Ephum Johnson was up before Judge Shimmerplate on a cruelty to animals charge.
"Deed Ah wasn't abusing dat mule, judge," the old man demurred.
"Did you not strike it repeatedly with a club?"
"Yassah."
"And do you not know that you can accomplish more with animals by speaking to them?"
"Yassah; but this critter am different. He am so deef he can't hear me when Ah speaks to him in de usual way, so Ah has to communicate wid him in de sign language."
On mules we find two legs behind
And two we find before;
We stand behind before we find