The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1869-11-12

al hands CROPPED for hidden weapons ant
suggestion to "throw him from the win
dow was only overridden by gesture from
the judge. Tennessee laughed. And ap
parently oblivious of the excitement, Ten
nessee's Partner improved the opportunity
to mop his face again with handkerchief.
When order was restored, and the mar
was made to understand, by the use of for.
chile figures and rhetoric, that Tennessee's
offence could not be condoned by money
his face took more serious and sanguinary
hue, and those who were nearest to him
noticed that his rough hand trembled
slightly on the table. He hesitated q mo-
ment as he slowly returned the gold to the
carpet bag, as if he had not yet entirely
caught the elevated sense of justice which
swayed the tribunal, and was perplexed
with the belief that he had not offered
enough. Then he turned to the Judge, and
saying, "This yer is lone hand played
lone, and without my pardner," he bowed
to the jury and was about to withdraw, when
the judge called him back. "If you have
anything to say to Tennessee you had better
say it now"
For the first time that evening the eyes
of the prisoner and his strange advocate
met. Tennessee smiled, showed his white
teeth, and saying, "Euchred, old man p
held out his hand. Tennessee's partner took
it in his own, and saying, II just dropped
in as was passin' to see how things was
gettin' on,' let the hand passively fall, and
adding that sit was a warm night" again
mopped his face with his handkerchief
and without another word withdrew.
The two men never met each other alive
For the unparalleled insult of bride of
fered to Judge Lynch-who whether big
oted, weak or narrow, was at least incor.
ruptible-frmly fixed in the mind of that
mythical parsonage any wavering determi
nation of Tennessees fate and at the break
of day he was marched, closely guarded to
meet it at the top of Marley's Hill.
How he met it, how cool he was, how he
refused to say any thing, how perfect were
the arrangements of the Committee, were
all duly reported-with the addition of q
warning moral and example to all future
evil doers-in the cred Dog Clarion, !" by its
editor, who was present, and to whose Wig
orous English cheerfully refer the reader
But the beauty ofthat midsummer morning,
the blessed amity Of earth and air and sky
the awakened life of the free woods and
hills, the joyous renewal and promise Of
nature, and above all, the infinite serenity
that thrilled through each, was not repor
ted, as not being part of the social lesson
And yet, when the weak and foolish deed
was done, and a life with its possibilities
and responsibilities, had passed out of the
mishapen thing that dangled between
earth and sky, the birds sung, the flowers
bloomed, the sun shone as cheerily as be-
fore; and possibly the "Red Dog Clarion
was right.
Tennessee's Partner was not in the group
that surrounded the omnibus tree. But as
they turned to disperse, attention was call
ed to the singular appearance of a motion
less donkey cart halted at the side of the
road. AS they approached they at once
recognized the venerable Jenny and the
two-wheeled cart as the property of Ten.
nessees Partner-used by him in carrying
dirt from his claim; and few PAGES dis
tant the owner of the equipage himself, sit
ting under buckeye tree, wiping the per
spiration from his glowing face. In answer
to an inquiry, he said he had come for the
body of the diseased" eff it was all the
same to the committee" He didn't wish tc
hurry anything;"h he could wait" He was
not working that day; and when the gen.
tlemen were done with the diseased" he
would take him. "Ef thar is any present,
he added, in his simple, serious way, "as
would care to jine in the fun'l-they kin
come Perhaps it was from sense Of
humor, which I have already intimateG
was feature of Sandy Bar; perhaps it was
from something even better than that
but two thirds of the loungers accepted
the invitation at once.
1t was noon when the body of Tennessee
was delivered into the hands of his partner
AS the cart drew up to the fatal tree, WI
noticed that it contained a rough oblone
apparently made from section O
sluicing- and half filled with bark and thu
tassels of pine. The cart was further dec
grated with slips of willow, and made fra
grant with buckeye blossoms When thu
body was deposited in the box, TENNESSEE
partner drew over it piece of tarred can
vas, and gravely mounting the narrow sea-
in front, with his feet upon the shafts
urged the little donkey forward. The
equipage moved slowly on, OF that decorou'
pace which was habitual with "Jenny'
even under less solemn circumstances. Tht
men-half curiously, half jestingly, but al
good humoredly-strolled along beside thu
cart; some in advance, some little in thu
rear of the homely catafalque. But, wheth
er from the narrowing of the road, or some
present sense of decorum, as the cart passed
the company fell to the rear in couples
keeping step, and otherwise assuming thu
external appearance Of a formal procession
Jock Folinsbee, who had, at the outset
playeda funeral march in dumb show
upon an imaginary trombone, desisted
from lack of sympathy and appreciation
not having, perhaps, your true humorist'
capacity to be content with the enjoyment
ofhis own fun.
The way led through Grizzly Canon
by this time clothed in funeral drapery
and shadows. The redwoods, buryinl
their moccasiond feet in the red soil
stood in Indian file along the track, trail
ing an uncouth benediction from theil
bending boughs upon the passing bier. A
hare, surprised into helpless inactivity, sa
upright and pulsating, in the ferns by TIN
roadside, as the cortSge went by. Squirrels
FASTENED to get an outlook from highe
boughs; and the blue jays, spreading thei
wings, fluttered before them like outriders
until the outskirts of Sandy Bar wer
reached, and the solitary cabin of Tcnnes
sees Partner.
Viewed under more favorable circumstan
ces, it would not have been a cheerful
place. The unpicturesque site, the rud
and unlovely outline, the unsavory detail