Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1871-01-20

his rough hand trembled slightly on the
table. He hesitated a moment as he
slowly returned the gold to the carpet
bag, as if he had not yet entirely caught
the elevated sense of justice which sway
ed the tribunal, and was perplexed with
the belief that he had not offered enough.
Then he turned to the Judge, and say
ing, This yer IS a lone hand, PLAYED
alone, and without my pardner," he
bowed to the jury and was about to
withdraw, when the judge called him
back. "If you have anything to say to
Tennessee, you had better say II now.
For the first time that evening the eyes
Of the prisoner and his strange advo-
cate met. Tennessee smiled, showed
his white teeth, and, saying, "Euchred,
old man - held out his hand. Tennes-
sees Partner took it in his own, and
saying. Il just dropped in to see how
things was gettin' on, let the hand pas
sively fall, and adding that cit was
warm night, again mOpped his face
with his handkerchief, and without an
other word withdrew.
The two men never again met each
other alive. For the unparalleled insult
of a bribe offered to Judge Lynch-who
whether bigoted, weak or narrow, was
at least ncorruptible-frmly fixed in
his mind Of that mythical parsonage any
wavering determination of Tennessee's
fate and at the break of day he was
marched, closely guarded, to meet it at
the top of Mar1ey's Hill.
How he met it, how cool he was, how
he refused to say anything, how perfect
were the arrangements of the commit
tee, were all duly reported with the adj
E 1ra
to all future evil-doerS, in the Red Dog
Clarion, by its editor, who was present,
and to whose vigorous English I cheer
fully refer the reader. But the beauty of
that midsummer morning, the blessed
amity of earth and air and sky, the
awakened life of free woods and hills,
the Joyous renewal and promise of Ma
ture, and above all, the infinite Serenity
that thrilled through each, was not re-
ported, as not being a part of the social
lesson. And yet, when the weak and
foolish deed was done, and a life, with
its possibilities and responsibilities, had
passed out of the misshapen thing that
dangled between earth and sky, the
birds sang, the flowers bloomeds the sun
shone, as cheerily as before and posi-
bly, 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 to the singular appearance
of naotionless donoey-cart halted at
the side of the road. As they approach
ed, they at once recognized the venera-
BILE "Ienny" and the two-wheeled cart
as the property of Tennessee's Partner
used by him in carrying dirt from his
claim and few PAGES distant the own
er of the equipage himself, sitting under
a buckeye-ree, wiping the perspiration
from his glowing face. In answer to an
! inquiry, he said he had come for the
body of the deceased, - ''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 deceased he would take
him. Eff thar is any present., he add
ed, in his simple, serious way, "as would
care to jine the fun'l, they kin come. "
Perhaps it was from a sense of humor,
which l 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 whenstlae body of Ten
nessee was delivered into the hands of
his partner the esTt drew up to the
| fatal tree, we noticed that It contained a
rough, oblong box,-apparently made
/ from section of sluicing,-and half
! filled with bark and the tassels of pine.
| The cart was further decorated with slips
| of willow, and made fragrant with buck
| eye blossoms. When the body was de-
posted in the box, Tennessee's 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 deco
rous pace which was habitual with
/ 'fTenny," even under less solemn cir
cumstances. The men-half curiously,
half jestingly, but all good-humoredly-
strolled along beside the cart some in
advance, some a little in the rear of the
homely catafaIque But whether from
the narrowing of the road or some pres
fent sense of decorum, as the cart passed
on, the company fell to the rear in
couples, keeping step, and otherwise as
suning the external show of a formal
procession. Jack FOlinsbee, who had
at the outset played funeral march in
dumb show upon an imaginary from
bone, desisted from lack of sympathy
and appreciation,-noth having, perhaps,
your true humorist's capacity to be con-
tent with the enjoyment of his own fun.
The way led through Grizzly Canon
by this time clothed in funeral drapery
and shadows. The redwoods, 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. A hare, surprised into helpless in
activity, sat upright and pulsating in the
{ ferns by the roadside. as the cOrtege
went by. Squirrels hastened to gain q
secure outlook from higher boughs; ano
the blue-jays, spreading their wings
fluttered before them like outriders, un-
til the outskirts of Sandy Bar were
I reached, and the solitary cabin of Ten
nessee's Partner.
t Viewed under more favorable circum
stances, it would not have been cheer
full place. The unpicturesque site, tht
rude and unlovely outlines, the unsavory
details, which distinguish the nest-build
ing of the California miner, were al
! here, with the dreariness of decay
superadded. A few PAGES from tht
cabin there was rough enclosure, which
in the brief days of Tennessee's Part
+ ner's matrimonial felicity, had been useC
as a garden, but was now overgrowI
with fern. As we approached it we wer'
: surprised to find that what we had takeI
!? for a recent attempt at cultivation wa
5 the broken soil about an open grave.
/ The cart was halted before the en-
: closure and rejecting the offers of as
: sistance with the same air of simpl
; self-reliance he had displayed through
E out, Tennessee's Partner lifted the rougl
: coffin on his back, and deposited it, un
: aided, within the shallow grave. H
s then nailed down the board which server
as lid F; and mounting the little noun
: of earth beside it, took off his hat, an
S slowly mopped his face with his hand
kerchief This the crowd felt was
5 preliminary to speech and they dis
d posed themselves variously on stump
:, and boulders, and sat expectant,
; when man" began Tennessee
n Partner, slowly, "has been running FIRE
d all day, what's the natural thing for hir
L A