The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-01-21
TENNESSEE'S PARTNER.
BY BRET HARTE.

gave us any social inconvenience, for at
Sandy Bar, in 1854 most men were chris
sened anew. Sometimes these appellative.
were derived from some distinctiveness Of
dress, as in the case of " Dungaree Jack >
or from some popularity of habit, as show1
in "Saleratus Bill" 50 called from an undue
proportion of that chemical in his daily
bread; or from some unlucky slip, as
exhibited in "The Iron Pirate" mild
inoffensive man, who earned that balefu
title by his unfortunate INSTRUMENTATION
of the term iron pyrites.' Perhaps this
may have been the beginning of rude
heraldry but I am constrained to think
that it was because a mans real name in
that day rested solely upon his own uusup-
ported statement. "Call yourself Clifford,
do you ~ said Boston, addressing timid
newcomer with infinite scorn "hell is
full of such Cliffiords - He then intro
duced the unfortunate man, whose name
happened to be really Clifford, as clay
bird Charley,''-an unhallowed inspiration
of the moment that chung to him ever after.
But to return to Tennessee's Partner,
whom we never knew by any other than
this relative title that he had ever existed
as separate and distinct individuality we
only learned later. 1t seems that i'll 1853
he left the Poker fiat to 60 to San Fran
cisco, estensibly to procure wife. He
never got any farther than Stockton. At
that place he was attracted by young per-
son who waited upon the table at the hotel
where he took his meals. One morning he
said something to her which caused her to
smile not unkindly, to somewhat coquet-
tishly break plate of toast over his
upturned, serious, simple face, and to
retreat to the kitchen. He followed her.
and emerged few moments later, covered
with more toast and victory. That day
week they were married by a Justice of
the Peace, and returned to Poker Flat. l
am aware that something more might be
made of this episode, but l prefer to tell it
as it was current at Sandy BARN the
gulches and bar rooms,-where all senti-
ment was modified by strong sense of
humor.
OF their married felicity but little is
known, perhaps for the reason that Ten
nessee, then living with his partner, one
day took occasion to say something to the
bride on his own account, at which, it is
said, she smiled not unkindly and chastely
retreated, this time as far as Marysville,
where Tennessee followed her, and where
they went to housekeeping without the aid
of Justice of the Peace. Tennessee's
Partner took the loss of his wife simply
and seriously, as was his fashion. But to
everybody's surprise when Tennessee one
day returned from Marysvile, without his
partners wife,-she having smiled and
retreated with somebody else,-Tennessee' S
hand and greet him with affection. The
boys who had gathered in the canon to see
the shooting were naturally indignant
Their indignation might have found vent
in sarcasm but for certain look in Tennes-
sees Partner eye that indicated lack of
humorous appreciation. In fact, he was
grave man, with a steady application to
practical detail which was unpleasant in
a difficulty.
Meanwhile popular feeling against Ten
nessec had grown up on the Bar. He was
known to be a gambler; he was suspected
to be a thief. In these suspicious Tennes-
sees Partner was equally compromised !;
his continued intimacy with Tennessee
after the affair above quoted could only be
accounted for on the hypothesis of a
copartnership Of crime. At last Tennes-
sees guilt became fragrant. One day he
overlook stranger on his way to Red Dog.
The stranger afterward related that Ten
nessce besuiled the time with interesting
anecdote and "reminiscences, but illogically
concluded in the following words "And
now, young man, I'll trouble you for your
knife, your pistols, and your money. You
see your weppings might get you into
trouble at Red Dog, and your moneys
temptation to the evilly disposed. think
you said your address was San Francisco.
shall endeavor to call" 1t may be stated
here that Tennessee had fine flow of
humor, which no business preoccupation
could wholly subdue.
This exploit was his last. Red dog and
Sandy Bar made common cause against
the highwayman. Tennessee was hunted
very much in the same fashion as his pro-
totype, the grizzly. AS the tolls closed
around him, he made desperate dash
through the Bar, emptying his revolver at
the crowd before the Arcade Saloon, and
SO on up Grizzly Canon but at its farther
extremity he was stopped by small man
on gray horse. The men looked at each
other a moment in silence. Both were
fearless, both self-possessed and independ-
the seventeenth century would have been
called heroic but, in the nineteenth, sim
ply "reckless." "What have you got
there p CALL" said Tennessee, quietly.
"Two bowers and an acre." said the
stranger, as quietly, showing two revolvers
and bowie-knife. "That takes me-"
returned Tennessee and with this gam
blers' apigram, he threw away his useless
pistol and rode back with his captor.
1t was warm night The cool breeze
which usually sprang up with the going
down of the sun behind the chapparel-
crested mountain was that evening with
held from Sandy Bar. The little canon
was sitting with heated resinous odors, and
the decaying drift-wood on the Bar sent
forth faint, sickening exhalations. The
feverishness of day, ana its fierce passions
still filed the camp. Lights moved rest
lessly along the bank of the river, striking
no answering reflection from its tawny cul-
rent. Against the blackess of the pines
the windows of the old loft above the
express Office stood out staringly bright
and through their curtainless panes the
loungers below could see the forms of those
who were even then deciding the fate of
Tennessee. And above all this, etched on
the dark armament, rose the Sierra, remote
and passonless, crowned with remoter pas
sionless stars.
The trial of Tennessee was conducted as