The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-05-16
COZ. SPOONER'S MULE

| MiBhOncttS CODaccO IOF the nIFeO Inah ditsa.
the dimes worth of"stipud stick candy fer.
the grandchildren, and, accepting tas
storekeeper's customary cigar, with the Gus
tomary joking request for a mustard plaster.
to help it draw, he strolled outside a:.e
door, where Wash Hancock and Mar; Prs
1 sons were lounging on shoe boxes, !, .ea
were rapidly being destroyed by tncil IN
dustrious jack-knives.
That's a good scheme, Uncle Jake, sad
Hancock, shifting SYSTEMATICALLY. 1t
| wouldn't be no more'n what Rufe deserves
to smoke inside. But, then, inherent pso-
ple-wimmen and kids--has TO go in Ter
their groceries an it haint right they s;!os.d
have ter suffer. Take a soap boz an make
| yerself comfortable. How's all the folks:"
! "Tol'able smart, 'ceptin' Dick. He's got
some sort of misery in his back" replied
the old man. II guess it hain't notain'
alarmin', though"
II have that by spells" said Hancock.
| "Ye-es," said old man Sowerby, but
Dick gets his by workin' too hard. He's
right ambitious. You wuzn't never plagued
that way. Swappin' mules an lies may be
hard on the intellec', but it don't give a
man the backache."
| Haven't made mule trade fer month
O. Sundays" said Wash. 1--WE got -ood
one, though, I'd like you to look at, Uncle
Jake. en- afford to let you have him at
a bargain, because he didn't cost me much
Of anythin'. / bought him at sheriff sale
when Tad Hefferly wuz sold out"
| "I,m sort O. keerfnl about mules bought
at sheriff's SALE" said old man Sowerby, 81
allus have ter think O. Col. Bill Spooner's
mule, Caractacus. You never heered O.
Col. Spooner. He wuz long afore your
I time. He useter own tobacco plantation
down on the Little Tarkio, jest afore the
war. He wuz a widower, an, as mean a Oh
] cuss as ever stood in cowhide. Stood six
F; foot three in his socks, when he wore any.
One time there wuz vendoo of stray
stock, an Col. Bill bid in an OF mouse-col-
! ored mule for three dollars. 1t was an or
| merry, motheaten lookin' animal, and if you'd
| hit it anywhere with slat you'd have
!. Jared your arm up to the shoulder-blade.
| The colonel sent the mule home with boy
they called Scipio. Scipio an Caractacus,
| which was the mules name, struck up a
| great friendship. COL Bill useter laff an
| swear they wuz brothers when he WIZ in a
| good humor. An fer fac Caractacus d
| work fer Scipio when there wuzn't another
person on the place cd do anythin' with
him.
"One mornin' the colonel caught Scipio
! filling up his pardner with an extry al
| lowance O. oats an he said he wusn't goin'
| ter have no favoritism O. that sort on his
place if he had ter do violence to his own
tender feelin's an inflict corporal punish
| ment ter prevent it. So he had Scipio tied
| up and wore rawhide out ON him with his
own handS-like to have logged himself
out O Sl,500. Caractacus wuz in the barn
| where the whippin' wuz goin' on an he
| seen it.
"Next day-it wux long in the afternoon
, the colonel wuz settin' on the veranda
/: playin' with straw an somethin' wet in
/: glass, when Caractacus strolis up in a
(; easy, uncencerned sort of way an. begins
croppin' a little on, the lawn here an there
as if he belonged. Finally the colonel no.
ticed him and began to holier fer somebody
to come an turn tho mule out. Tho men
wux all in the field, SO the colonel said q
few sorter emphatic things an got up to
turn him out himself. Caractacus, Std o
movin' fer the gate, walked up to meet him
like he wux q pet an expected sugar
easyt an mild; but when hef got within
range he wheeled like fash an kicked
the colonel clear over the .yeraHda an
through the parlor winder, then gave joy.
full bray, an started fer the timber.
when they found the colonel he wus
quiet an composed. He had been that way,
the doctor said, for about three hours, ap-
parently.
! Gin week or two nephew of Spooner's
all the kin he had-come down from Bos-
! ton to take possession of the property.
Then, bein' rank abolitionist, he freed all
the niggers an made Scipio present of
Caractacus an patch O ground to work.
I b1ieve Scipio an Caractacus slept to-
gether after that.
''But after awhile Caractacus began to
age. One day as 1 wuz passin' by
| I heard Scip an the mule tallin' together.
| tCaractacus,' says Scipio, 'dern yo'
rusty, wuthless OIL cawkis, how long does
you 'spect rs agwine ter keep yo' pampered
en- corn-fed eff yo' don't do nothin' ter
arm yo' Dor? This yer bin am OF marse's
bin, it's Scipio's, en- Scipio dom allow no
ornery OF rack O. bones ter empty it less'n
he kin do somthin' todes film it. ain
er gwine ter shoot yo'; yo' ain wuth powder
/ an ball-but 1 doan' want yo' around
"Jes' then Caractacus lifted one foot from
! the ground an Scipio slid inside O the barn.
/ know that mules heart wuz broke right
there, but exceptin' ter drap his head he
wuz too proud to show it. He had too much
self-respect ter stay around the place after
that, too, an walked straight out. AS he
passed me he looked up an / seen great
tears standin' in his eyes"
you'll have me weepin', too, if you keep
on that away, Uncle jake said Hancock.
'Wuz that the mule you had hitched with
the bald-faced mare when you druv in las
Sat'dy.'
"'No, that wusn't Caractacus, replied
old man Sowerby. Caractacus died. There
wuz suthin' pecooliar an affectin' about the
way of it, too, but l reckon I'd better be
startin' fer home sted O loafn around like
the rest O. you town folks
Tell us how he died, said Parsons.
"'Jes' sort of natchel death-old age,
I reckon, you'd call it that, anyway.
think-but then we'll call it old age
"Let him alone said Hancock, don't
| you see he's Dustin ter tell it?
know it myself, SO l amt anxious
"'You had better tell it, then, said old
man Sowerby, with note of irritation in
his voice.
G sra x,,,,~ ~ Honoool, 4,,r,,