The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-08-15
A Mountaineer's
Mule
By M. QUAD 49," y.
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1912. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

rame along the road leadin' mewl. 1t
was Moth Caroleeny. mewl. and he
looked like likely beast / was avon
derin' why the man was leadn' the
mewl instead Of ridin' him when he
stopped and said:
I'm OH my way to the Tennessee
river to jump in and perish, and I'll
sell you this mewl powerful cheap If
you want him.
What do you want to perish forg l
asked.
.''Bekase I'm alone in the world and
too good for it. | can't stand the wick
edness around me. and ! would go
hence and have harp and golden
wings This mewl is the last thing I've
got TO get rid Of. and If you fancy him
he's yours for 500
Il was in want Of mewl jest them"
said Zeb. land after lookin' him over
put down the money.
ut didn't take me long to diskiver
that that mewl was ornery. All nevis
are pizen mean. but this one was a
champion. If tried to put saddle
on him he'd lay down in his tracks,
aud IL hitched him to a cart nothin'
on airth could make him pull a pound.
He'd bite and he'd kick. and he went
around lookin' for 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 l
got SO mad that was gwine to shoot
him, but the old woman mixed In and
said:
~ was Jest thlnkin'. Zeb. Do you
remember that cantankerous bar that
was around we're last fellT
"'Of co'se'
Hell likely come back ag'in this
fall Better leave him to the mewl If
he comes
II give up tryin' to do anything
with the mewl, but he growed meaner
and meaner all the time. and he wasn't
happy unless he was kickin' his heels
agin the cabin doahs.
lit got so the old woman dasn't step
out. and had to carry a club to keep
him off I'd had him six weeks and
had wanted to shoot him every day.
when one night that bar showed up.
He come down off the mountain feelin'
mo- cantankerous than ever. and that
ornery mewl was waitin' for somethin'
to come along and begin a row. They
got at it In no time.
ME and the old woman got up and
looked out. and the two critters was
thoroughly enjoyin' themselves. They
was kickin'. biun', clawin', growlin'
and squealin'. and it was better than
a circus to watch 'em.
ut was the same thing over the next
night and every night for week or
mo-. A bar ought to lick mewl easy
huff, specially when he's cantan-
kerous bar. but in this case he'd got
hold of a mewI so mean and obstinate
that he wouldn't hev turned tail for all
the bars in Tennessee. He was as
spry as cat, and the way he bit and
kicked warmed up my heart. He got
a good many scratches In them con-
fiicts, but he wouldn't run away or
give in. One night, after we had seen
him roll that bar over a dozen times
without hurtin' him, the old woman
said to me:
"'Zeb, 1t amt exactly 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 next
day takes the critter up to the black.
smith shop at the Cove and has sharp
shoes put on his feet. He seemed to
know what they were for. and be
didn't like 1t TAN. He was ugly all the
way home, and when night come he
stood in the yard with his head down
and 'peared to be thinkin'.
1.-THE bar come down about s o'clock.
Mebbe he was madden than usual. fur
he pitched right in at once. Me and
the old woman both noticed that he
didn't use his heels tall. but Jest bit
and paved, and we wondered at it.
However, after fightin' about half an
hour the bar cornered him, and he had
to turn and let fly. and he killed that
varmint as dead as a doah nail with
one kick. The sharp calks Of one of
the shoes pierced the bars skull, and
over he went and never got up ag'in.
II was mighty tickled over it and
went out to praise the mewl. He was
standin' clus to the bar, and he never
moved foot for FIVE minutes, Jest
stood and looked at me through the
darkness In a sort Of accusin' way and
then fetched a gasp and fell down
dead.
Hes bin wounded in bis vitals,'
said the old woman as she come out,
with lantern.
But he hadn't He had some
scratches and bite or two, but nothin'
to worry about. No, sab. What allied
that mule was madness and contrari-
ness.
He'd sot out to lick that bar with
out any hind shoes on and reckon
in to fight fair and hev sumthin' to
brag about. and he was mad and con-
trary bout my mixin' in. When he
found he'd killed the bar be swelled
mp till bis heart busted. and he fell over
dead. and jest believe he was glad 70
60. Thar was nothin' mo- left on airth |
for him to fight. and why should he
tarry longer? AS to the bar, l reckon |
It was the same with him. Leastwise |