The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-09-17
LUKE JUDKIN'S CHEERFUL END.
An FAST VILLAGE sToR,

though" He's all made a. whip-s-orsi. !
till yc. Last: % course he'll last. Amt
he over ninety Already: smart seem
out there now a-piayin' croky-he an
Henery Green! Hcncry Is a babe az COM
pared with Luke an hcncry IL over sew
cnty-nvc. Yen never open the new GEM
terry with Luke, I tell ye- 'raint no use
waitin'."
The undertaken moved "a quid of tohac-
go slowly from one side of his long lantern
Jaw tn the other as hc replied, dubiously,
1.-THE new cimetery folks say tibet the folks
tn East Village amt r~espondin' as they
he'd ought to the new enterprise"
"Wall, they hedn't ought tn caiiate an
old Luke, anyhow"
The speakers sat on tine steps of Enoch
Johnson's store i'm East Village. and
hooked across the green tn where two old
men were playing croquet-a game not
yet extinct i'm the mountain farming DE-
tricts of Vermont. Pretty soon IA quarrel
seemed tai spring mp between the players
loud words rang ont under the elms, then
came "a fierce interchange of blows. The
undertaken and Enoch Johnson stood mp
on the store steps To watch the contest at
hettcr advantage. Presently Enoch said,
as IL ap~ostruphizinR: ''Thct Luke Judkin's
the consarndcst, cusssshest, ps.skiest old
~crittcr! Hencry is hurtcd, am here comes
Luke with IA broken mallet. Shouldn't
blame. Spry? Amt he spry! Dye ever
hear about his dog? He's cutter than old
Lake himself. Here the old rcskiil comes.
Hlo, Lukev
lilo, Enoch. How's folks""
Lake Judkin briskly walked mp to the
store. holding tlsc parts of IA broken mail
bet handle i'm his hands. He was II picture
Of that agile, athletic old age which so
often obtains at the present day among
the ''hill farms" i'm Vermont. His nose
and chin betrayed IA ludicrous intimacy.
His hack was bent with the weight of
years. His hands had grown into long.
unsi0htly claws. The day WAS hot. and il
WAS midday, hut the sun at 10 degrees
only sufiiccd To pleasantly warm the bald
head of the old man, whose sharp little
eyes in their cavernous sockets CLEANED
mp mt the ~storckccper i'm keen recognition.
'Been a-playin' croky :"
Enoch, not replying, according to East
Village etiquette, tn the old mans inquiry
~soncerning his '.fdlks.'
Eyes; heat. Hcncry Grs,n three games
rnnnin','' said Lake "would'a beat the
forth, only Hencry, he said cheated.
blinked ~Savaaely. like the eycballs of AN
NOR. 'n' no les. than ne did"
maiiets together a ieetie. Say. EnocL.
i HENRY broke IKE my %S' handle" ""'" "'-
"I'd like to see the cent drawlel
Enoch, slowly rising and slowly mcsndcr-
ing i'm the store for the glue.
Luke took "a scat on the steps. near the
undertaken, and proceeded to wips. his
Is.rspirin9 face with his shirt sleeve. The
undertaken looked him over profession
ally u moment; then said. m~lsingly:
Luke, what is Your measure? Five foot
1 Iayfn a." IA = n mar ;, or u nss inS' c .,snu "a" .
IL not personally Interested.
"Mr. Staples. you got money in tibet
new cein'tery enterprise. aims y":
Mr.. Stappies allowed lac had-"a few
hundcrd."
"WaaI, faint nothin' to You what I
c~e.n'tery enterprise as has started to East
village. an when l siceccasc ! purpose.
bein, buried tn Weston"
"Sho" MIR. apple leaned over and
picked mp a straw. to conceal his feeling
of disappointment and vcNation.
I'm agin all them new-fanglcd patent
iron monuments am iron fixin's. AN agin'
all his ere f~iunnms,ry folks il talkin'
about. The old-fashioncd marble head
gethcr too much fancy iixin' to the new
cem'tery. I'm agin fountain play into "A
ccnn'tcry-ycs Ia! am sf the old bsrryin'-
grounds full. AS they say. I'm a-Hoin' to
.Sho!' again calculated I'll. undertaken.
~ an undsrtolc: ISho'idn't think you'd
"whatts folks To East village ever done
for me? ain,t a-H"in' tn do n"'hin' for
I'VE he'd hotel.'' urged the undertaken.
we cai|la!ed 4 have the Weston band"
"A band, an "a adr.ss 10y the Methodist
an Presbyterin ministers" softly smiled
Mr.. Stapples.
Luke moved uneasily on the step.
"A address, maxim mention of your noble
carrickter, an prsiisin' of IL, an maxim
out as how you were "a great pl,ilantllry-
ped" smiled Mr.; %Stappies, atfably.
"A what is't:" asked Luke, quickly
turning his sharp. discrediting eyes full
upon the undertaken.
"a phi-lanthropcrd- ~cal'late one wha,
is "A sortcr agnit
Old Luke began to clnicklc well within
himself. M "A magnit'n East Village, =
hc trimmed. why. i can't get trusted fcI
a. bag ~ oats"
Enoch came ont with tire glue done al
ina "A bit OF brown paper. "Guess ye hurtsS
Henery. We old sinner" said hc. looking
across the green. "There's Marisr a-loiil
his head zap i'm "a lianksher. Looks though
his skull was crackcd-darn me eff
don'tr"
Hope 'tis,' said Luke. .He'd no biz
ness 10 say I cheated. Why, croky aim
he's wuss'n I be."
"waal." said Enoch. slowly, ''folk
know yeou! an l guess Henery's mos
wise in tlse right. Say. Luke, here's th
glue; now where's the cent 2"
Old Lake felt about In his brceche
pockets for soBne moments. apparently I
no purpose. Then ne felt i'm his boot-to
and pulled out a dirty and m~uch-nangie
hve1lollar bill.
s.Aena. Eumph. Uiys. uae four tloller ul