III
FARMER GREEN’S TRICK
Mistah Mule had told the old horse, Ebenezer, to watch out, if Farmer Green came near him. And Ebenezer knew what his new neighbor meant by that. He intended to kick Farmer Green again.
Ebenezer soon saw that Farmer Green had a plan in his head. He called to the hired man. And then they both came up with a long, stout pole, one end of which they thrust into a front corner of Mistah Mule’s stall. Holding the other end of the pole, which stuck out a safe distance behind Mistah Mule’s heels, the hired man pushed the pole far over, crowding Mistah Mule firmly against a side of his stall.
“There!” said Farmer Green. “He can’t kick now.” And then Farmer Green walked boldly in beside Mistah Mule and untied his halter-strap. He backed that black rascal out of the stall, turned him around on the barn floor, and then backed him in again.
Mistah Mule now stood facing to the rear. He looked somewhat puzzled when Farmer Green fastened the halter-strap around the upright post on his left. He looked more puzzled when Farmer Green snapped another strap to his halter, wrapping the end of this one securely about a post on his right.
“Now,” Farmer Green remarked with a chuckle, “we can walk past this fellow’s stall without having to dodge his heels.”
Meanwhile Farmer Green’s son Johnnie had come in to watch what happened to Mistah Mule. “Won’t he bite?” he asked his father.
“No!” said Farmer Green. “He’s too wise to wear out his teeth on anything except food.”
Johnnie Green then slipped in beside Ebenezer and gave him an apple. Out of the corner of his eye, Mistah Mule saw Ebenezer take the gift. And when Ebenezer began to munch the apple, Mistah Mule spoke. “I is waitin’ for a apple,” he remarked. But Johnnie Green went away without giving him any.
“You see!” said Ebenezer to his new neighbor. “If you had behaved yourself, Johnnie would have treated you too.”
“I wouldn’t ’a bit him,” Mistah Mule answered.
“He doesn’t trust you,” Ebenezer retorted. “And I must say that I don’t blame him.”
“It ain’t right,” Mistah Mule complained, “to give a no-account ole hoss like you a apple, and not give one to a valuable young critter like my own self.”
“Valuable!” Ebenezer exclaimed with a slight smile. “I hear that your former owners gave you away to Farmer Green because they couldn’t do anything with you.”
Mistah Mule hung his head. For once he was silent.