w those who went down stairs. He remembered
starting from the first step at the top. Vince Carpenter afterwards
informed him he never hit another step in his descent.

[Illustration: Sammy Steele's Mule Kicked the Boy]

Gathering himself up in time to hear Vince shout: "Here comes Mr.
Steele," as badly scared as his dazed senses would permit him to be,
Alfred fumbled and scrambled about for a moment. He spied a large
wheel-barrow overloaded with cows' ears and other by-products of green
hides that go into the refuse and find their way to the glue factory.
This slimy mess was just out of the lime vat.

Alfred grabbed the handles and started with the wheel-barrow he did not
know where, his sole object being to stall and make the boss believe he
was at work. Along a narrow plank walk he pushed the gruesome load,
weaving, wobbling at every step, threatening to go off one side or the
other at any moment, headed for the dump where all the water-soaked,
discarded tan bark was deposited.

Reaching the dumping ground, standing between the handles of the
wheel-barrow, Alfred attempted to overturn it. The handles overturned
Alfred. Down the steep incline, rolled Alfred, wheel-barrow and contents
in one conglomerate mass, Alfred under the avalanche of cows' ears,
tails, etc.

Mrs. Hampton witnessed from her back porch the race down the dump pile.
Calling a couple of boys the lady led the way to where Alfred lay,
digging him from under the slimy mess. The boys loaded the soaking
figure into the wheel-barrow and carried him home.

Sammy Steele used as motive power in his bark mill a fine white mare and
an iron grey mule. When Alfred could not get the use of the white mare
he rode or drove the mule. Alfred's parents and others continually
cautioned him to beware of the mule, that it was vicious and would
surely kick him.

When the boys arrived at Alfred's home and Lin saw them assisting the
almost senseless boy into the house, she began: "Well, fur the luv of
all thet's holy, what's the rumpus now? I'll bet a fip Sammy Steele's
mewel's kicked thet boy."

The boys did not reply, depositing their burden on the floor, hastily
departed. To Lin's persistent inquiries, Alfred admitted that the mule
had kicked him. In a maudlin way he stuttered: "L-o-o-k-o-u-t, Lin,
she'll k-k-i-c-k you." Then he laughed a silly laugh.

Lin was convinced that the boy was out of his head, delirious from the
mule's kick, sent for the doctor who came