XIII
MISTAH MULE LAUGHS
Old Mr. Crow, at his very first meeting with Mistah Mule, decided that he was somewhat stupid. When Mr. Crow spoke of the Muley Cow, and said to Mistah Mule, “I want you to pretend that your two tails are alike,” Mistah Mule actually didn’t know what the old gentleman was talking about. He actually looked around to make sure he hadn’t two tails of his own!
“Of course you haven’t two tails,” Mr. Crow told him. “I mean, yours and hers.”
“Yes’m—yes, sah!” said Mistah Mule. “But how is I a-goin’ to pretend that? If a fly lights on my back, does you ’spect the Muley Cow a-goin’ to swish it off with her tail?”
“No! No! Certainly not!” cried old Mr. Crow.
“Yes’m—yes, sah! If a fly lights on the Muley Cow’s back, I’se a-goin’ to swish it off with my tail.”
“No! No! My goodness, no!” exclaimed old Mr. Crow. “Listen to me. I’ll explain carefully. I trust—” he added—“I trust it’s not necessary for me to use words of one syllable.”
“One which?” Mistah Mule inquired, cocking a long ear towards Mr. Crow.
Mr. Crow paid no heed to the question. “I’ll put it this way,” he said: “I want to have a little fun with the Muley Cow. I want to tease her a bit. So when you meet her—as you’re sure to, if you stay here on the farm—just say, ‘Good morning, madam! I see your tail is very much like mine.’ Now you understand, don’t you?”
Mistah Mule scratched his head with one hind foot. Something still puzzled him.
“How that a-goin’ to tease her?” he asked. “’Pears to me it a-goin’ to please her.”
“You think so?” Mr. Crow retorted with a sly smile. “Well, perhaps you’re right. Try it, anyhow. And let me know what she says to you.”
Then Mr. Crow flew away towards the cornfield.
“Huh!” Mistah Mule grunted as he watched Mr. Crow growing smaller and smaller in the distance. “That ole rascal, he a-tryin’ to git me into trouble. That old Jim Crow, he think he’s mighty sly. But I reckon maybe I kin play a trick or two my own self.” And Mistah Mule laughed in his odd fashion, “Hee-haw! Hee-haw!”
’Way over in the cornfield Mr. Crow heard him. And the old gentleman stopped right in the middle of a chuckle.
“I’d give an ear of corn,” he said aloud, “to know what he’s laughing at.”