Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-06-28

Gone WnCreY
up the fumc--throw'd up the sponge,
you know
Thrown up the sponge2'
'Yes-kicked the bucket
'Ah-has departed to that mysterious
country from whose bourne no traveller
returns
Return? Well, reckon not. Why,
pard, he's dead
Yes, understand
90, you do? Well, I thought maybe you
might be getting tangled once more. Yes,
you see, he's dead again.
Again Why was he ever dead before p
Dead before? No. Do you reckon a
man has got as many lives as cat? But
you bet, he's awful dead now, poor old boy,
and | wish I'd never seen him this day.
don't know no better friend than Buck
Fanshaw. / know'd him by the back
and when I know man like him l freeze
TO him-you hear me. Take him all a
round, pard, there was never bullier
man in the mines. No man ever know'd
Buck Fanshaw to go back on a friend.
But it's all up, you know it's all up. 1t
amt no use. They've scooped him.
'Scooped him /?
'Yes-death has. Well, well, we've got
TO give him up. Yes, indeed. It's kind
pard, he was a rustler. You ought to see
him get started once, He was a bully boy
with glass eyel Just spit in his face,
and give him room according TO ms
/
him peel and go in. lie was the worst son
of n thief that ever draw'd breath. Pard,
he was on it. He was on it bigger than an
| Iuiunr
'On the shoot. On the shoulder. On the
fight. Understand? He didn't give
continental for-anybody. Beg your par
don, friend, for coming so near saying
cuss word-but you see I'm on an awful
straight in this palaver, on account of hav-
! infr n IOvp nVprVtliuU mild.
But we've got to give him up. There amt
no getting around that, | don't reckon.
Now, if we can't get you to help plant
| him
Preach the funeral dscourse2 Assist
! at the obsequies?'
'Obsques is good. Yes. That's it;
that's our little game. We are going to
| get up the thing regardless, you know.
| lie was always nifty himself, and so you
bet his funeral amt going to be no slouch
solid silver door-plate on his coffin, six
! plumes on the hcarse, and nigger on the
box, with a billed shirt and n plug hat
how's that for high? And we'll take care
of you, pard. Well fix you all right.
There will be kerridge for you; and
whatever you want you just step out and
well tend to it,. We've got 4 shebang fix
ed up for you too and its behind in No. Is
house, and toot your horn, if you don't
sell a clam. Put Buck through as bully as
you can, pard, for anybody that know'd
whiteSt men that was ever in the mines.
| You can't draw it too strong. He never
| could stand it to see things going wrong.
He's done more TO make this town peacea-
able than any man in it. I've seen him
| lick four GreaserS in eleven minutes my
self. If thing wanted regulating he
warn't man to go browsing around after
somebody TO do it but he would go in and
regulate it himself He warn't Catholic,
but it didn't make no difference about that
a.. hat IL
was-and so, when some roughs jumped
the Catholic bone yard and started in to
stake out town lots in it, he went for 'em
and he cleaned em, too! l was here and
seen it myself
THAT was very well, indeed--at least the
impulse was-whether the act was strictly
delensible or not. Had deceased any relg-
ious convictions? That is 10 say, did he
feel dependence upon or acknowledge al
legiance To higher powerY
More reflection.
I reckon you've stumped me again,
pard. Could you say it over once more,
and say it slowP
We'll, to simplify it somewhat, was he,
or ratLcr had he been connected with any
organization sequestered from secular con-
Germs and devoted to self-sacritice in the
interests of morality?'
AN down but nine-set 'eul up on the
other alley, pard
What did l understand you to say?'
w ny, you're most 100 many LOT me, you
know. When you get in with your lett,
hunt grass every time. Every time you
draw you fill but | don't seem to have
any luck. Let's have new dealv
How? Begin again?'
That's it,
Very well. Was he good man, and
'There-I see that; don't put another
chip till look at my hand. 4 good man,
saws you? Pard, it amt no name for it,
He was the best man that ever-pard, you
would have dotted on that man. He could
lame any Galoot of his inches in America
1t was him that put down the riot, last e.
lection, before it got start; and every
body said that he was the only man that
could have done it. He waltZed in with a
trumpet in one hand and II spanner in the
other, and sent fourteen home on n shut
ter in less than three minutes. lie had
that riot all broke up and prevented nice
before anybody ever got a chance to strike
a blow. He was always for peace, and he
would have peace he could not stand dis
turbances Pard he was a great loss to
the town. 1t would please the boys if you
could ch ip in something about that and do
him Justice. Here once, like when the
Micks got TO throwing stones through the
Methodist Sunday school windows, Buck
Fenshaw, all of his own notion, shut up
his saloon and took couple of six shoot
ers and mounted guard over the Sunday
school. Saws he, "No Irish need apply y
And they didn't. He was the bulliest man
in the mountains, pard he could run fast
err, jump higher, hit harder, and hold more
tange- foot whisky without spiling than
any man in seventeen counties. Put that
in, pard it'll please the boys more than
anything you could say. And you can say,
pard, that he never shook his mother
Never shook his motherS'
'Thats it-any of the boys will tell you
So
We'll, but why should he shake herr?
'Thats what | say-but some pc tople
does +
Not people of any rcputo?'
We'll, some that average pretty so-so.'
In my opinion, a man that would offer
| violence 10 his mother ought to-
Cheese it, pard; you've banked your
ball clean outside the string. What l was
a-driyin' at was that, he never throwd off
on his nother-don't you see! No indeed
lie give her a house to live in, and town
lots and plenty of money and lie looked
after her and took care of her all the time ;
and when she was down with the small
pox, Pm damned if he didn't set up nights
and nuss her himself! Beg your pardon
for saying it, but ii hoped out too quick
for yours truly. You've treated me like q
gentleman and / amt the man to hurt
your feelings intentional. l think you're
white. ! think you're square man, pard.
| like you, and I'll lick any man that don't.
I'll lick him Till he can't tell himself from
last years corpse. Put 1t therer Anoth-
or iraternal hand-shake-and exit.
The obsequies were all that "the boys
could desire. Such marvel of funeral
pomp had never been seen in Virginia.
The plumed hearse, the dirge- breathing
brass band, tho closed marts of bust
ness, the flags dropping at half mast, the
long, plodding procession OF uniformed Sc
cret societies. military battalions and fire
companies, draped engines, carriages of
officials, and citizens in vehicles and on
foot, attracted multitudes of spectators to
the side walks roofs and windows and for
years aflerward the degree of grandeur at
lained by any civic display in Virginia
was determined by comparison with the
funeral of Buck Fanshaw.-Mdrk Team.