VIIA BALKY PARTNER
Farmer Greentied Mistah Mule and the old horse Ebenezer to the fence beside the gristmill and went inside the old gray building to talk with the miller.
While he was gone, Mistah Mule took great pains to keep a safe distance from the wagon-pole. He scolded Ebenezer when that mild fellow moved the pole even as little as an inch toward his companion.
“I’se been stung three times,” Mistah Mule grumbled. “I doesn’t care to be stung agin.”
“I can’t stand perfectly still and let the flies bite me,” Ebenezer retorted. “Ihave to stamp once in a while, to drive them away.”
“Flies!” Mistah Mule sniffed. “I doesn’t mind flies bitin’ me. It’s hornets I objects to.”
Old Ebenezer couldn’t help thinking what a dull fellow Mistah Mule was. It hadn’t once occurred to him that what he called hornet-stings was caused by the pricks of the sharp tacks which Farmer Green had fastened to the wagon-pole in order to teach Mistah Mule to stay where he belonged.
In a few minutes Farmer Green appeared in the wide doorway of the gristmill, dragging a heavy sack, which he dropped at the threshold. Then he leaped down upon the ground and walked toward Mistah Mule and Ebenezer.
“There’s your corn that you’ve been wanting,” Ebenezer told Mistah Mule.“Farmer Green is going to drive us up to the doorway and load the sack into the wagon.”
“I’se willin’ to help pull the empty wagon across the yard,” said Mistah Mule. “But after Farmer Green loads that heavy sack into it, I aims to stay right where I is.”
“What!” cried Ebenezer. “Are you going to balk? Aren’t you going to help draw your own corn home to the barn?”
There was a very surly look in Mistah Mule’s left eye, which was nearest Ebenezer, as he answered, “I doesn’t crave to do any work, even for my own self.”
Farmer Green now untied this strange pair, turned them around, and backed the wagon up to the gristmill door. Then he dumped the sack of corn into the back of the wagon, sat down upon the seat, picked up the reins, and said, “Giddap!”
“Now, don’t be silly!” said Ebenezer to his companion. “This load is nothing. We’ll have it in the barn before you know it.” And he started forward.
“I’se a person of my word,” Mistah Mule declared. And planting his forefeet firmly in front of him, he refused to budge from that spot.