Bisbee daily review., 1917-07-15
The Small Boy and
 The Skinny Burro

He was just a shred of a boy with shining eyes and sunburned face. He sat astride a skinny, most forlorn looking burro in front of the Copper Queen hotel in Bisbee early the other morning waiting for his father to come with the rest of the load for the mountain camp. In spite of his tender years and the sorry looking mount he bestrode there was something about this child of the canyons that compel led attention. He sat there as immoy- able as a piece of stasuary. His eyes were lifted above the town and its hustle and hurry and din to the calm, still strength of the mountains. One could imagine him waiting there mo tionless and without impatience for hours. And the little burro seemed to be just as indifferent to all the rest of the world as his small rider.
 The boy nodded his head or mur- mured yes or mo" to several ques- tions, keeping his eyes anG ms thoughts still on the mountains. Fin ally something was said in pity for the poor little burro. Then the burro's silent master was stirred instantly to speech in defenes of his dumb friend.
 He don't look very fat or fine," de- clared the boy, but he's the best bur TO in this country. He carries more weight every day than any burro in these mountains. Lots of 'em weighs more than him but they can't carry his loads of ore or camp truck. He don't look so very pretty now, but. Mister, you ought to see him on the trail. He looks pretty nice then, tell you"
 And the boy leaned over and patted the rough hairy side of his beast and the little burro opened one eye and moved one ear forward as though he knew and appreciated what had been said in his behalf by his loyal master
 And, somehow, the skinny little bur TO looked handsomer than before. His masters words of praise had enobled him. After all, it is not how you look but what you can do that counts in the long run, in both this world and the next.
 The stranger, seeing this burro for the first time. would pass him by and choose a fatter, sleeker animal, and the boy, who knew what he could do day by day, valued him at his true worth and scorned the fatter, finer looking burros of the trail.
 It is this way all through life. We are all of us so prone to judge rashiy by the outward appearance of every man and thing we meet Fine ciotnes' fine feathers, fine looks, fine colors, fine everything, these win our admira- tion and our favor But will the hne clothes wear well? Will the fine col ors run? We do not stop to ask these questions. We give our affection, our loyalty. our money for fine appear ances alone, and then find often. af- ter it is too late, that we have been duped by the pleading of our pleas ed eye for beauty.
 The ugly little burro could carry heavier loads than the bigger, better looking burros. He did not look It, but he could. The boy said so, and boy with eyes like that toy does not lie. His heart was big and strong, and if carried his homely frail body through the mountains with the heav- fest load. It is mans heart theE en- ables him to carry his responsioii' ties and his honor and his success anu his failure and the faith of his friends to the end of his pilgrim journey
 As the boy said of his burro; lie don't look very pretty now. bus you oueh, to see him on the trail"