone left
in it than there is in q wet dishrag.
My OF woman come along jes' then an
says:
"'"Grcat Peeapacki Amt he
snorter!"
IAN that got to be his name, though
I've always been sorry I didn't call him
Hurricane Dick
Just then Il mule in q log inclcsurc
on the opposite side of the road raised
its voice in the most prolonged and OK
asperating heehaw I ever heard mule
emit.
"'That's Limpin BeliX,' said the III
tive. He hain't sung like that in three
years aforc. lie knows ScCrtcr is dead.
an he's gloatin'. That's another thing
that weighs me down. I bought that
mule three years ago. l Get him cheap,
an he 'rccred like a bargain. First
time tried him / took him down in the
lot yonder to plow corn. He yaEked the
plow the s;tisfyinest kind two or three
times acrost the lot. L n then he stopped.
braced hissclf, an hung down his cars.
coaxed him. an laid the CAD on him.
an 1 prcdded him with Pitchfork, but
he never paid no more attention to me
than if l was a house fly.
"I labored with him for az hour, but,
as nigh as | 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 go home an let
him stand, when along come Shorter.
He seen right away what was up, an
he turned his hurricane natur' loose Oh
to that mule. He hoped up on the
mules neck, socked his toes inter hi1
name, jabbed his bill way down inter
the mules ear, an hollered things in
that ear that was hair-raisin' to hear
The mule was took back tremendous,
but he was q mule, an he riz his heel5
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 a hurricane, an
arter awhile he kind O settled down
he was dcalin' with, anyhow. Shorter,
he socked his claws an his spurs inter
the mule an rammed his head so fur
inter the mules ears that l thort sure
he were Gorin' his bill through to get
at what brains the mule had. An yell!
Great wildcat! how he did yell thing
way down ag'in the drum o that nIule's
car! 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.
Mex day he had notion to go OH
strike ag'in, but 1 got Shorter round
where he was, an he buckled in like 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 hec-
haw, sumpin' he hadn't done in thre;,
years, an hain't been able to get nigh
him. He knows that Snorter's dead, an
he's gloatin', an he won't never be wuth
cent to me ag'in, except as bait fer u
bear trap!
$50 fer four year, pooty nigh, that
amazin' rooster has cleaned this here
clearin' O. rats an weasels an hawks
Even bar seems to have hcerd o Snort
CT, for there hain't one bothered Us
sencc he broke that mule. l s'posc we
won't be able to keep a sheep nor :
pig, though, now, soon as it gifts GU
through the decstric' that Shorter i,
dead. / wouldn't feel SO clean cut NJ
and banged down by it, though, if VI;
could only find feather layin' rount
anywhere. Shorter died student an
complete.
Down yorder long the creek They're
workin' 4 stone quarry. Shorter hadn'
never been down to look the works ovel
till yestc'day afternoon. Then h
meandered that way, jest as the moi
had knocked off for dinner. Sam Sli
Ger brought the news up. lie said h,
was settin' under a tree, ten rod or s.
from the quarry, catin' his grub. IL
seen Shorter wallin' over that way, an
lookin' up by an by he sees the son o
hurricane tuggin' away at sumpin
the fercest kind. Sam got up an wen
lords the quarry to sec what Snorte
was cxterminatin'. He got pooty mig!
the spot when he see Sncrter swim;
sumpin' up over his head to fetch i
down ag'in on rock, jes' like he killc,
rats. Sam says when he see that h
turned an run away rs fast as hi
legs'd carry him, but he hadn't gon
more'n three steps when sumpin' wen
off tremendous. Sam was tumbled fla,
an he said he heerd stones an thing
droppia' around there fer 4 matter {
two minutes or more. When he coul
git up and look back at the quarry, a
: he could sec O. Shorter was hole in tn
ground as big as cellar. Sam has a
! idee that Shorter diskivercd the string
hangin' out of some cartridges the
blast with at the quarry, the cartridge
! being kivered up. Shorter, think.