Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-10-23


81 say, chip in here All right, Shed,
eh?"
''All right, Tom; let 'em chip"
The lank man let his hat fall down by
the dog and his knees fell on the hat with
a thump. Then Hound wanted to kneel,
too, for he did not like his job, can tell
you that, but his right hand was holding
on to the gnarly and twisted moose, and he
knew better than let go of it. So he looked
at Shed and he said:
''You don't mind, Shed?"
II don't mind, Tom"
And so he put the moose around the
mans neck and kindly looked and waited
second to see if it was all right.
'Hurt ye. Shed"
'sNo, don't hurt; don't hurt now, Tom. !"
And then Tom went down on his knees,
and the boys bowed their heads and cried
You could hear them cry. Why, the very
old dog seemed to feel the atmosphere OF
pity and the pathos of the scene.
But let us end this. The old emigrant
arose; his hat lay before him and Hound
stopped to pick it up.
"Give us that hat" said husky voice
below
Hound handed down the hat.
'"Bout done, Tom," whispered Shed.
"Bout done, Shed, jist a minute now"
answered Tom, as he raised up with the
hat, heavy from the collection. Shed saw
this and said:
tom"
"Well, Shed?"
LEND me dollar till, till'-
"Why, Shed, herel I'll chip in for both,
seer"
''Thank yer, Tom. An now, TOMB"
"Well, Shedf"
Yell see me put away, eh?"
"Why, there, see? That's the grave all
ready, She'd"
"Thank yer, Tom, thank yer; an Pm all
ready"
Then such a crash and jerk The dog
sprang down to the ground and began to
howl, and the men fell back, fell back and
down, as if shot by grapeshot and canister.
Around and around swung the huge and
heaving body, and then it suddenly stopped
stopped right still, and with the face lifted
and the head little sidewise. it looked
straight at Tom Hound and l. looked black
at us, you may say. but not unkindly, for
only two or three seconds, yet it seemed
years, for no one had thought of the black
cap.
Then suddenly it began to twist and
whirl and wind the other way, and we two
tumbled back and down to the ground as
best we could, for fear that we might faint.
l left Hound to finish his work alone,
and set out on a long, circuitous walk over
the hills to try and shake off the nightmare
of this miserable day on my way home.
sat down on a bowlder for half an hour
above the town, and ON rising up and look
ing back, as one always will after a day
like this, only then l saw the huge and
shadowy old dog l went home hastily,
but more than once the old dog bumped
his huge, bowed head against my heels.
The next morning | found him lying
close by my door, and he put out his nose
o little, licked his tongue out just the least
bit, as if he wanted to say that his brave
old heart was broken, but he didn't whine
at all.
OF course couldn't stand the dog at all,
and so went to Hound After some NUT
tering and sullen protests against my re-
quests that he should take the dog to the
woman, he finally put a tow string around
his huge neck and we together led him to
her cabin.
She came tearing out like wild beast
a kettle of hot water in one hand and a
knife in the other, and oaths enough in her
mouth TO sink o ship.
you've hung an innocept mani" she
shrieked, as she hurled the boiling water
at Hound.
"Then who killed Berry," shouted
back over my shoulder from a safe dis
lance.
81 killed him and Ill kill you, you
DEVIL" She was frenZied with rage, but
We were well ont of her way.
"Haye to hang another one, Tom," said
finally after we had walked to his butcher
shop in silence.
He tied the dog back by his bunk and
patted his bowed old head for o long time.
Then he came out and up to me and said
sharply, mot much"
swell, what will we do?"
"What will we do? Keep our damn
mouths shut and do nothing. That's what
We'll do. Didn't you know afore thai
Shed was a-dyin for her? Well, did, an
that's why ! kinder took to Shed an tried
to make his hangiR easy like. He was
willin to die for ner, an no did die ior hes,
an that settles tn
Hound had thrown these words off from
him us from his shoulder with his big
oASoSsO AeAAALiOi IiSAAC ltlu1, d1lu SluIPlJ
said, half to him and half to myself, as
went back to my cabin, in a sort of echo,
"Fhat settles it."
And the next morning, before the break
of day, a big woman on a big bell mule
with bunch of grass stuffed in the mnle'a
bell, rode quietly out Of camp on her way
to The Dalles. The pack train stole quietly
on after, followed by a tramp picked up for
th;e occasion. And all SO still.
Then Tom and went TO the carpenter
and had a pretty cross and q headboardi
made for the new grave on the hill, and
Tom took the dog along to see US put them
up.
What became of the womane Well, new,
don't like to say anything hard Of any
woman or record any woman's decline or
fall But The last heard of her she was
keeping boarding house for congressman
in Washington. 1t is hard to stop when
once ON the downward road.-Joaquin Mil
Ter in San Francisco Wasp.