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Show 14 said, "I'll take that mule off'n your hands for the mere sum of V." "Done!" Ike agreed, and placed a V in my hand. Early the next day, Emmett, Sadie, Zeke, and me headed for Nevada. Rumor said that at the Comstock Lode a man could get three D's a day for each of his mules. We never did find out the truth of it. We were in Pioche, Nevada,, on Independence Day when a kid with too short of pants and too long of hair tossed a string of firecrackers in front of my rig. Zeke digested five or six 'crackers; Sadie got equally as many; Emmett gobbled an even dozen. When their ribs began poppin' out, those mules--with Emmett in the lead-picked out five and a half miles of straight road, and away they went! It was said later that we were the best part of the celebration: three brayin' mules in front, with gesyers of smoke shooting out their ears while their tails stood straight up, and behind them a wild-eyed muleskinner trying to keep hold of a fish-tailing wagon, the whole sight leavin' a trail of yellow dust. When we finally stopped we were in Idaho. |