Evening star., 1898-10-22
PASSING OF GEN. JACKSON
Copyright. .nts9s. Ivy HAYDEN Carruth.,

"S "dter ~ the river at the rate or speed
usual to a stern-wheel steamboat when
tney came ande sat down close to me-so
close that, it WAS impossible not to near
their conVeF ton. Indeed. they must have
known that they were overheard. as the
| deck was brightly Illuminated by the full
moon looking down over the Gat-topped
bluffs. - ~
L s'pess things are Jogging long just
bout the same sroand Poplar Mound hAy?"
said the younger of the two.
Just bout. Not much change Sarah
Ann Smead married Ike Patchley's son last
spring."
How is the old man.
oid Patch!ey? Clipper. Give the bride
calf Rather more than Sarah Ann ex-
pected. I reckon. Shed Just about been
counting on that old rattle-trap buggy of
his'n l think. Well. the calf u2 n got
piece of punkin stuck in its throat a week
ago and laid down and just died so she
might better a-got the buggy. If one hind
wheel is bigger n the other The old man
is just the same. Boun' to stand in with
everybody. Going to TO the right thing IL
1t Kills him. Dunno If he kept a fighting
COCK when you lived there or not. but he
mas late years. That there rooster has been
ms only relaxation, as you may say. The
aHectlon betwiXt the Old man end that
touching to see. They was like brothers
so everybody said. For years them two
wan sea cely separated. 'cept nights, and
reckon If the old man could akept on
roost that he'd flew uD evry evening
alongside O. Gtnral Jackson. That was
the name O. the critter-Gen'ral jackson.
He Just had the longest legs and the reach
enest neck. Clean cut as the ace of spades
and temper like a buzz saw. And spurs,
| We'll he just walked wide-legged and re-
volved one spur round the other spur. The
| Old man 'sociated with the rooster so much
| that he come to walk just like him. Some
ha Ia OF
| that they kind o reSembled each other in
| their faces, and I reckon, on the whole,
! that the ger'ral did favor the old gent
some. You didn't see 1t in the features so
much, but their expressions was similar.
We'll you know how it was with the
old man-boun to do the right thing and
| be up on socfty doings He heard one day
| that the new minister was coming an he
| just says to his wife that they'd have him
| to their house to dinner the first Sunday
| His idee was to get ahead of old Johnson's s
folks They'd got ahead on the school
| teacher. and the congressman of the dees
| trick when he stumping it. and old
Patchley was bound they shouldn't rope In
| the preacher. too. So when the elder hop
| ped off the stage Patchley made an ap-
| pintment with him for dinner, come the
| very next Sunday.
saturday nc rnng the oil man shoulder
| ed his gun and went out after game for
next days dinner. Well, he didn't Fave no
| lucl<-come hack without a thing Come
| BACK late, tired out, plum beat Hadn't
| seen coon Hor a 'possCm, nor even A
Noodchuck nor partridge, nor nothing
Hadn't seen a track of enc. nor hide nor
hair nor 4 feather. nor heard one holle-
| nor heard no echo of one hollerin' way off
scmewheras. He sot his gun down with
heaVy heart when he got home. But he
va MT the nan to throw up his hands-not
| much. No. sir. He Travelled right down to
| old Doosnike's market and struck The Old
man for a roaSt-on credit. You know old
Patchley never was very forehanded.
hoo hic
man offered tC take a chunk of steak or Il
| boiling piece, OF slice of ham, and finally
| he got down to liver. but Doosnike wouldn't
| hear CT it-said the old man owed TOO uuch
already. But Patcnley didn't give up
couldn't, with that minister just hanging
| over his head. He went round and tackled
all his nefshbors for hunk of fresh meat,
| or 4 chicken, or something But he owed
EN- all. and he's didn't get a thing-nothing
nut cold shoulder Then he went home and
sot down on the end of the leach and bust
into tears Hisswife come out with the IAN
| tern Marian says he the wuss has
come to the wUst. Them tears which mas
wei up tn: grcUnd all round here are the
fust l have shed for forty years-,nep3y
mere. Gimme the and that lantern
don't stand there like a craven statute,
Then he took 'em and walked away 10 the
henhOuse, where Central Jackson was a.
rccsting all alone in state he being he
| only fowl the old man had ever took the
trouble to keep.
When he come back to the house he was
more calm. The deed is done says he. I
would it had been that doggone preachers
neck instead. He was so worked up that
he kind of talked poetry. How old was he
JCsh?' asks his wife, beginning to roll I'D
her sleeves. He was nine answers the
old man. and never was licked in a fair
fight I think I'd better put him on TO-
night. says the old lady; that there
preachers Jews don't look to me overly
pow'ful.'
| by AMI by she come back In where the
old man was. looking sort of bewildered
| like. Wot is IT.? asks he The t'ints.' saws
| she. 1 reckoned to make a pot pie of him,
but them j'ints are like trunk hinges He
was never licked in fair fight for nine
years. says the old man. sort of half to
hisself. Cook him whole. like turkey,
| stuffed he gees on. He can lay on MS
| back, with his legs up-though he never
| done 1t afore and the old gent groaned
| Yes, l might do that says the old lady:
| only trouble is them legs won't bend By
and by the ole man looks into the kitchen.
and sees the Gen'rals legs sticking I'D ont
| of pot. like young trees just set out. 4
| thought you vas a-gong to bake him, Ma
riar? says the old man. so | am an
svers she; but I'm a-going to bile him
| three or four hours fust. You go on to
| bed
When the old man got I'D in the morn
| ing he found his wife still in the kitchen
| feeding the fire, the Gen'rars legs stick
| ing out a crack above the oven door L
| broiled him spell after billing him saws
| she. 4 reckon he's beginning to get tender
| in spots. When it was time to go to
| church the old lady went but old Patchley
stayed at home to mind the fire Ii was a
sad hour for the old gent, setting there in
| the shadder of them legs But he chirped
up when his wife got back and when the
| minister come he was as clipper as ever,
Welcome to our humble roof. elder saws
he. You are just in time. Mrs Patchley
| is even now bringing in the dinner Be
seated. elder and the old man showed the
preacher to his place with great flourish
and sot down hisself at the head of the
| table. Then he turns little and calls out
in a sort of melting voice: 'Marar dear
fetch in the pullet! And she come in with
the Central on platter, his legs a-waying
and his spurs a-rattling together like a
man playing the bones.
The old lady put down the Central and
then sot down herself, and when his legs
became still the minister asked a blessing
The old man pretended not to notice that
the preachers voice trembled, and begin
talking with his regular flourish. we
hope, elder. that yer fond of poultry meat
says he 'Y-a-e-s, answers the minister
kind of doubtful like. Mrs. Patchley and
me set great store by it, goes on the old
gent, running his thumb along the edge
of the butcher, knife. Brother Patchley
may l ask the breed of the pullet? says
the preacher. She was Mayhower.' saws
the old man, reaching up and taking holt