The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-08-20

Against such cOnf1rmatofy evidence II
would have been useless to argues and
readily assented, only venturing to inquire
into the mystery ofthe singularly arranged
studs on the stock of the pistol.
"Wa1, stranger" returned my com.
panion, "yu wouldn't guess the trick o
them studs in hurry, so I'll tell you
Each O. them air studs on that revolvef
stands for the life OF q ii1an that him and
me hev clafed off. There's eleven on 'em
altogether, and 1 recon that's a pretty
tol'able stroke O work for one man and
one weepun"
Used as l am to extraordinary conf
dences, this cool, compIacent statement
fairly staggered ME fof moment.
"uood Heaven!" I gasped, "do you
mean to tell me that you have murdered
eleven men?"
"No. stranger" replied he slowly and
sententiously; "yu hev got on the wrong
ferryboat in making that air statement
mean to tell yu that I've found it necessa-
ry at different periods o my life, to rub
out eleven human critters who must other.
wise hev offered the same ci-vility to me
and calc'late WI don't call that murderin':
Thar's one wantin' yet to complete the
dozen, as yu see but" added he cheerful
fully, THAT won't be long a-comins,' /
guess"
"The old rahnibal!" said 1 mentally
lie talks of killing people as if he were
only collecting photographs. Pray Heaven
he may not take it into his head to add me
to his museumw
"Thar's one vantage I've got with this
weepun," pursued the Yankee; II can al
ways tell at fust sight O. man whether
I'm a-gwine to kill him some day or not u
"HOw's that" asked l, not without Sc.
cret shudder, and slight anxiety as to
which way the scale had turned with re.
gard to myself
"Wal, jest this way; whenever / inject d
man that I'm bound to rub out birie-by,
the hammer O. this fe-tolver's sure to gin
sorter click-so-jest to show that he
knows his doOty 'spectin' that air individ
GOAL and he never makes mistake, he
don't"
The perfect air of conviction with
which he said this was the reverse OF
agreeable; and could not help rejecting
"a pretty thing if this precious pistol
should have happened to click when he
saw me first, and he should think it neces.
sary to vindicate its infallibility" My
countenance probably expressed some dis.
quietude, for my companion suddenly
broke my meditations by Observing, in an
encouraging tone:
"Yu hain't no call to be skeared,
| strangers he didn't click at sight o'you,
and I'm kinder glad ont, for you're good
kumpny in yure way; although yu air
tarnation green in the ways of the world. VI
As this estimate of my abilities. was
evidently too deeply rooted to admit OF
refutation, let 1t pass, merely inquiring
whether the fatal augury had ever proved
false.
Never, stranger" he replied emphati.
cally. "Yu can't 'spect prophecy to 60
wrong, and that air weepun's prophet
Jest as much as Dan1 or 'Zek1 1 won't
saw that wouldn't hev bin. glad, one time:
to catch him slippin feeziin good
tew; but you mout as well 'spect Gin'ral
Grant to be 'fraid, as this weepun to tell a
| lie"
"And that one time-what was itg''
asked l.
oval, seein' it's yu, stranger, don't
mind tellin', though l amt so precious
spry at talkin' on that air subject, l swear
It's good few years now sim happened
on feller who hailed from village on
the Mississippi called Burnt Clearin',
cause of big fire they'd he'd thar once
on time, and we ffoae together power;
| full, and was just like brothers all at once
| Wharevef one went, 'tother went; what
ever one did, 'tother did; and if this un
he'd dollar, that un war good for fifty
cents ont, least thing. We went down to
Moo Orleens, and up to Philadelphy by
the cars, and BASTARD to Charleston on a
tradin' spec; and tell We, we fotched up
the dollars right smart. / saved him from
bein' chawed up by a bar that looked
plaguy angshus to make his closer quaint
ance; and he saved me from bein
drowned In fioodtine, when my canoe got
turned over agin snag; altogether
strange,yu mout hev TUX us fur David and
Jonathan cum alive agin. But all the
while thar war one thot hanging in my
mind like risin' cloud in summer, thai
spiles the look of thelhull sky-and thai
war the recollection that my %eepun, fus
time he ever seen this feller he'd gin &
click"
The cold, clear tone of his voice at thest
last words, slightly tinged with sorrow
was such as compassionate judge nigh
use IN pronouncins sentence of death
and to lie, guessing as l did what was t.
come, it had sound indescribably dreary
and ominous.
a used to try and laugh myself OUT
that air fancy by sayin', Whatever
possible, that amt Why, to think O ou
quarreIn' 'ud be-like man cutting hissel
in half, and fightin' right hand agin left
But let me talk as l liked, the thot stucl
in my head like nail in a new log, ant
wouldn't 60 away. And at last, stranger
the time cum when it war more'n thot
One year, early in the fall, we were dow
in Kansas, tradin' about in spots, and max
in pretty tolable haul: till one day W
agreed to tote up the profit, and make
fair division, cause next mOrnin' he wa
startin' off to Burnt Clearir' to see hi
folks, and | war bound to make tracks 70
Boston on some business of my own. Wal
evenin' cum, and a'ter lickerin' up a spell
to lie our brains fur the cipherin', we be
gan totin' up. But somehow or another
|, we couldn't come to right settlement G
our two shares, nohow we could fix it
and what with the Ticker we'd he'd, an
the worry O. cipherin', we both com
menced to git rayther savagerous. A
last, up he jumps, and hollers out. II
not hev bin SO thunderin' keen upon thi
hyur trade if I'd known that my pardne
war nothin' but a darned mean flint-shaviI
|
shiver ran all through me like them lee
trio fixins' that book-larned folks tell or
and my right hand flew out as If somebOd
moved it, and fotched him lick 'twee
the eyes that brou't him down like pin
i in clearin'. (He war fine feller, bigger
/ me some way, and all the way on
r as hard; and, by Jingo! 'twar reg1a
pleasure knockin' him down.) Up h
got lookin' mighty wrathy; and says he
It'll take leetle burnt powder to pu
away the smell O that air blow-cum on
2 into the forest The sun war settin'. an
everythin' war dead still, as if waitin'
see what we'd do. 1 follered him OF
4 readily 'nuff, for war cool as an icicl,
D now l know'd the job he'd got to cul
!, through; but when seen the dyin' ligt
5 streamin' down the shadowy arches ofth
l forest, and the everlastin' trees stannil
7 up tall and grand, and whisperin' with a
e their leaves, as if God war speakil
c through them in His own Temple of Natu
:, by Hevin', stranger, cum very mig
t feelin' as if war p'raps doin' wrongi
!; "Wall, that air feelin' didn't last lonl
e 1 reckon. The fust click o. them loci
: (we'd greed to load only three barre
{ each, to save time)-the fust click o thel
r locks war like the smell O. roast meat to
S starvin' man; and when l toed my mar
f at fifteen PAGES, l felt as comfortable as
), I'd bin sittin' fore big fire with gla.
:, O. whisky in my hand. We both cracke
!, off to once; got scratch on the lie
a side, and bit O his sleeve went f1yil
: Jest below the shoulder. Better luC
I L.,