The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-02-23

ed, the sun shone, as cheerily as be
fore; and possibly the Red Dog Cdr
ion was right.
Tennessee's Partner was not in thC
group that surrounded the OminOu'
tree. But as they turned to dispersC
attention was drawn to the singular
appearance of a mOtiOnless donkey
cart halted at the side Of the road As
they approached, they at once recCg,
niZed the venerable "Jenny" and the
twO-wheeled cart as the property oi
Tennessee's Partner-used by him in
carrying dirt from his claim; and q
few PAGES distant the owner of the
equipage himself, sitting under g
buckeye-tree, wiping the perspiratiOn
from his glowing face. In answer TO
the inquiry, he said he had come for
the bodyo of the "disceased, - "if it was
all the same to the committee He
didn't wish to "hurry anything" he
could "wait." He was not working
that day; and when the gentlemen
were done with the diseased" he
would take him. ''Ef thar is any
iOus way, "as would care to jiue in the
lulA AllEr hln ELAAdD5 IL
was from q sense Of kumOr, which I
have already intimated was a feature
of Sandy Bar-perhaps it was some
thing even better than that; but two
thirds of the loungers accepted the iu-
vitatiOn at once.
1t was noon when the body of Ten
nesse was delivered into the hands of
his Partner. As the cart drew up to
the fatal tree, we noticed that it con-
tained a rough, ,oblOng boX-apparent-
" made from a section of sluicing-
/ and half filled with bark and tassels
of pine. The cart was decorated with
slips of willow, and made fragrant
with buckeye blossoms. When the
body was deposited in the box, Ten
nessee's Partner drew over it a piece
/ of taTred canvass, and gravely mount
| ing the narrow seat in front, with his
feet upon the shafts, urged the little
donkey forward. The equipage NOV
| ed slowly on, at that decOriOus pace
which was habitual with "Jenny,"
even under less solemn circumstances,
/ The men half curiOusly, half jesting-
| ly, but all good mOredly-strOlled
along beside the cart; some in advance,
some little in the rear of the homely
catafalque. But whether from the
narrowing of the road OrsOme present
sense of decorum, as the cart passed
on, the company fell to the rear in
couples, keeping step, and otherwise
assuming the external show Of a for
NAL procession. Jack Folinsbee, who
had at the outset played a funeral
march in dumb show upon an imagin-
ary trombone, desisted from a lack of
sympathy and appreciatiOn-nOt hav-
ing perhaps, your true humOrist's ca
pacity to be content with the enjoy
ment of his own fun.
The way led through Grizzly Canon
-by this time clothed in funeral dFa-
perry and shadows. The redwOOds,
burying their mOccasOned feet in the
red soil, stood in Indian file along the
trae,s. trailing anuncOuth benedictiOn
from their bending bows upon the
passing bier. A hare, surprised into
helpless inactivity, sat upright and
pulsating in the ferns by the roadside,
as the cortage went by. Squirrels has
tened to gain secure outlook from
higher bOughs; and the blue-jays,
spreading their wings, fiuttered before [
them like Out-riders, until the out
skirts of Sandy Bar were reached, and /
the solitary cabin OfTennessee's Part |
ner.
The cart halted before the enclosure !
and rejecting the offers of assistance !
with the same air of simple seIf-reli- /
anee he had displayed throughout, |
Tennessee's Partner lifted the rough 4
box on his back and deposited it, un- /
ofHaA r~afhfr, tho uho71nvrr L
then nailed down the board which /
served as lid; and mounting the lit 1
tie mound of dirt beside it, took off his 4
hat, and slowly mopped his face with
his handkerchief. This the crowd felt I
was preliminary to speech; aud they /
disposed themselves variOusly on .
stumps and boulders, and sat expec-
tant.
''When a man." began Tennessee's
Partner, slowly, "has been running
free all day, what's the natural thing
for him to do? Why, to come home.
And if he amt in q condition to come
home, what can his best friend do2
Why, bring him homel And here's
Tennessee has been running free, and
we brings him home from his wander
ings." He paused, and picked up o
fragment of quartz, rubbed it thought
fully on his sleeve, and went on: "It
amt the first time that I've packed
him homo on my back, as you seed
me now. 1t amt the first time that
| brought him to this yer cabin when
he couldn't help himself; it amt the
first time that l and "Jinnyu have
waited for him on yon hill, and pick
ed him up and so fetched him home,
when he couldn't speak, and didn't
know me. And now that it is the last
time, why" he paused, and rubbed
the quartz gently on his sleeve-"you
see it's sort of rough on his pardner.-l
And now, gentlemen" he added, alb
ruptly, picking up his long-handled [
shovel, "the fun'ls over, and my
thanks and Tennessee's thanks to YOU
for your trouble"
Resisting any prOffers of assistance,
ne began to fill in the grave, turning :
MS back upon the crowd that after
l few minutes hesitation gradually
withdrew. As they crossed the little
-idge that hid Sandy Bar from view,
IOme, looking back, thought they
could see Tennessee's Partner, his
work done, sitting upon the grave, his
shovel between his knees, and his !
ed bandanna handkerchief at his face.
But it was argued by others that you {
tell his face from his handker-
,hiefat distance; and this point re-
NAMED undecided.
In the reaction that followed the :
everish excitement of that day, Ten {
lessee's Partner was not fOgOtton. A
ecret investigation had cleared him :
If any completely in Tennessees guilt,
md left only a suspicion of his gener-
Il sanity. Sandy Bar made point of
falling on him, and proffering var
Gus uncouth, but well meant kind !
lesses. But from that day his rude {
health and great strength seemed wish
1ly to decline; and when the rainy !
season sat in, and the tiny glass-blades
we're beginning to peep from the rocky !
mound above Tennessee's grave, he l
iook to his bed.
One night, when the pines beside ]
he cabin were swaying in the storm,
md trailing their slender fingers over
he roof, and the roar of the swOOlen {
liver were heard below, Tennessee's
Partner lifted his head from the pill
Ow, saying, SIT is time to 90 for Ten 8
lesSti must put jimmy III Iuc CtttJi
md would have risen from his bed, {
1ut for the restraint of his attendant. I
he still pursued his singu- {
ar fancy: "There, now, steady jimmy
steady, old gal. Sometimes, you .
know, when he's blind drunk, he
lrops right down in the trail. Keep
IN straight up to the pine on the top
If the hill. Thar told you so -
5har he is,-coming this way, too,-aIl I
1y himself, sober, and his face a-shin-
ng. Tennessee! Pardner ~
And so they met.
How Brave Men Die.
Both the French and Germans have