Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-10-05

''''~ '''A'atN NIN AuA ever. iulu uuN Iu-
neral. but death had obstlnately refus-
ed TO gin IL show. There was a lot
"i old folks with asthma and liver COM
plaint and lot of babies with whoap-
IN cough and measles. but none of 'em
would die. Reube used to go around
achin fur it. and he'd drop into the
poStoilice occasionally TO say to me:
Zap, If some one would only die. I'd
turn out the boys ina way To Jump
Jericho 100 years ahead. Them red
pals and axes and ladders would lest
bc an Offset to the mournln. and the
way the boys would stand around on
one les and look solemn would be a pic
turc To beat an old master. How $
your heart disease. rapi'
"Bctter thank you"
Il was in hopes it was wusS. Thar's
Euss men nor YOU, Pap Perkins, but il
you'll only die our fire company will
gin We a sendoff to make yer widdcr
proud fur the rest of her days"
Rcube was on the watch day and
night fur a funeral. and he'd almost
made up his mind to turn out the COM
pany fur the next COW that died of hul-
Ter horn when crisis come like a
fash. OWN to his lame leg Llsh Bill
lingS hadn't j'incd the fire company.
but he was an old and respected citl-
zen who could beat anybody in town
at game of checkers. Tharfure when
the news come that his well had cavcd
in an him IL.
feet of airth the fire bells rung and red
shirts went whoopin down the road.
Mrs. Billings didn't seem to care very
much whether they got LiSh'S body or
not, bcin II was already buried. but
they was determined to hey ii fur q
funeral. They worked all the artcr-
noon and all night and at intervals
kCube had the bells tolcd fur the dead.
Nobody in Jericho slept The well
kept Gavin in. and the firemun kept
workin like heroes to clear it out. 1t
was : O'Clock next mUrnin when they
found Lish's old hat. AS it was passed
up to Reube ne shed tears and turned
his head away. Philetus johnson was
jest rcmarkin that LiSh's loss was our
gain or something of that sort. and the
dig@crs down in the well were luukin
fur arms ana legs, when LiSh himself
appeared in the crowd. He seemed 10
be in good health and spcerits and he
carClCSSly remarked to the fire c0mpa-
ny that he was much oblecged fur say
in him weeks work. Nuthu was
said fur about mint. but presently
Reube Huldfast wiped the tears from
his eyes and asked
"Lish, whar you bin since yesterday
noon:"
TIP stairs in the house." says Lish.
What was your objeck?"
ITO boom Jericho by gettin up a fu-
neral. Thar's my old hat, and you kin
take it along and bury it in good
shape"
Reube called off his company. and
they marched back to town with sol.
emn tread. They hadn't put away their
red water pals before folks was laugh
in mt 'em. and before sundown the
doom of the fire company was sealed.
Lish Billings had thrown 'cm down.
and the public was guyin and ridiculn.
When the : O'Clock mail had bin dis
tributed, Reube stood up in the post.
office and said:
"Feller citizens, wharas this ere
town of Jericho don't seem to appreci-
ate enterprise. vigilance heroism and
h00ms and wharas she'd ruther be at
the mercy of the fire iiend than to have
her disastrous contlagrations squirtcd
out, now tharfore resolved that this
band of heroes be disbanded. and Jeri-
cho kin go to thunder NJ. QUAD.