The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-09-13
WHY HE MAS LEAVING THE TOWN.
An Undertaken Explains How Ungrateful
Some People Can Be.

An Undertaken Explains How Ungratefui
| Some People Can Be.
81 remember" said the colonel. when the
party reached the end of a good dinner,
/ and the waters stood behind the chairs
with lighted matches, Il remember an in
cident which stamped upon my mind the
] fact that when a man has an eye for bust
ness he has eyes for nothing else"
! The colonel tells story well, and paused
/ here, waiting for the cigars to be lighted
and for the inspiring fragrance of the
! Havanas
Il shall not tell you how long ago it
was, for 1 am getting too old to speak
| lightly of decades. But when | first set
! foot-and it was a tender foot, let me say
| in Hugo, Colo, | at once conceived a great
respect for a man named Higgins. could
not help feeling a reverence for Higgins.
| Higgins was an undertaken He was the
only undertaken within a hundred miles,
and he was getting rich. Never a day
passed but my friend Higgins had funeral
on hand. He was the most cheerful un-
J dertaker, perhaps, that ever fiourished.
II remember well the day that / bade
Higgins good-by. He was as light spirited
| as a grasshopper and a thousand times ex-
| pressed his regret that l was going into
| the interior until / felt clammy lest he
might be grieyed at the thought that some
one else might have the profitable Job of
| burying me.
when / next saw Higgins it was after
a two years experience of chasing wild
steers. 1 was glad to see him, he was such
jolly old undertaken
Hello, Higginsp / said cheerfully
when l walked into his establishment.
How are you, old manY
Higgins shook his head mournfully,
and then 1 stopped short in amazement,
for I saw that he was mailing down boxes
and packing up his stock.
You aren't going TO move, are you" |
cried in surprise, but he only Jammed a
roll of Grape into a dry goods box and
went on with his work.
g See here, Higgins, cried, what's the
trouble? Tell me about it,
'The old man turned on me wrathfully
"'Ain't been one O. Hugo's best citi-
zens?' he asked sternly.
"'You have, Higgins
"'Ain't Ipaid my taxesY
"'You have, my friend
"'Didn't l organize a board OF educa-
tion2'
You did
Wasn't its president"
You certainly were. and good one
although we haven't any school yet
Didn't head the citizens movement
for law and orderP
"'You did, Higgins
"'Well, that's all Now. how do you
think this pesky town has treated its fore
most citizen?
Tell me, Higgins. You have my sym
pathy'
"'Well, l was maxim decent livin'.
let out contracts for the only brick build
ing in the town
Yes
" L was goin' to call it the Higgins block
I was goin' to let the volunteer fire depart
ment have rooms in my block for nOthin'
proposed to have a temperance union in
the town. ! hoped to have free library.
You know I'm a progressive citizen, don't
you|
"'You are, Higgins
"'Well, what do you think this town has
done TO me?'
Surely nothing bad, Higgins.
Nothing badp he screamed DO you
know what they've done2 They've lynched
Bill Smith. and if ever there was cow
ardly blow aimed at a foremost citizen it
was that
But you can bury him, Higgins
-" Bury him. ne screamed. Bury him,
Bury Bill Smith Why, man, Bill Smith
was maxim fortune for me lie killed
his man as regular as the sun went down,
and | buried every one Of 'em. He was
worth So day to me, he was. So I'm
goin' TO leave 'em. This town don't offer
no inducements TO an honest man like me
Think what I've done for EN-. was 20
in TO erect a monument 70 our departed
brothers. And now there won't be a death
in this town once a month. Poor Bill
and Higgins seized a winding sheet and
tried TO stife his sobs. New York Trib-