Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-08-05

l. y
Guess I'm like John Browns soul in
the old song-I $50 a-marchin' on
pretty considerable, and it'll take
while to tire me of it tew. ess-a,
And do you always travel alone,
then?"
"Reckon I do leastways, what you'd
call alone. I've got a bosom friend
here, though" added he, with strange
chuckle, putting his hand into his
pocket; ''and he's done me more'n one
good turn in his time, SO / tell ye.
Yes, Sir, he has that; and what's
more, he speaks or holds his tongue,
jest as [ please, which faint every
man as 'ud do ?"
And with this enigmatical preface,
he produced very handsome revolver,
with spring bayonet, and ornamented
round the stock with eleven studs of
silver, arranged in the form of a square,
which would be completed by the ad
dition OF twelfth.
"Ain't that friend, now, stranger?'
said the Transatlantic, exultingly, land
good friends we've been, him and me );
| never mistrusted him but once, and
that war down in Australey, when I war
gold diggin' up Turon way. Two fell
lers came to my tent one night, cause
they hearn as I'd heap O. gold thar,
and they thought O. being so kind as to
relieve me O. the 'sponsibility O. guard
in it. I hearn 'em creepin' in, and O.
course the fust thing did was to slap
all six barrels into 'em, jest to give 'em
hint not to call alter visitin' hours.
[ heard a screech, and then pattin' O.
feet runnin' away; but it war tew dark
to see anythin', and all the rest O. that
night my feelins ain to be 'scribed, no.
how"
"Ah, you were afraid you had killed
one?' said I, pleased at this touch of
humanity.
"Killed why, darn it, stranger, dye
want to insult me? No, by lingo ! [
war 'fraid I'd missed one on 'em and
to hev my own revolver miss at close
range, after bein' true to me for so
many years, war more'n could bear -
(The pathos with which he said this
was indescribable). CT felt perticle
cheap all that night, SO tell ye; you
mout hev bought me for cent any
time fore mornin'. But as soon as it
war light [ cum out, and thar [ seen one
Teller lynn dead beside the tent door,
and a track O. blood long whar t'other
had run off, jest like strick O molas-
ses cross buckwheat cake: and says
[, THANK Heaven, I've 'em both ?. and
the weight that war took Off my mind
in that air moment-strange thar aim
no 'scribin' it p
The real ferver of his tone as he ut
tered the last sentence, with all the air
of good man whose conscience had
just been relieved of some overwhelm-
ing burden, cannot be conveyed in
words.
81 dare say you'd hardly guess now,
stranger, that [ fust saw this revolver
In vision; but [ did, though, stare as
much as you like; and the way it hap
pened war jest so. Father had been
dead bout a month when [ cum in late
one night from fixing rail fence that
one of our oxen had smashed; and a ter
[ sot by the fire spell, and done toll
cradle stroke O supper, began to feel
a little drowsy. warn't not to say
asleep, but just as if you'd spoke to
me sudden, I'd hev thought minute
fore [ answered-when, all at once, I
seen father standing right fore me,
with his big straw hat O. one side
and his high boots, and striped shirt
| sleeves, and his hands in his pockets
(that war the only ghost-like thing
| bout him, for while he war alive they
war mostly in some one else's), and he
says to me, he says: 'Cy, my boy my
names Cyrus Jehosaphat Flint,
stranger, and I amt 'shamed on it,,
'Cy, my boy, I've cum back from the
spirit world to tell you suthin' you'll
p'raps be none the wuss O. KNOWN. I
didn't leave you much, says he,
cause you are safe to go long single
handed, whereas them two brothers and
five sisters of yourn will kinder need
proppin' up some fore they kin stand
themselves. Now you jest listen to
me. Tomorrow mornin' the very fust
thing, you get up and job open the
back Of that old cupboard in the cor
ner, jest Dove the top shelf, and thar
you'll find revolver, the best you ever
fingered; and may heaven bless it to
your use. And now kneel down and
receive my blessin'. was lest agwine
to do it, when all at once I slipped off
my chair and cum the all-fredest lick
with my nose agin the fender as ever I
seen; and when [ cum to agin thar
warn't nobody there. wal, cuss it,
says [, Though that air language amt
quite proper for a member of the
church) L hope next time father comes
from t'other world he'll contrive to do
it at unreasonable hour, stead of shewin'
up alter bedtime and making his own
flesh and blood brake his nose in this
ere fashion But for all that, I didn't
forget what he said, and the fust thing
next mornin' [ up and into the kitchen
and out with the back O. the cupboard,
and thar lay the revolver, as sure as
ever any thing war in the world And
now, stranger, if you don't believe that
air story, here is the IDENTICAL revolver,
and you can't go agin that no how
Against such confrmatory evidence
it would have been useless to argue
and [ readily assented, only returning
to enquire into the mystery of the sin
gularly arranged studs on the stock of