The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-04-13
4 MULE oUTRuSs A TRAIN
Maud. Mr. Tom Deafon's Three Weeks
sOid Colt. Races With Freight Train.

~Ofu COal. Races With Freight Train.
Whoa, Maud: whoa. say" was the
sharp cry that pierced the ears of the
conductor on a long through freight
from Winston-Salem to Charlotte early
Thursday morning. as he passeI l Mount
Nourne.
Whoa, whoa. you little fool.." came
again and again.
AS the trainmen looked out of the
windows Of the caboose they saw a
tiny mule. with head in the air and
tail erect. coming down a lane. run
ming for dear life. toward the flying
cars.
stop my mule.' shouted a man. who
was in hot pursuit. TO a party of ne
groes standing lear the railroad track
Whoa. Liza Jane. whoa" hoilered
the darkies in chorus. but the colt halt
ed not. As one of the aegroes made
a plunge to catch her h kicked the
crown out Of his old hat. as il fell
from his head. and hurried on, taking
the path by the track.
20, my Goad, dat mules runnin'
some dis dav an eff you don't mine
she's gwine to beat dat train to Char
lotte." declared a negro.
Maud had taken her place close to
the cab. and was running to catch the
engine. which was 40 cars ahead.
GO, you little fool" said the farm
er, who had followed her at long range
from the lot.
The engineer. who had seen some
thing of the commotiOn, lCcl ed back,
saw Maud, and pulled his throttle wide
open to go by the little beast and let
her see her folly and return a wiser
mule. h train began to hit it off at
a 2A-mlIa an h0Ilr nIjn RHg- thu q n or
neer had reckoned without considering
the old saying that A mule can Iun fas-
ter and longer before she Is four weeks
,old tina ever afterwards. Maud was
bent on making her record before her
last week of grace ran out; she had
passed three week of her fastest age
and could not afford to let another go
by. Therefore, when the engine began
to hustle in to the touch of its
master. Maud tucked her head, bowed
her back, kicked once and then settled
herself for the greatest race ever ran
by mortal mule.
AS the train and mule passed the
home Of Mr.. A. L. Hobbs the race was
just beginning in earnest.
"Des OOk at dat ole freight" said
Aunt Carolina. who lived near the
railroad, air it cuttin' de buck dis
m~ornin'!'
Just as the last words left her lips
she spied Maud. running by the third
car from the rear end. and, throwing
her hands up to shade her eyes from
the SUM-. h cried out. "Lawd, bless my
soul. eff de ole train amt dun gut er
colt! LOCKER yonder runnin' by it's
side!"
But this comment was cut short, for
the race vas fast. n almost SO soon
as the engine came in sight the cab
disappeared going down the track to-
ward Davidson college.
On and on the two went, with the
honors in Maud's favor. At Davidson
a number of students. who heard the
whistle blow, had left their studies and
run down to see if any pretty girls
were or board. But the freight never
as much as let up going by the historic
institution of learning: nor did Maud.
AS the little mule passed the young
sterS in baggy trousers and dinky caps
She turned sideways and kicked out
twice, out never lost any time from
the race. She darted back to the path,
whinnied low and pushed on toward
the engine. She had already gotten
within IS cars OF her goal.
But at the southern edge of David
SON., Maud met with a misfortune that
threw her back a little. She came to
the side track at Charlie Grey's oil mill
and ran down that instead Of sticking
to the main line.
"Whee-Oo. whee-oo." whistled
Charlie, but Maud heard him not.
Seeing that the cars moved on the
mule had won, and when the cars kept
the same tracks, she took her place
by the side of the train. The incident
seemed to anger her. and instead Of
being discouraged she went to her
task like a real soldier. and ere long
had regained her former position. AS
the train entered the town of Cornelius
Maud a going by cars like the fresh
fox leaves the hound. Seeing this the
engineer, fearing that Maud would try
to cross in front of him. stopped his
train to save her.
The contest had been fair, and the
mule a won. and when the cars
slowed down one of the negro brake
men, who a watched the race from
the top Of the rain, climbed from the
train, gathered Maud in his arms and
dropped her in Pat Stough's yard. The
freight train moved on and left the colt
running. covorting and kicking in the
enclosure. About two hours later Mr..
Tom DeatOn. the owner of Maud. came
down the road driving a heart-broken
mare. He had heard of Maud all along
the route. At Davidson he had been
told hat his mule was in fine spirits
and gaining on the engine. The old
mother could not understand the ex-
element, but seemed to realize that it
was all o her hayward colt, and
as she hurried on she would Whitney
now n then and listen. Her cries
were pitiful to hear. and everybody
was delighted when the old horse call
ed near Cornelius and was greeted
with an answer from her baby. When
the news of the famous race was nois-
ed. everybody wanted to see Maud.
She a made herself great in a single
hour. For five miles she had outrun
a fast freight. Mr.. Deaton picked her
up in his arms put her in the foot his
buggy and hauled her home. The run
did not hurt her in any way; she was
a little tired that afternoon, but the
the e morning Mr.. Deaton had to
watch her to keep her from setting
out after Captain Rowland's own dear
Shoo-fy.
Many people who did not see the
race could not believe the story of it,
but all doubts were dismissed when
Mr.. Charlie Knox and Dr.. W. H. Woo
ten tOok n of their best old fox dogs
and trailed the colt from the Deaton
lot fo tho Stn,,oh x-or6 All rirIc u-ora