Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1912-08-26
A Mountaineer's
Mule

By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1912. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

step" began the old possum hunter.
when asked for a story, "A stranger
came along the road leadin a mewl 1t
was a Moth Caroleeny mewl. and he
looked like a likely beast. was avon
derin' why the man was leadin' the
mewl instead OF rkin him when he
stopped and said;
"Im on my way to the Tennessee
river to jump in and perish, and ri
sell you this mewl powerful cheap II
you want him.
"'what do you want to perish forr l
asked.
'Bekase I'm alone in the world and
too good for 1t. can't stand the wick
edness around me. and / would go
hence and have a harp and golden
wings This mewl is the last thing I've
got to get rid Of, and II you fancy him
he's yours for 500
II was In want Of n mewl Jest then"
said Zeb. "and after lookin' him over
put down the money.
1T didn't take me long to diskiyer
that that mewl was ornery. All nevis
are pizen mean, but this one was a
champion. n tried to put saddle
on him he'd lay down In his tracks.
and II hitched him TO n cart nothin'
ON nirth could make him pull a pound.
He'd bite aud he'd kick, and he went
around lookln' for a fuss. In week /
found he was no airthly good. club
bed him till / was tired, but couldn't
pound no sense into him. One day
got so mad that | was gwlne to shoot
him, but the old woman mixed In and
said:
II was Jest thinkin', zeb. DO you
remember that cantankerous bar that
was around we're last felIr
"'Of co'ee'
Hell likely come back ag'in this
fall. Better leave him to the mewl II
he comes
Il give up tryin' to do anything
with the mewl, but he srowed meaner
and meaner all the time, and he WASH
happy unless he was kickin' his heels
agin the cabin doahs
1T got so the old woman dasn't step
out. and j had to carry a club to keep
him OF. I'd had him six weeks and
had wanted TO shoot him every day,
when one night that bar showed up.
He come down on the mountain feeIin'
mo- cantankerous than ever. and that
ornery mewl was waitin' for somethin'
to come along and begin row. They
got at il In no time.
'Afe and the old woman got up and
looked out, and the two critters was
thoroughly enjoyin' themselves. They
was kickln', bltin. clawin', growlln'
and squealin', and II was better than
a circus to watch 'em.
1T was the same thing over the next
night and every night for a week OF
mo-. A bar ought to lick a mewl easy
nun, specially whom he's a cantan
kerous bar but IN this case he'd go
hold of a mewl so mean and obstinate
that he wouldn't hev turned tail FOR all
the bars in Tennessee. He was as
spry as a cat, and the way he bit and
kicked warmed up my heart. He got
a good many scratches in them con.
filcta. but he wouldn't run away or
give In. One night, after we had seen
him roll that bar over a dozen times
without hurtln' him, the old woman
said to me:
"'Zeb. IL amt exactly a fair fout
The mewl hain't got no shoes on, and
his kicks don't hurt. Better gin him =
decent show
1T struck me that way. and the mex
day takes the critter up to the black
smith shop at the Cove and has sharI
shoes put on his feet He seemed e
know what they were for, aud h,
didn't like II tail. He was ugly all IN,
way homo, and when night come h
stood in the yard with his head dow
and peared to be thinkln'.
''The bar come down about o'clock
Mebbe he was madden than usual, ful
he pitched right in at once Me ans
the old woman both noticed that III
didn't use his heels tall. but Jest bi
and paved and we wondered at II
However, after flghtin' about half al
hour the bar cornered him, and no hat
to turn aud let hy. and he killed tina
varmint as dead as a doah nail witt
one kick. The sharp calks OF one o
the shoes pierced the bars skull ant
over he went and never got up ag'in.
Il was mighty tickled over Il an
went out to praise the mewl He wa
etandin' clus to the bar. and he ncve
moved a foot for FIVE minutes, les
stood and looked at me through IN
darkness I'm n sort of accusin way an
then fetched gasp and fell dow
dead.
Hes bin wounded in his vitals
said the old woman as she come on
with lantern.
But be hadn't. He had som
scratches and a bite or two, but nothiI
20 worry about. No. sab. What ale
that mulo was madness and cortrar
ness.
He'd sot out TO lick that bar will
I. ont any hind shoes on and reckon
In to fight fair and hev sumthln
I. brag about. and he was mad and COZ
trary bout my mixin In. When }
found he'd killed the bar he swelle
mp till his heart busted, and he fell owe
dead. and Jest believe he was glad
. go. Thar was nothin mo- left on ART
j for him 10 fight. and why should b
l. tarry longer? As TO the bar. recko
y II was the same with him. Leastwis
i he lay thar, with a smile on his fac
4. Jest Ike man who has tried his be.
40 in fout and got whopped As for III
.r teller who sold me the mewl. new,