Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-07-12

reckon can spare time TO kinder start this
jumper on his way. Not overly well fixed 80
he commented, as he left the road aud drew
nearer. Wagon don't look safe, and the
mules seem mighty rickety. But they
brought the jumper here, and they've got
to Hello, here
The presence of the object that he had
almost ridden over surprised him good
deal more than did the presence Of the Jump
er 1t was merely little grave, roughly
rounded up in the midst Of the long prairie
grass. The clods Of the ragged little mound
showed that it had been there only short
while. Sun and rain had not begun to pul.
verize them. A tattered little prairie rose
bush bad been planted at the head of the
tiny mound The tips of its leaves had
withered, and the blossoms it had borne at
transpanting were yellow and shriveled
but one small bud had opened that morning,
and the ragged little flower, striving its
best TO be bright and pure, lay ON one of the
rough black clods Of the ragged little grave
Baby :" Fargo muttered
At that moment woman left the shack
and came toward the grave. In her hand
she bore a cup of water Her eyes were
swollen with crying Fargo gave a start of
surprise as he saw her face. Scarcely glanc-
ing at him, she returned his brief salutation
and bent and watered the ragged little rose
| bush.
''Your baby = Fargo asked presently.
feeling awkwardly that he ought to say
something
"Yes, the woman answered, chokingly.
She was all | had-all had And now
she"
And she flung herself prone ON the grave,
as if TO embrace the little mound, and sobbed
aloud.
Fargo looked uncomfortable. "Now don't
cry so I-you-where's your husband
In the shack = he blurted
'No" lifting her face from the clods.
lie died four weeks ago, and with my few
belongings in the old wagon | started on the
long journey back TO the dear old home
state. The baby-well, | dug the grave
myself. had no coffin no money to buy
one, and | buried her in her little white
night-gown." tear dropped on the bios
som of the ragged little rose. ~ cannot 90
on yet-yet. And oh it seems as if never
could 20 on and leave my baby here alone
in the midst Of the prairie Maybe the
owner Of this claim would not object if |
lived in the shack a little while, tll-till'
Fargo squirmed about uneasily in his saddle.
Then, after a little time, l suppose | must
start back toward the old Indiana home and
leave my baby here in
!
Champion county. The little cross road
village below Fountainville. Oh"
Ever know a darned fool there by the
name of Fargo =
Ben Fargo He wasn't a fool though.
| He"
Yes he was, too Got mad at nothing
Ought to have been shot on the spot"
''No! He-we-"
Mary, don't you know me ="
"Ben Fargo"
yes a darned fool Got mad at moth
ing"
A little later Ben Fargo's horse, whose
master had tied him by gathering number
of iron weeds into bunch and looping the
bride rein over them, looked on compla-
Gently as the proprietor of the claim, with
piece of board left by the dspossessed
builder of the shack, was smoothing up the
little mound that covered the child of the
person who had jumped his claim And
the jumper, sitting ON the grass near by and
fashioning a wreath of wild roses for the
little grave looked a trifie less grief stricken
than before
When, later, Mr. Ben Fargo was passing
the Eureka General Store in New Boston,
he was stopped by Colonel Pride, who sat
ON the porch.
Did the jumper cut up rusty, Ben =
/ uSkeu Ine COtOnel.
Nope Fargo answered, shortly, NOV
ing away.
go without trouble =
Nope - Farther away.
! "Waal, then, what did
| Nothing. There yet Fargo turned
| the corner
There was a diversity of opinion among
the prominent citizens congregated on the
| porch of the Eureka General Store. Some
| believed that the jumper must have been
victorious in the fight that was supposed to
have ensued when the eviction was attempt
ed. Others were darkly of the opinion
that Ben had severely injured or possibly
assassinated the jumper. This would ac-
count for his ''being there yet
They even talked little of investigating,
but then it was really none of their busi-
ness, anyhow. If the jumper had been
misused, he had only got what he deserved,
and besides, it was not wholly policy to in
terfere too much with Fargo's affairs.
Hickson, the mail carrier, as he was 60
ing from New Boston, saw the smoothing
of the babys grave and marvelled thereat.
When he returned from the trip, day lat
er, he retailed the news to the prominent
citizens on the porch of the Eureka General
Store
"Waal, I'm beat" announced Colonel
Pride
me too" agreed several.
The attempt to interview Ben Fargo when
next he appeared was not brilliant sue
cess. That parsonage informed them, first,
that whatever occurred at his claim was
the business of no one but himself, and sec
ond, that he was both able and willing to
thrash any man who desired to make it his
business For some time thereafter the
| pitivana who Uara in tha habit of pOnUra-
eating at the Eureka General Store imitat
ed the example of the legendary parrot of
the mythical sailor, which tradition declares
said very little, but INDUCED in tremend
Gus amount of thinking.
Is was some time before Mr.. Hercules p
Small had an opportunity TO chronicle in the
Clarion the events which followed the last
jumping of Ben Fargo's claim. Before the
arrival of the next publication day he broke
the little Handwriting jobber while running
off, stray bills, and it could not be used till
a duplicate of the broken part could be oh
tanned from the foundry. The large news
paper press did not arrive as expected, and
the second issue of the Clarion did not ap.
pear ON time. Anxious inquiry brought the
reply that the press had been shipped
promptly, and later had been turned over
TO the freighers at Metropolis, where the
railroad ended. 1t was courteously hoped
that the press had arrived before the receipt
Of the letter of explanation, and so forth.
But still the press did not come, and the
second issue of the Clarion did not appear
Hurried correspondence instituted an inves-
tigation, but no trace of the press could he
found 1t had totally disappeared some
where between Metropolis and New Boston
The freighters who had taken charge of it
at the point where the railroad ended could
not be found More than one repetition of
publication day passed by without the ap-
pearance of the Clarion. In his excitement
at the loss of the large press, Small had for
gotten to order duplicate of the broken
part of the jobber. Finally a clew was
struck which led to the discovery of the
press in the possession of an enterprisng
but unscrupulous journalist, who was cheer
fully preparing TO begin the publication of
a paper in tiny settlement about half way
p between Metropolis and New Boston. and
which hopefully expected to some time be-
come a town. This enterprising person,
upon meeting the freighters and learning
what brought them thither, and also their
burning desire To seek pastures new, hast
ened to inform them that he was Mr. Her
cules F. Small, aud that having decided 10
locate at the tiny settlement instead of at
New Boston, he would relieve them of the
} press there. They were not regular freight
I ers, but mowers, who had been employed
because they were going in that direction
Q anyhow, and would do the work for frac-
a tion of the regular charge. Not being ac-
quainted with that kind of business they
Q gladly gave up the big press and departed
r for their chosen destination.
a The rightful owner of the press possessed