Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1858-09-28
SfllsrGllanp.
THE VILLAGE BRAVO.
BY sYLvANUs COBB, JR.

Nearly every country village has its
"6ruVo." We do not mean can Assas-
SIM" nor ga man who murders for hire, 1"
as Worcester explains the word; but we
mean the one man before whom all others
must give way-th the man who can "whip
anybody in the town''-the great big
animal who thinks his position enviable,
and who is envied by men with little bodies
and little brains.
Our village had its brave, at all events;
and perfect type of his class he was, too.
His name was Jonathan Burke, though l
never heard him called Jonathan but once,
and that was before a Justices court. jack
Burke was lis name, 1.-The world over" as
he often said. He was big, burly fel-
low, six feet and two inches tall; with
broad, massive shoulders; great, long
arms and a head like small pumpkin
His face was characteristic. A low, re-
ceding forehead; small, pug nose; thick
heavy lips; and broad, deep chin. His
eyes were of light gray, verging upon a
cat-like green, while his hair, which was
coarse and crisp, was of burnt, sun-dried
color, neither red nor faxen, nor yet of
dark hue. The only feature in the whole
man which tended to detract from his her.
culean proportions was the, fiat, OF rather
hollow, appearance of his breast. To one
skilled in anatomy, or physiology, it would
have been at once apparent that he had
but little of what is generally denominated
''bottom," ard that long continued phys
ical effort would have reduced his "wind"
to weak point.
Jack Burke was born and reared in our
village, and ever since he had begun to 90
to school he had been the terror of all un-
lucky wights who chanced to cross his
path. He beat his companions without
mercy, and took delight in being feared.
AS he grew older, he became more inso-
lent and overbearing, and at the time of
which we write he was dislked by all the
decent people of the place. His voice was
loud and coarse, and it broke in upon all
circles which be gathered near him.
And then this bravo did not possess that
spirit of generosity usually betrayed by
those who happen to be giants in size and
strength. He was, on the contrary, low
and mean, taking delight in tormenting
the weak, and even laying out his full
strength upon those not half his size. IL
short, he was a coward as well as bravo.
He forced himself upon all our little
gatherings, and seemed to take delight in
stalking about and realizing that none of
us could put him out" He was now
twenty-five, and was fast forgetting all of
the useful knowledge he had ever gained
at sch ool.
Among the recent accessions to the
population of our village was a young
doctor, named William CRANKY. lie was
small, pale-looking man, not over five
feet and ten inches in height, and quite
slim in frame; but the man who studied
him closely would have seen that his
paleness was the result of long cOnfne-
ment over his studies. and was more after
all, a delicate fairness of the skin than
want of health. And it would also have
been seen that his slight frame was very
muscular one, and most admirable
moulded and put together.
William CRANKY was what the girls Of
our village called handsome man, and
none of the youth envied him the fattering
encCmiums he received from the female
portion of our community, for as we be-
came acquainted we loved him for the
manly and generous qualities we found in
him. He was a warm friend, and noble
opponent.
And CRANKY had proved himself an ex-
cellent physician, too; and though he had
been in our village but year and month,
yet the confidence reposed in his skill was
far greater that had been reposed in the
ancient blisterer and phlebotomist who
preceded him.
One day some of us went into his study
he was unmarried, but being only three