Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-04-10

too. An yet, Pickles, not intendin' nuthin'
personal at all, for / wouldn't be personal
with a horned toad, I'm not only onre-
speckful of an Injun and thinks the guv'-
ment oughter pay bounty for the skelps,
but l states a belief that a mean, onery,
mud-b looded, sneakin' boss stealth mon
grel of a half-breed is lower yet. l holdin'
he amt even people-ain't even nuthin in
fact. But, to change the subject, as well
as open an avenue for another round of
drinks, I'll bet you, Pickles, you stole that
boss down thar, an that the TX brand
on his shoulder amt no brand at all, but
jest picked on with the point of knife
"When Jack puts it all over Pickles this
away, we looked for some shootin' shore.
But Pickles couldn't steady himself on the
pinch. He was jest like lots of ponies I've
seed. He'd ride right at a thing as though
he was gon' clean through or over, an
jest the last second he'd shy an finch an
weaken. The fact is, son, it wasn't Pickles.
fault. There amt any breed of man on
earth but the pure white as will play a
desperate deal clean through, an call the
turn for life or death at the close; an of
course Pickles was only half white So he
laughed sorter ugly at Jacks bluff an al
lowed he'd order drinks without no bet
tin.
An then, Jack he says, Il want you
to take dinner with me, I'll have Ike git
up somethin' right
I'm go you, says Jack, if it amt
nuthin' but sowbelly.
I'll fix you people up feed says old
Ike, but you can't do your feedin' in no
dinin' room of mine. I'll fix it over in the
camp house, tother side of the corral, an
you kin be jest as sociable as you please
There won't be nothin' nor nobody fur you
to hurt or disturb over there
"After little their grub was got ready
in the camp house, an Jack an Pickles
walks over side an side. They goes in an
shuts the door, an in about five minutes
bang! bang. goes the two six-shooters, an
we all canters over an finds Jack eatn'
away all right an Pickles over the other
side with his head in his tin plate and his
brains running out over his left eye.
" 1t don't look like Pickles was hungry
much, after ALL says Jack.
They'd both pulled their guns as they
sat down, an put 'em in their laps, but,
jest as l say, Pickles couldn't stand the
pressure, an gittin' nervous, he grabbed
for his gun, an as he went to git it up the
muzzle caught under the table top an there
his bullet was, all safe in the wood. Jack,
bein' clean strain, had better luck. After
dinner we impaneled jury an tried Jack
for the KILN OF course we know'd he'd
got to be acquitted an the KILN was right,
but it bothered us a heap to find ground
to put it on.
You see,' said Dan Bags, this KILN
was bound to be all right from the jump,
no matter who'd got sailed. Each was
sigin' the other on, an they jest went to
this shootin' hand in hand like brothers.
Neither was to blame, an that's what gifts
me-
"Finally Cherokee Hall gifts up an says
This here KILN was all right, but there
bein' some present difficulty of giyin' the
reasons why it's all right, an OWN, as we
do, dooty 10 the public, moves you that
our verdict be Justified homicide" based
on the ground that Pickles commits sui
eide
"This was good enough. Ofcourse Pick
les didn't commit suicide none, but that
didn't hurt it for reason jest the same"