The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19
THIS MULE SHOULD RUN FOR CONGRESS Always CIeverly Manages to
 Lose His Load AND GET OUT OF WORK Clever Animal Halls From Missouri But Does Not Ask To Be "ShoWn"
 the Secret of the "Rest
 Artist"
From the New York Press.

From the New York Press
 "The Missouri mule," said the western man. lis a creature full of character and temperament. Missouri is the great breeding state for the big work mules used throughout the southwest, and team of them costs from $50 0to $500. They are more valuable work animals than horses, for they are larger, strong CT, and will live on hay where a horse requires grain. They are also slower more shrewd, cunning and obstinate than the horse. horse will strain at it until he breaks his harness or his heart. But the mule will stand imper- Nious to any suasion, moral or physical There is nothing to do but tighten the load He will turn around and look at the load also. and bray.
 "This rubberins is a characteristic or the mule. If any one passes near his stall while he is eating he will stop long enough to look around. A horse never does that. A mule will look around in order to aim his kicks orrectly. The boys in camp used to ha fun with one old mule who was an, ert at this They would annoy him rom the rear and he would look around locate the annoyer and aim kick like lightning in his direction It was rather exciting sport because not unmixed with dan ger. At II 80 a. m., half an hour pelore work was knocked off for dinner. regular as clockwork every mule on the job would begin to bray. They knew 1t was getting dinner time, and wanted to hur- " things up little. The horses never did that. But when the animals were let loose the horses would start off at q gallon for the grub pile The mules, however, would not hurry themselves be- yond a good, fast walk. They knew the grub wouldn't get away, and they have fixed prejudices against haste
 "A contractor for whom I worked m building a reservoir near Pueblo, colo, had once met with an accident while rid ing a mule. He was alone at some dis tance- from camp, and, though some cause which I now forget fell off the mule and broke his leg. The mule rubbered around. saw his master on the ground, and stood perfectly still. The contractor was thus enabled to pull himself up on the animals back and get to camp while if the mule had followed any other course if might have resulted in very serious in- conveniences for the injured man Con seouently the contractor always Kept a soft spot in his heart for this mule, who was named Billy.
 "When Billy reached an age which en- titled him to pension. he was honoraply retired. The contractor for some reason
 to fires h job. though he never put him ot work any more Perhaps he thought Bllly would enjoy being around in the scenes he was used to more than aristocratlc se- clusion In a lonesome pasture At any rate Billy did enjoy the life At the camp near Pueblo he ranged the whole country free and independent Frequently when the team from the commssary de- partment went down to Pueblo Tor sup plies Billy would come trotting along back with it. He would notice the team in Pueblo or the outskirts. recognize IL and join 1t for the home trip.
 After the reservoir was finished, we went up in the high hills to build rail- road. The contractor was absent while supplies were being hauled by pack trains to a point far away from the roaa, and the men put Billy to work, although they knew they had no right to do It. At one point the trail wound along a narrow bank with a ledge of rocks on one side and a precipice on the other. At the psychological point Blly's load tum- bled over the precipice. It required time and labor to get 1t up and cinch 1t onto Billy again The next day Billy's load went over the edge again at exactly the same point. Then the men gave It up. They saw that Billy knew they were nm posing on him. and was cunning enough to breathe out when they cinched nm up and breathe in when he got to just the ,;qht nlace to shake his load off. On ac- count of the partiality of his owner Billy could not be disciplined by the underlings and so afterward he insolently went up and down the trail with the rest of the train when he pleased, but never with load.'