The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-09-28
Staying Proceedings.
BIZ JUDGE CLARK.

have left both at home, for any ski
I had in either; but one must hav
an excuse, you know struck out t
spend my vacation on the shores {
the northwestern lakes.
NV guide was XII Bunce-"Uncl
XII" the settlers called bim-one G
those social nondescripts that hove
about the borders of civilization, no,
on one side, now on the other.
OF course my venatic deficiencies
and confusion of ideas touching tn
difference between bass and mud CA
couldn't long escape the notice of a
keen a sportsman rs Uncle Ri, who
though too polite to openly laugh a
my plumbers. had a trick of cbokin:
a chuchle in a cough that came near
to the same.
No man likes to be thought a foo
by another, no matter who the othe
is. So one day I thought I'd let I'm
ole XII see I wasn't such a dolt in al
respects, as he had certainly good rea
SON to think me in ONE The Frencl
and Prussian war was theS topic 1 sc
lected to that end.
Waiting for an opening, / began:
"The French dynasty"
can live nasty, We mought say
interrupted Ki-going on to explain
how, at a French eating house. he hac
once been deceived with a fricassee o
of bulI-frogs, of which he had parta
ken with hearty relish, and how
sick it made him on finding out tn
facts.
Pe~rceiving 1 had struck a hopeless
trail, 1 relapsed into silence.
"Do kerry that gnn a little keeful
Ter, MI. Tomykins," XII expostulated.
eye see 1 don't want no more chaps
turnin' up dead or missin' on my hand"
why, did such a thing ever hap
pen2"
EFF you'd as soon hear the story
as talk about the French" said XII,
"Tll tell it."
Nothing could please me better, ]
assured him.
"Liddy Temple" Uncle XII went
on-Liddy Temple, ye see, was the
spankin'st gal, an me an Bill Stem
bic the two fastest friends. in all
Kaintuck.
Though Llddy was engaged to
Bill, tother chaps, me included, would
keep cuttin' round her; though none
ON us-least of all me-had any idee
OF maxim mischief. Bless We, eff I'd
a onct mistrusted Bills gettin' jealous,
an playin' the dog on fool the way he
did, I'd a gone furder fust, an stayed
thar.
"But Bill was too blind to see
right, an SO he ups an
tells Liddy to her face ore day, as
how he.b'lieved as she kecred more
for XII Bunce's leetle finger'n she did
for his whole buddy. Liddy bein' a
gal O. sperit sassed back, an the two
in a rale lowers quarL
"That eveDin' Bill come along 18th
bundle onder his arm, an axed me
to take a walk. Not suspicionin' what
was up, L tux my hat, an we logged
down the road together.
"When we come to the bridge
lcrost the crick, we sot down an had
long talk. 1t had got dark, an /
see Bills face distinct, but
was somethin' Gurus in his voice
BY times. AT last, he said he was on
he pint of startin' away, to be gone a
good spell, an he'd like to exchange
watches with me, as he wanted some
him to remember me by. In course
[ consented, arter which / bid him
,oodby, an left him.
sit seems that Bill-though /
know nothin' bout it then-had
made up his mind to never come back,
md leave me an Liddy to be happy
.ogether, 'ithout standin' in our road.
"He sot thinkin' a good while arter
[ left him, an then started over by
he graveyard, to take farewell O the
pot whar his mother was buried.
"Jest as he got thar, somebody
over the fence, droppin' a
iack behind them, an run for dear
ife. Bill was of an investigator
urn, an havin' a mind to see what
vas in the sack, clim' over and went
pick it up. 1t felt Gurus like, an
vas eonsid'able heavy. The mouth
vas omitted, an arter pullin' it open,
he fust thing as met Bills sight was
. dead mans face The moon was
est risin', an Bill could see plain
it was Dick Buckley's featers,
which he'd ben buried that day. He'd
a tough subjec', had Dick, an
like a fish, only a fish drinks
yarter, which he never didn't. He'd
zen a seein' snakes for some time, an
-ok h.- 1,x~1 of Loot
"Ole DR.. Colon had a couple O prem
ices larnin' the p~hysickin business,
IN it pears, as it afterwards come TO
light, that them two TUX a notion to
at Dicks buddy to practice science
IN i; an so they hires Mike McQuig to
snatch it, an it vas him as had got
r~ightenened an rum away.
"All to onct Itpops inter Bills head,
,r some evil sperit put it thar, to dress
he buddy in has cloze, an throw it in
er the crick. In course it would be
ound arter a spell, an Unidentified as
,is'n 'an' then,' he said, L;ddy an
ri kin git married 'ithout any fears O
wrongin' me. But it won't do sez
ne, sto let 'em think I've made way
With myself, which it would make 'em
both unhappy An with that he whips
his knife an socks it inter Dick,
,ivin' him a mortal wound, SOS to
make out thar'd ben a murder commit
ed.
"Then, arter dressin' it up in the
,loze he had on, an hisself outer his
bundle, Bill toted the corp down to the
,rick, tied a stone to it, pitched it in,
an went his ways.
"You may guess how frustrated I
was, at the eend of a couple O. weeks,
~ In;u1 or-onkod Enr PHI Gfromhln,r