The New era-leader. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1911-1912, 1911-10-06
A MANS
HUMANITY
~ NJ QUAD

Copyri~ht. lsI1. " Associated Lit
srasy Press

erary Prese.
II 8 O'Clock ons morning. a. Deacon
hhn Bradley II the town Of s0mer-
~ was on his way to his sawmili. be
came across IN old mule lying down
Ia the street. Not an inhahitant Of
the place owned ! mule. Not Z mule
had even passed through the town In
ysarst The appearance Of one was
|novelty. II was therefore easy for the
neacon to reason that this mule had
come from 4 distance. Al the animal
- almost skin and bones It was easy
aeain to reason that be had been turn
= ont to die.
Other men had noticed the old mule
that morning and had passed on and
Nh him to his fate. Deacon Bradley
Wa not that kind OF human. he had
been known to gather q hundred po-
ttato bugs from the vines In his gar
Zen and tenderly carry them to the
fence and drop them over. He hadi
sat up night after night with sick
0Dws, ana he had taken In lame dogs
I and made them well again. His irse
move after coming across the mule
IWas 10 bring the animal water and
mts. He was rewarded BY q grateful
tray. I
The mule drank twelve quarts Of
water and ate four quarts Of oats
and entered upon 4 new life. He was
pusEled and mystiied. but he wasn't
h1cktng about q good thing. He had
expected to die right where he drop
ned and had set his house In order
O. well al he could. but II Deacon
Bradley wanted him to live on he
would do 80. When be had been filled
with water and oats he got up and IN
his dumb way asked what next For
answer he was led to the deacon's
barn, i quarter Of a mile away. and
then he made sure that be had found
man that would see him through
his troubles.
Deacon Bradley was the subject Of
much .josning.' but he took it calmly.
Hh conscience told him he had done
the correct thing. and not q gibe
reached its target. He got his reward
IN seeing that mule dill up and take on
nesh and begin to frisk about 10 In his
younger days. For two weeks the AMI
NAL was silent. He hadn't quite lost
his voice, but he was giving II q rest
Euutil be could decide whether the good
thing was to last or not. One night he
reviewed all THAT had been done thus
ffsr, made up his mind that his job was
secure. and next morning when the
deacon opened the barn door be was
greeted with q bray Of welcome. u
Twas d sound THAT made the man Jump
back In alright. It vas q note from
Ifoghorn mingled with the scream ct u
terrified woman. II quivered and qua
Iyered and rumbled and died away.
For two minutes the deacon looked to
zee the mule drop dead, and then he
understood Richard was getting to
be himself again. He. was feeling his
oats ana hay. He was coming to think
THAT life was worth the living. It was
bray Of welcome. but the deacon
lthought u could be improved. Thsro-
Fore Tor the next week he mixed 6ax-
seed with the oats and soaked slippery
elm In the water pail. He did make m
improvement. and be was glad. he
Was. however, the only q IN 6omer-
EEset who was glad.
No one advertised Tor = lost muIo.
No one came making inquiries 10
kobey the law made and provided IN
such cases Deacon Bradley advertised
that he had picked up IN estray, which
Etho ONEnef could have BY paying dam