Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-11-03
Renaissance Of the Back Settle.
ments.
BY MARK TWAIN.

NOW lIal CDTpst kStlu inc uUtbTtakcT
patting the folded hands of deceased APP
proringly) was a briok-every way you
took him he was brick He was so real ac-
commodating, and $50 modest -likeand simple
in his last moments. Friends wanted
me0ilic burial case-nothing else would
do. Icouldnt ,6et it. There warn't going
10 be time-anybody could see that. Corpse
said never mind shake him up some kind
of a box he could stretch out in comtorta
BILE, he warnt particular about the general
style of It, Said he went more on room
than style, any way, in last final contain
er Friends wanted silver doorplate on
the coffin, signifyng who he was and wher
he was from. Now yoH know fellow
couldn't roust out such gaily thing as that
in little country town like this. What
did corpse say Corpse said, whitcwash
his old canoe and dob his address and gen
cral destination onto il with backing
brush and stencil plate, long with verse
from some likely hymn or other, and pint
him for the tomb, and mark him {. .. d.,
and just let him skip along. lie warnt
distressed any more than you be-on the
contrary just as earn and collected as
hearse- horse said he judged that wher' he
was going to, a body would find 1t consid
enble better TO attract attention by pic
turcsquc moral character than natty burr
al case with swell door plate on it. Splen-
did man, he was. I'd druthcr do for a
corpse Ike that n any I've tackled in sew
en- year. There's some satisfaction in bury
in man like that. You fel that what
you're doing is appreciated. Lord bless
YOU, SOS he got planted before he spilled,
he was PERFECTLY satisfied; said his relations
meant well, perfectly well, but all them
preparations was bound to delay the thing
more or less, and he didn't wish to be kept
layin' around You never see such clear
head AS what he had-and so earn and so
cool. Just hunk Of brains-tlat Is what
he was Perfectly awful. Ii was rip
ping disunce from one end of that mans
head to 'other Often and over again
he's had brain fever araging in one place,
and the rest Of the pile didn't
know anything about it--didnt affect
it any more than an Injun insurrection in
Arizont affects the Atlantic States. Well,
the relations they wanted big funeral, but
corpse said he was down on fiummery-
didn't want any professionally the hearse
full of mourners, and get out stern line
and tow him behind. He sos the most
down on style ofany remains ever struck.
A beautiful, simple minded creature--it
was what he was, you can depend on that.
He was Just set on having things the way
he wanted them, and he took solid com.
fort in laying his little plans. He had me
measure him and take whole raft Of di-
rections; then he had the minister stand
up behind long box with table-cloth
over 1t and read his funeral sermon, saying
AngcOre. angcOre!' at the COOL places,
and making him scratch out every bit of
a. oil "a Int in nj
then he made them trot out the choir SOS
he could help them pick out the tunes for
the occasion, and he got them to sing
Pop Goes the Weasel, because he'd al
ways liked that tune when he was down
hearted, and solemn music made him
sad and when they sung that with tears
in their eyes because they all loved HIM,
and his relations gricying around, he just
laid there as happy as a bug, and trying to
beat time and showing all over how much
he enjoycd IL /; and presently he got worked
up and excited, and tried to join in for
mind YOU he was pretty proud Of his abili.
ties in the singing line; but the first time
he opened his mouth and was just going
To surcad himself his breath took walk.
| never see IA man snufied out 80 sudden.
All. il was great loss--it was a powerful
loss TO this poor little one-horse town.
Well, well, well, hain't got time to he
palayering along here--got TO nail on the
lid and mosey along with him; and II
You'll just give me lift we'll skeet him
into the hcarse and meander along. Rela-
tions bound to have il so--dont pay no at
tcntion to dying injunctions, minute
corpse's gone; but II had my way, If
didn't respect his last wishes and tow him
behind the hearse, IN be cussd. con-
slider that whatever corpse wants done
for his comfort Ii little enough matter,
and man hain't got no right To deceive
him or take advantage Of hiin--and what
ever a corpse trusts me TO do, Una goingto
do You know, even II it's to stuff him and
paint him yaller and keep him for keep
sake--you hear me
He cracked his whip and went lumber
ing away with his ancient ruin OF hearse,
and continued my walk with valuable
lesson learned-that q healthy and whole
some cheerfulness Is not necessarily impos
sible TO any occupation. The lesson Is
likely to be lasting. for 1t will take many
months TO obliterate the memory Of the
remarks and circumstances that impressed