The Portland daily press., 1878-04-13
dead and lynn there in the coffin
with M. rnn1u y Perhans tho Snaakar was

memory's dead and lynn there in the coffin
with Nanny" Perhaps the speaker was
nearer right than he imagined.
Failing in religious consolation, they took
various means of diverting his mind with
worldly amusements, and one was visit to a
travelling variety troupe, then performing in
the town. The result of the visit was briefly
told by Whiskey Dick. swell, sir, we went
in, and l sot the old man down in front
seat !; and kinder propped him up with some
other of the fellers round him, and there he
sot as silent and awful ez the grave. And
then that fancy dancer, Miss Grace Somerset,
comes in, and dern my skin, if the old man
didn't get to trembling and fidgeting all over,
as she cut them pidgin wings. tell We what,
boys, men is men, way down to their boots
whether they're crazy or not !Well, he took on
so-that fm blamed if at last that girl herself
didn't notice him land she UPS. suddenly
and blows him kiss-so! with her fingersP p
Whether this narration was exaggerated,
or not, it is certain that old man Downev
every succeeding night of the perform ance
was spectator. That he may have aspi red
to be more than that was suggested day or
two later in the following incident. A num-
Der of the boys were sitting round the stove
in the Magnolia saloon, listening to the onset
of a winter storm against the windows, when
Whiskey Dick, tremulous, excited and bris-
Ting with raindrops and information, broke
in upon them.
''WeIl, boys, I've got just the biggest thing
out. Et hadn't seed it myself, wouldn't
hev believed itv'
sit amt the ghost aginP' growled Robin
son, from the depths of his arm chair; "thet
ghosts about played"
"Wot ghost?" asked a newcomer.
"Why, ole mammy's ghost, that every full
Ter about yer sees when he's half full and out
late o'nights.''
'Where?'
"Where9 Why, where should ghost be?
Meanderin' round her grave on the hill, yon-
der, in course.
'It's suthin' bigger nor that, pard," said
Dick confidently; ''no ghost kin rake down
the pot agin' the keerds I've got here. This
amt no bluffp'
''Well, go onp' said dozen excited voices.
Dick paused moment. efficiently, with the
hesitation of an artistic rdconteur.
s'Well, he said, with affected elaboration,
''let's seel It's nigh onto an hour ago ez I
was down thar at the variety show. When
the curtain was down betwixt the ak, looks
asks some o. the boys. Daddy acds thar
mnnit agoP they say; must hev gone home,
Bein' kinder responsible for the old man, I
hangs around, and goes in the hall and sees
a passage leadin' behind the scenes. Now
the queer thing about this, boys, ez that
suthin' in my bones tells me the old man is
in thar. Ipushes in, and sure as a gun, 1
hears his voice. Kinder pathetic, kinder
pleadin', kinder"
s'Love-making broke in the impatient
Robinson.
"You've hit it, pard, you've rung the bell
every time. But she says, Il want that mon
ey down, or PHI and here couldn't get
to hear the rest. And then he kinder coaxes,
and she says, sorter sassy, but listenin' all the
time, women like, ye know, Eve and the
sarpint land she says, Erll see Tomorrow
And he says, You won't blow on me {? and I
gets excited and peeps in, and may be tee
totally burned eff didn't SEE
'What?" yelled the crowd.
"Why, Daddy on his knees to that there
fancy dancer, Grace Somerset! Now if
Mammy's ghost is meanderin' round, why,
cts about time she left the cemetery and put
in an appearance in Jackson's Hall. Thet's
allp'
''Look var, boys" said Robinson. rising,
ST don't know ez it's the square thing to
Spite Daddy's fun. don't object to it, pro-
vidin' she amt takin' in the old man and
giVin' him dead away. But ez we're his
guardeens, propose that we go down thar
and see the lady, and find out eff her inten-
tions is honorable. If she means marry,
and the old man persists, why, I reckon we
kin give the young couple set off tibet won't
1t is unnecessary to say that the PROPOSE
ton was received with reclamation, and that
the crowd at once departed on their discreet
mission. Bat the result was never known,
for the next morning brought a shock to
Rough-and-Ready before which all other in
terest paled to nothingness.
The grave of Nanny Downey was found
violated and despoiled; the coffin opened and
half filled with the papers and accounts of
the robbed benevolent associations; but the
body of Nanny was gone! Nor, on examin-
alton, did it appear that the sacred and an
Gent form of that female had ever reposed
iu its recesses.
Daddy Downey was not to be found. nor is
it necessary to say that the ingenious
Grace Somerset was also missing.
For three days the reason of Rough and
Ready trembled in the balance. No work
was done in the bitches, in the fume, nor in
the mills. Groups OF men stood by the
grave of the lamented relict of DADDY
DOwney, as open-mouthed and vacant as
that sepulchre. Never since the great earth
quake of '52 had Rough-and-Ready been so
stirred up to its deepest foundations.
On the third day the sheriff of Calveras-a
quiet, gentle, thoughtful man-arrived in
town, and passed from one TO the other of The
excited groups, dropping here and there de-
tached but concise and practical information.
Eyes, gentlemen, you are right, Mrs.
Downey is not dead, because there wasn't
any Mrs, Downey! Her part was played by
George f. Fenwick of Sidney 'ticket-of-
leave-man,' who was, they say, good actor.
Downey? Oh yes! Downey was Jem Flani-
gan, who, in 49, used to run the variety
troupe in Australia, where Miss Somerset
debut. Stand back little, boys. Steady!
THE money" Oh, yes, they've got away
with that, sure! How are ye Joe? Why,
you're looking we'll and hearty! I rather ex-
pected ye, court week. How's things your
way?"
''Then they were only play actors, Joe
Hall ?" broke in dozen voices.
81 reckonp' returned the sheriff, cooy.
ssAnd for a matter O. five blank years."
said Whiskey Dick, sadly, ''they played this
campr'-Scribner TOR Agril.