Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-01-11


whose vigorous English cheerfully refer
the reader. But the beauty of that mid
summer morning, the blessed amity of
earth and air and sky, the awakened life
of the free woods and hills, the joyous
renewal and promise of Nature, and above
all, the infinite serenity that thrilled
through each, was not reported, as not
being part of the social lesson. And
yet, when the weak and foolish deed was
done, and life. with its possibilities and
responsibilities, had passed out of the mis-
shapen thing that dangled between earth
and sky, the birds sang, the flowers bloomed,
the sun shone as cheerily as before and
possibly the Red Dog Clarion was right
Tennessee's Partner was not in the group
that surrounded the ominoUs tree. But as
they turned to disperse, attention was
drawn 10 the singular appearance of a mo-
tionless donkey cart halted ut the side of
the road. As they approached, they at
once recognized the venerable Jenny and
the two-wheeled cart as the property of
Tennessee's Partner,-used by him in cur
rying dirt from his claim and few PAGES
distant the owner Of the equipage himself,
sitting under buckeye tree, wiping the
answer to an inquiry, he said he had come
for the body Of the diseased 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 dis
eased, he would take him. IF there is
any present, he added, in hts simple, seri-
Gus way, as would care to line in the
\ fun'l they kin come Perhaps it wa. from
\ a sense Of humor, which | have already
intimated was a feature Of Sandy Bar
perhaps it was from something even better
than that but two-thirds Of the loungers
accepted the invitation at once.
1t was noon when the body of Tennessee
was delivered into the hands Of his part
ner. As the cart drew up to the fatal
tree, We noticed that it contained 4 rough,
Oblong box,-apprently made from a sec
tion Of sluicing, half filed with bark
and the tassels Of pine. The cart was
further decorated with slips Of willow, and
made fragrant with buckeye blossoms
When the body was deposited in the box,
Tennessee partner drew over it a piece
of tarred canvas, and gravely mounting
the narrow seat in front, with his feet upon
the shafts, urged the little donkey forward
The equipage moved slowly on, at the dec
orous pace which was habitual with Jen-
ny even under less solemn circumstances
The men-half curiously, half jestingly,
but all good humorcdIy->troIled along
beside the cart some IN advance, some a
little in the rear Of the homely catafalque.
But whether from the narrowing of the
road or some present sense of decOrum, aS
the cart passed ON, the company fell 10 the
rear in couples, keeping step, and other
wise assuming the external show of a for
NAL procession Jack Folinsbee, who had
ut the outset played = funeral march in
dumb show upon an imaginary trombone,
desisted from a lack Of sympathy and ap-
preciation-not having perhaps your true
humOrist's capacity to be content with the
enjoyment Of his own fun.
The way led through Grizzly Canon
by this time clothed in tunereal drapery
and shadow The rcdwoods, burying
their moccasined feet in the red SOIL stood
in Indian file along the track, trailing an
uncouth benediction from their bending
boughs upon the passing bier. \ hare,
surprised into helpless inactivity, sat up
right and pulsating in the ferns by the
roadside, as the cortege went by. SPUR
rels hastened to gain a secure outlook from
higher boughs: and the blue Jays, spread
ing their wings, fluttered before them like
outriders, until the outskirts Of Sandy Bar
we're reached, and the solitary cabin of
Tennessee's Partner.
Viewed under more favorable rircum-
stances, it would not have been . cheerful
place The unpicturesque site, the rude
and unoycly outlines, the unsayOry details,
which distinguish the best building Of the
California miner, were all here, with the
dreariness Of decay superadded A few
PAGES from the cabin there was a rough
enclosure, which in the brief days Of Ten
nessee's Partners matrimonial felicity,
had been used as a garden, but was now
overgrown with fern. As we approached
it we were surprised to find that what we
/ had taken for a recent attempt at cultiya-
ton was the broken soil about an open
grave.
The cart was halted before the enclosure;
and rejecting the offers Of assistance with
, the same air Of simple self reliance he had
displayed throughout, Tennessee's Partner
lifted the rough coffin on his back, and de-
posted it, unaided within the shallow
grave. He then nailed down the board
which served as a lid ; and mounting the
little mound Of earth beside it, took off his
hat, and slowly mopped his face with his
handkerchief This the crowd felt was a
preliminary to u speech and they disposed
themselves variously on stumps and bOul-
ders. and sat eXpectant-
When a man. began Tennessee's Part
ner, 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
4 condition to 90 home, what can his best
friend do? Why, bring him home And
here's Tennessee has been running free, and
we brings him home from his wandering
\ He paused, and picked up a fragment Of
quartz, rubbed it thoughtfully on his sleeve
I and went on 1t amt the first time that
\ I've packed him 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 | ard jimmy have waited for
him on yon hill, and picked him up and so
fetched him home, when be couldn't speak,
and didn't know me. And now that it's
the last time, why he paused, aud rubbed
the quartz gently on his sleeve you see
it's sort of rough on his partner And
now, gentlemen, he added, abruptly, pick
ing up his long handled shovel the fun''s
over; and my thanks, and Tennessee's
thanks, to you for your trouble
Resisting any proffers Of assistance, he
began to fill in the grave, turning his back
upon the crowd, that after few moments