RED MULE

One of Jesse Stuart's best stories, this is a good grass roots narrative showing how faith and responsibility bring their rewards. Scrapple Lykins, about 12 and Just old enough to begin thinking about social values, has been working for Red Mule whom he loves dearly but who might have been a better man. One of the reasons for Red Mule's lack of success is that he works with mules in a day of tractors and suffers economically from the unemployment. But both Scrapple and Red Mule are passionately convinced of the worth of the animals and when Red Mule gives Scrapple a third of them, the boy's added enthusiasm works wonders. With Mr. Lykin's help, they make their mules a paying concern and at last are able to sell them to the government where they will be of even more use.