A Balk All Round

A bout half way between Prairie City and Silver Creek I c;ime across an outfit consisting uf a lean oíd mulé' that was hitched to a rickety cart, a:id iu the cart were seated an oldisfa conple, who were very evidently man and wife. It was at the fout of a steep bill, and tho mule had hia back huraped up, while the mau plied a bine beech switch. "Is it a case of balk?" I asked as I rode tip. "Fur shore, stranger, " replied the mau as he put aside hia switch and began filling hi3 corncob pipe. "Anything wrong with the innle?" "Nuthin iu pertickler. He's jest obstinate. Cousarn mewls, and oonsarn women. They ar' boch jes' alike in wantin their way." ' The wife sat bolt upright, arms folded and her jaws set, and she did not even give me a glance. Themauslowly filled and lighted his pipe aud then took up the switch and whaled away until he had struck 50 blows. Then he laid it down with a grunt and turned to the wornan to ask: "Say, uow, is it to be whisky and terbacker or a pa'r o' shoes?" "S-h-u-z-e, shoes," sho determinedly replied. "Thar 'tis, stranger," he said with a sigh as he turned to me. "I've got SI in my pocket to buy whisky and terbacker with when we git to town, but shuck my ole hide if she ain't balkin fur a pa'r o' shoes aud will either have 'em or make trouble. What d'ye think o' sich a critter?" I was hesitating how to answer him wben he knocked the ashes out of his pipe, stood up iu the cart and shouted : "Whoop, whoop-ee! Fust the old woman balka, then the rnewl balks, and uow I'm goin to balk myself. Better drive on, stranger, and git io' miles away afore the calamity happens." I took his advice and rode on, but on lookiug back a few miuutes later I saw that the old woman had him by the hair, and the mule was standing on liis hind feet pawing the air. The nest minuto I glanced back they had both fallen to the bottom of the cart, still i Cghting, and the mule had turned the i vehicle aronnd and was legging it for '