. A'Chu and other stories. t. Thingshad happened this way a number of times of late. Themule guessed his load would soon be off, and he couldgo back to his stall. His long ears dropped languidlyover a satisfied countenance, and his front legs relaxedcomfortably. Indeed, his whole attitude was quite incontrast with the worried disappointment of his tiredmaster. As may easily be imagined, the man himself was not. at all satisfied or comfortable. The rent was due on hisplot of ground and his miserable hovel. A family ofchildren, with ever-hollow stomachs, were waiting to befed. More than this, de
. A'Chu and other stories. t. Thingshad happened this way a number of times of late. Themule guessed his load would soon be off, and he couldgo back to his stall. His long ears dropped languidlyover a satisfied countenance, and his front legs relaxedcomfortably. Indeed, his whole attitude was quite incontrast with the worried disappointment of his tiredmaster. As may easily be imagined, the man himself was not. at all satisfied or comfortable. The rent was due on hisplot of ground and his miserable hovel. A family ofchildren, with ever-hollow stomachs, were waiting to befed. More than this, debts must be paid, or the smallmule and cart would be sold to pay his creditors. Thesehad been his principal means of income. What couldhe do without them? His fists clenched. What couldhe do with them if the mule would not pull? His teethgritted as the heavy jaws came together. Drops ofsweat oozed from under the rabbit-skin lining, and trick-led down his face, at the thought of a certain old 261 262 AJChu and Other Stories. COOLIES CAEBYIXG CASES OF OIL woman. She it was who was the cause of his misfor-tunes, both of the debt and of the balky mule. This mans experience had been unusual. Chinamenseldom have difficulties with their mothers-in-law. Usu-ally the wife lives with the husbands mother, and musttake what the older woman chooses to give. In thiscase, however, things were turned about. His wifesmother had been so overbearing and irritable that she The Balky Mule 263 was not wanted in her own sons home, and so she cameto live with her daughter. Here she acted in the same disagreeable way. Noth-ing they did pleased her, and she would do nothing toplease them. In keeping with the usual contrariety ofher life, she died at a most inconvenient time. Thatseason the dry weather had burned up the crop, and themoney required to give her a respectable burial had tobe borrowed from the money lender. The mule andcart were mortgaged as security for the loan. That should have been enoug
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