The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-02-17
TIE VILLAGE
JACKASS
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1910. by Associated Lit
erary Press

Law NhtCtti Nhc fi4tiSN Va 0dtiNA i'tit
one night at 10 O'clock, and no resi-
dent has over discovered where he
came from. There were various thoo-
rics put forth. but they We're theories
only. There weren't any theories.
however, as TO what happened ewhea
that jackass struck the town. Theirs
was public squire, end he stood On
that square and made public procla-
nation OF his arrival He prayed a
| haw-haw-haw that woke every sleeper
in the village. Men, women and chill
drcn tumbled out of bed and into the
street III fenr and trembling.
There was little sleep in the town
the remainder Of that night. At reg
ular intervals of ten minutes that jack
ass prayed.
That haw haw-haw was not a
mournful bray, On the contrary, it
had n jovial r.lg. 1t seemed to the
people Of SANDY I'm to be saying:
"Hurrah for me! I've struck it ut
last, We won't go home till morning
and mcbbc net Them
When morning came the question
was what to DO with that animal. It
was not easily answered. Drive him
on toward I.ansingburg end let that
town welcome or reject him The job
was fivcn to a gang of boys. The
iackess protested, but the gang was
too many for him. He was dubbed
down the road for mile and warned
to keep moving or. One hour later
he was back on the public square
Maying his Joy Mt being home again.
He WAS escorted toward Fishburg. but
he returned again. He WIS escorted
toward Edwaedsville and toward Gran
ford. but he never reached those
places. He Put in the day at it and
then returned to say how clad he was
that he was. III the llan1s of his friend;
once more.
That night the tom cooper took
charge Of the animal and by tying a
butter flrkin to his tail prevented any
braying No iackass can bray with
head and tail down. Next morning he
was driven within mile Of three diff
ferent towns and told that the lnhab-
itants were waitiar to welcome him,
but before the las! citizen of Sandy
Hill had zone to bed thGt bray sound
cd in his ears. The rejected was bacl.
/ on the job.
Thousands Of public meetings have
been~held for this or that reason, but
1t is doubtful IL orc was ever held be-
fore or since on account OF n lone jack
| ass. Sandy Hill held one, and the do
bate was spirited. 4 stray iackass had
forced itself upon them What was to
| be done in the case? All efforts to I'M
load him on other towns had proved
| futile. No one had ever heard of 4
tacl1asS without IN owner. This beast
i must have one, He must call and pay
damages and take his property. He
rlust be advertised for. If he didn't
show up in the legal time then the
Jack would be sold to the highest I'D.
: der
That was the course pursued, but M
owner came to make his claim.
! The day came when the iackass was
to be sold for his keep. He was to go
: to the highest bidder without resc.-
walton. That meant that his bray was
! to blA thrown In. The auctoneer hol-
Tered in vain. Not q bid was made.
4 No one offered even dollar.
How much pounding can q jacllass
! take and keep up with the procession?
! This one had more clubs broom han
dies, hoe hardles. AK helves and pitch
forks broken over his back than would
! ill freight car, but he came up to
f, the scratch smiling. He was hit with
clods, stones, bricEbats, old cans and
bottles and picket fences, but he
didn't grow weary Of well doing One
| night when he broke up 4 prayer
meeting with his bray good deacon
| rushed out and knocked him uncon-
| scious with a blow from crowbar 1t
was believed that he was dead, but
next morning saw him wandering
about as gayly as ever.
| Again, young man was counting
girl. He was interrupted by that haw-
haw-haw just as he was about to
ask the girl to be his'n. He ran out
and fired dose Of bird shot into the
disturber- No use, The jack was
| frisking next day.
| Nevertheless there must be limit
to all things. Even an ownerless
| jackass must draw the dead line some
where. This one held on for two years
before he drew. Then he decided that
he hadn't been used square in that
Christian community. 1t had sent
cash to the heather Of Africa and left
him to cat moldy straw. 1t had been
kind to dogs and horses, but had
bruised and battered him on various
occasions. He would shake the dust
OF the town off his hoofs, but In going
he would leave memory behind.
A railroad was being run to the viii
lage. The grading contractor was do
ing much blasting, and half mile
from the village limits he had 500
pounds of dynamite in a she'd The
jackass took his departure at night,
His way lay paN at shed. He stop
ped and backed dp to the door and
kicked 1t in, and kicked at the boxes
piled up. Then Sandy Hill had an
earthquake that tore things to pieces
and created damages to the amount
of $4,000, That was ten years ago,
but 1t still shows the scars and still
talks of that explosion. When you ask
4 al T.. AZ