South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-04-25

and complicated thing it may be
come.
For example the purchase of a
mule in Honolulu may completely
upset the peace and dignity OF high
officials of the United States treas
ury.
One morning Byron r. Newton,
assistant secretary OF the treasury.
came TO his desk feeling well fed, in
excellent spirits. and as care-free as
II he had not a worry in the world.
The first thing he picked up from his
desk was a request from the chief
quarantine officer in the public health
service of Hawaii. for permission to
buy a new mule to replace one that
was run down in health. II was an
urgent case. the latter said. for they
simply had TO have a mule, so would
the proper official of the treasury de-
partment please rush permission at
once?
But urgent or not, Newton found
himself all snarled up with precedent
and custom TO such an extent that
he was obliged 10 know more about
the case Just how i'll was the mule
they already had? Might IL not per-
haps get well and be it's old-self
again? These were questions that
had to be answered. So he wrote
In due course ne received a letter
from the chief quarantine officer at
| Honolulu inclosing a grave communi-
cation from the territorial veterinari-
an. who wrote in this sad strain
Pursuant to your request | have
this day examined an old brown mule
which has been used by your depart
| ment for several years for general
work on Quarantine island. The ex-
animation failed to show anything
materially wrong with the animal
except advanced age. while standing
still. but when led around it appear
ed to be extremely nervous. as IL
afraid Of falling down and did In TACT
knuckie over a couple of times I'm a
manner which I fear would have re-
suited in a fall. had not the animal
been on guard against it, This con-
dition must be ascribed principally
to old age or ile-debility. some
what resembling lOcOmOtOr ataxia in
man. Under no circumstances should
this animal be taken into town as IL
is likely TO fall and injure itself Sc
verely il unduly excited on hard,
rough. or slippery pavement"
When Newton got that far 1t was
/ all he could do TO keep from burst
! ing right into tears. But he knew
that he must try TO bear up, for II he
gave way to his emotions, his work
would suffer and that might hinder
the work Of the entire department.
Still, it was tough to think OF that
poor old brown mule away off In
Honolulu. struggling against locomo-
/ tor ataxia while he, Newton. sat at
/ a mahogany desk i'm Washington un-
\ able to offer ii SO much as a wisp OF
/ hay.
Even as he thought of these things,
! Lott fI1n oh af
| quarantine officer at Hawaii, with
later and even sadder developments:
II have the honor to report that
/ the brown mule at the station fell
down while hitched TO the wagon,
and"
"'Have the honor to report is
\ good murmured Newton to him
/ self.
THE mule and his mate we're pur-
/ chased from the army in 1904" the
| letter went on. They were not
/ young mules even then"
/ Thus the full pathos OF the situa-
/ ton began to dawn upon Newton. he
| could picture the mule and it's mate
/ toiling through life together year
after year. even after reaching a time
/ OF life when they might be willing 10
retire from active work and let their
| tasks fall upon younger shoulders.
! The letter outlined in solemn detail
what the varied and manifold duties
| of the mule had been. confirming the
! IMPRESSION that its life had been one
comparatively devoid OF sunshine or
! frivnI.Ly. and ended up with an APP
| peal that an order granting permits
\ sion 20 buy a younger and heartier
! mule be sent by cable.
And. indeed. would il not have
! been an inhumane government that
would have dubbed over a few dol
/ lars cable toll in a case like that?
! At the close of the day at the
/ Baltimore convention when Mr.
| Bryan made his speech that turned
! the tide from Champ Clark to Wood
| row Wilson. & young correspondent
! for one OF the Boston papers. climb
/ ed YEARLY aboard an interurban car
/ TO slip over TO washington and get a
/ few hours sleep out of his system
After he had been riding along for
half an hour he noticed that he was
/ sitting next to another young man
whose weary attitude showed that he
| too. had been attending the cOnven-
ton and losing sleep.
That gave them a community of in
terest and the newspaper man said 70
! his seatmate: "Bryan's speech was
a cOrker wasn't it?"
IT don't care for Bryan at all,
said the other tired young man. only
he didn't say in quite that mild Ian
| guage.
Pm not crazy about Bryan N.Y.
self" went on the newspaper toiler
but I do think that just by way OF
giving the devil his due. that was
some speech he made"
We'll" observed the other, -
/ thought the speech was rotten. but
may be prejudiced. I'm Speaker
/ Clark's SON"
I And that ended the conversation
for both of the young men were ex-
tremely tired.
i downright, 1914, by Fred c. Kelly
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