Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-06-14

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paw, which closed over the minis
ter's small hand and gave it a shake
indicative of fraternal sympathy
and fervent qualification.
"Now we're all right, pard. Let's
start fresh. Don't you mind me
snuffling a little, becoz, you see,
we're. in power of trouble. You
see one of the boys has gone up the
tiume-"
"Gone where?"
Cup the flumc-throw'd up the
sponge you know"
"Thrown up the sponge?"
":Yes-kicked the bucket"
"Ah-has departed to that mys-
terious country from whose bourne
no traveller returns.
"Return? Well, l reckon not
why, pard he's dead"
dyes understand"
"Oh: you do? WellI thought
maybe you might be getting tan
glcd once more. Yes, you see he's
dead again"
"Agaim! Why, has he ever been
dead before?''
"Dead before? Do you rekon a
man has got as many lives rs cat?
But, you bet, he's awful dead just
now, poor old boy, and l wish I'd
never seen this day. l don't know
no better friend than Buck Fanshaw.
I know'd him by the back; and
when l knew man like him | freeze
to him-you hear ne.-Takc him all
around, pard, there never was a
bullicr man in the mines. No man
ever knowed 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-dcath has. Well, well,
well, we've got to give him up
Yes indeed, it's a kind of a hard
world, after all, amt it? But, pard
he was rustic. You ought to see
him get started once. He was a
bully boy with glass eye! Just
spit in his face and give hin room
according to his strength, and it
was justbcautiful to see him peel
and 60 in. He was the worst son
of thief that ever draw'd breath.
Pard, he was on it. He was on it
bigger than an Injun!"
"On it? On what?
"On the shoot. On the sholder.
On the fight. Understand? lie
didn't give continental-tor oay-
body. Beg your pardon friend for
coming so near saying a cuss
word-but you see Pm on an awful
strain in this palaver, on account of
having to cram down and take every
thing so mild. But we've got to give
him up. There amt any getting
around that, l don't reckon. Now,
if we can't get you to help plant
him.
s'Preach the funeral discourse?-
Assist at the obsequies?"
'Obsequies is good. Yes. That
s it; that's our game. We are go
ing to get up the thing regardless,
you know. He was always nifty
himself, and so you bet his funeral
amt going to be no SLOUGH; solid
silver door plate upon his coffin, six
plumes on the hearse, and niger
on the box with billed shirt and q
plug hat-how's that for hight
And we'll take care of you, pard.-
Well fix you all right. There will
be q kerridge for you; and whatev
cr You want you just 'scape out and
we'll tend to it. We've got She
bang fixed up for you to stand be-
hind in No. rs house, and don't
you be afraid. Just go in and toot
your horn, if you don't sell q clam.
Put Buck through as bully as you
can, pard, for anybody that know'd
him will tell you that he was one Of
the whitest men that was ever in
the mines. You can't draw it too
strong. He never could stand it to
see thing goings wrong. He's done
more to make this town pcaceable
than any man in it. I've seen him
lick four Greasers in eleven minutes
myself. If a thing wanted regula-
ting, he wasn't man to go brewing
around after somebody to do it, but
he would prancc in and do it him
self. He warn't a Catholic; but it
didn't make no difference about
that when it came down to what a
mans right was-and so, when some
roughs jumped the Catholic bone
yard and started in to stake out
town lots in it, he went for 'cm!-
And he cleaned 'em, too! / was
there, and seen it myself"
"That was very well, indeed at
least the impulse was-whethcr the
act was strictly defensible or not
Had deceased any religious convic-
tions? That is to say, did he feel a
dependence upon or acknowledge
allegiance to a higher power?"
More reflection.
~ reckon you have stumpcd me
again, pard. Could you say it over
once more, and say it slow?"
"Well, to simplify it somewhat,
was he,. or rather had he been, con-
nected with any organization quest
erdd from secular concerns and de-
voted to selfsacrifice in the inter
csts of mortality?"
"All down but nine-set 'em up
on the other alley, pard."
s".What did | understand you to
say?"
"Why, you're most to many for
me, you know. When you get in
with your left, l hunt grass every
time. Every time you draw your
fill; but l don't seem to have any
luck. Let's have new deal"
'IIow? Begin again?"
ssThat's it,"
every we'll. Was he good man.
and"
sThcreAI see that; don't put ur
another chip till look at my hand
A good man, says you? Pard, il
amt no name for it. He was tho
best man that evcr-pard, you'd
have dotted on that man. He could
| lam anv paloOt of his inches in