Smyrna times., 1870-11-09
NO. 82O
a Remlriscence of the Back Settle
mentS,
BY MARK TWAIN.

bf MARK TWAIN
~" that corpse (sad the undertaken not.
lug 'ne folded hands Of deceased spproy;n, Iv>
tr;ot o''TA-eVery way you took him he war 81
m,,i',.. i;i, was 80 real accommodating, and 30
IioieSt ~ IKE aud simple ia his last n,o,n,,.t,'
FRIENDS wanted metallic burial c,So-"O",L;' nfH.,.
eisc would do. couldn't get it. There warntt
SG"i"e 10 be tlme-anybodv could 500 tba.
~ PeI Saip never mind, shake him un SOM
III" " oOX he could stretch out in con,for,.
"pIG' ne warn particular about the g.nnraI
S,yie % VI IT, Said he went more on room than
@.Sie' any way, IA last final container Frionds
G ""1eu SILVER dOOr-plate on the coffin. sioni-
""U He was and where he was from
40" 20" Know fellow couldn't rou~t mn sUnb
Eally thing as that in little cupI+r, t",r,
nNG TINS. W hat did corpse saw? Corn.e
SaIu' "hltcwa>h his old canoe and d,L Li'iiJ
IoSH HT '"u general destination onto it with a
,N aSN inE n "roSh and stencil plate, long with a
verse from some likely hymn or ntLe~ md
; lhl hlm tor the tomb, and mark him & n
~, =: anu Just let hlGl skip along. lie warn,t
.n Stle:Seu any more than you be-on the con-
iHIy just as earn and collected as a bearsr.
.ol Sc Sald ne Jndsed that wher he was 90.
~" ~ Dody would lind it considerable bet
'G' 10 attract attention by a pictuYe,oue moral
character than nattv burial case with 80 n
9ooI p'ate on It, Splendid man, he was. IA
ufulner DO lor corpse like that n anv I've
! .eu In seven Year. There Some satisf,e.
tl0h III buryln man like that. You feel that
! what you re doing is appreciated. Lord Llrss
YOU 80 ne got planted before he smiled, he
was perfectly satisfied said his relations
meant "ei, perfectly well, but ali them prena.
1t'o"s was "Hund to delay the thing more or
less and he Didn't wish to be kent lawn
around. You never see such \ clear had .,
What he had-and so earn, and 50 cool Iret
hnnk Of bralnS-that is what he was Pnr.
loctIy awful. 1t was ripping distance from,
one end OF that mans head to t'other 0lte.
and ever again he's had brain fever a.rap;ng in
one place, and the rest Of the nile d;d't
know anything about it-dldn't affect il anv
more than an lnjuh instruction in Arizona
anccts the Atlantic States Well, the relations
they wanted big funeral but cornsc s,;d Lo
was down on fuminery-dirln't WANT anv ny me
cesSlon-hll the heal>e fui! Of mourne.s and
get out a stern line and tow him behind. He
""% the most down on style of any remains T
ever struck. A beautiful, >imple minded crna-
'nTe-lt was what he was, you can denend On
that' lie was Just set on having things the
way he wanted them, and he took solid com
Iort IN laying his httIe ans He had me
measure MN ana take whole raft of direc-
tlons then he had the minister stand M be.
hind long box with a table cloth ovrr + and
read his funeral sermon, saving "Anvrora onc.
core at the good places, and making i'm
scratch out every bit of brag about him, and
all the ltalutln and then he made them trot
out the choir SOS he could help them nick ont
the tunes tor the occasion, and he GOT them 70
sing P0p !ioes the Weasel" because he'd
always llked thattune when he was downheart-
eG' ana solemn music made him sad f: and
mheh 'hey sung that with tears in their ewes
loecanse they all loved himl and his relations
grIevlng around he just laid there as bannv
aS bug, and trying to beat time and showing
all over how much he enjoyed it and present.
y ne got worked up and excited, and fried to
JON ia, lot mind you he was pretty nroud of
his abilities in the singing line but the first
time he opened his mouth ami Was inst Going
10 spread himself, his breath took a walk. /
never see mar snuffed ou; so sudden. All.
u was d gTeat lONS-lt was powerful loss to
TINS poor little one horse town Well we'll
We'll nam GOT time to be paavering along
hcreIgot to nail on the lid and mosey along
win MN and If you i'll just give me lift
and meanior along. Relations Lound To have
II So-don pay no attention to dying inunc.
t'ohS' minute corpse gone; but if | had
my way, II didn respect his last wishes and
tow hln behind the wen skret i'm into the
he 'rSe. ii he cnSo'd. Icnnsder that whatever
Il corl sc wants done or his cCm'ort is lit ie
enough matter, and Il man h int got no light 10
d cave llm or take AZ van age oil him-,nd
whatever corHSe trust mc to do. I'm o, ing
to de-, You know, We if it's to stuff him and
pa hun yaller aud keep Lila for keep, AXE
you hear ae!'
lie crack ked his whip and went numbering
away with his ancient ruin Of hearse. and I
continued my walk with valuable lesson
lhearned-that healthy and wholesome cheer
tulneSS IS not necessarily impossible to ann
occupation. The lesson is likely to be latring,
Tor 1t will take many months to obliterate the
"cmory Of the remarks and circumstances that
Impressed it.-GalurH