Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1900-11-15

had turned out fur everythin but fu-
neral, but death had obstinately refus-
ed to gin it Il show. There was lot
of old folks with asthma and liver COM
plaint and lot of babies with whoop-
in cough and measles, but none of 'em
would die. Reube used to go around
achin fur it, and he'd drop into the
postofice occasionally to say to me:
Pap, If some one would only die, I'd
turn out the boys in way to jump
Jericho 100 years ahead. Them red
pals and axes and ladders would jest
be an offset to the mOurnin, and the
way the boys would stand around on
one leg and look solemn would be pic
ture to beat an old master. Hows
your heart disease, Pap"
"Better, thank you"
81 was in hopes it was wuss. Thar's
wuss men nor you, Pap Perkins, but If
you'll only die our fire company will
gin We a sendoff to make yer widder
proud fur the rest of her days"
Reube was on the watch day and
night fur q funeral, and he'd almost
made up his mind to turn out the COM
pany fur the next COW that died of hol-
Ter horn when q crisis come like a
fash. OWN to his lame leg Lish Bill
lings hadn't fined the fire company,
but he was an old and respected citi-
zen who could beat anybody In town
at game of checkers. Tharfore when
the news come that his well had caved
in on him and buried him under ten
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 Lishs body or
! not, bein it was already buried, but
! they was determined to hev it fur a
| funeral. They worked all the arter-
noon and all night, and at intervals
Reube had the bells toled fur the dead
Nobody in Jericho slept. The well
| kept Gavin in, and the fremen kept
workin like heroes to clear it out. II
! was 8 o'clock next mornin when they
! found Lish's old hat. AS it was passed
up to Reube he shed tears and turned
his head away. Philetus Johnson was
| jest remarkin that Lish's loss was ouI
| gain or something of that sort, and the
diggers down in the well were lookir
fur arms and legs, when Lish himself
! appeared In the crowd. He seemed tc
! be in good health and speerits, and he
| carelessly remarked to the fire compa
ny that he was much obleeged fur saw
in him q weeks work. Nuthin was
said fur about a mint but presently
Reube Holdfast wiped the tears from
his eyes and asked:
"Lish, whar you bin since yesterday
! Eoon?"
up 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 kir
take it along and bury it in goot
shape"
Reube called off his company, and
they marched back to town with sol
emn tread. They hadn't put away theil
red water pals before folks was laugh
! in at 'em, and before sundown the
doom of the fire company was sealed
Lish Billings had thrown 'em down
and the public was guyin and ridiculin
When the o'clock mail had bin dis
tributed, Reube stood up in the post
| office and said:
"Feller citizens, wharas this 'er'
town of Jericho don't seem to appreci
ate enterprise, vigilance, heroism an(
booms and wharas she'd ruther be a
the mercy of the fire fiend than to hav,
her disastrous confagrations squirteC
out, now tharfore resolved that thil
band Of heroes be disbanded, and Jeri
cho kin go to thunderr' NJ. QUAD.