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Show 15 Old-timers will tell you a mule combines the stamina of an ox with the agility of a horse, the reliability of a dog with the independence of a cat. It was that independence that got me my fourth mule. Her name was Bee. We were working a sugar-beet farm in southern Idaho for a farmer named Clem who had always thought those parts to be on Mountain Time. We were just gettin' into the harvest--we had the wagons heavily loaded-when one of the worst things happened that could happen. It began to rain. And it rained. And the ground went soft. Deep-down soft. Well, sir, I figured Clem had lost his harvest, and maybe his farm along with it, 'cause there was no way to get those wagons out of those spongy fields. That's when the mule Bee saved the day--or maybe I should say, the farm. We were startin' to unhitch the mules from the wagons when Bee gave an earth-shakin' bray. And then she began to pull. And she pulled. (Her eyes bulging.) And she pulled. (Her neck going stiff.) And the wagon began to move. (But only a little.) And then Bee went down to her knees for more leverage. |