Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-07-26

! between Jim White and Aaron Tomp.
kins. and the DIRE company was present
In full Uniform. Old Mrs. Hopkins was
taken sick. and the doctor said she
must 60. and Reube felt 1t bis duty to
march the company up to her house
; and bid her last farewell. Her sick
ness took turn fur the better, and she
, begun to git WELL and Reube marched
| the company up agin to give her three
cheers fur not dyin.
After about month there was only
one thing lackin. The fire company
had turned out fur everythin but fu.
neral. but death had obstinately refus-
ed to gin 1t show. There was a lot
OF old folks with asthma and liver COM
paint and a lot of babies with whoop-
in cough and measles, but none Of 'em
{ would die. Reube used to go around
anhin fur it. and he'd drop into the
postotiice occasionally to say to me:
"Pnp. 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. How's
your heart disease, Pap"
"Better, thank YOU
81 was in hopes it was wuss. Thar's
wuss men nor you, Pap Perkins, but il
you'll only die our fire company will
gin We sendoff to make yer wilder
proud fur the rest Of her days"
Reube was on the watch day and
night fur 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 crisis come like
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 Lish's body or
not, bein it was already buried, but
they was determined to hev it fur
funeral. They worked all the AFTER
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 tremen kept
workin like heroes to clear it ont. 1t
was O'Clock next mornin when they
found Lisl'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 our
gain or something of that sort, and the
diggers down in the well were lookin
fur arms and legs. when Lish himself
appeared in the crowd. He seemed to
be in good health and speerits. and he
carelessly remarked to the fire compa.
ny that he was much obleeged fur saw
in him weeks work. Nuthin was
said fur about mint, but presently
Reube Holdfast wiped the tears from !
his eyes and asked:
"Lish. whar you bin since yesterday
noon?"
up stairs In the house." says Lish.
What was your objeck?"
ITO boom Jericho by gettin up fu.
neral Thar's my old hat. and you kin
take 1t 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 at 'em, and before shutdown the
doom Of the Gre company was sealed.
Lish' Billings had thrown EN- down,
and the public was guyin and ridicvlin.
When the I o'clock mail had bin dis.
tributed. Reube stood up In the post
office and said
"Feller citizens. wharas this ere
own Of Jericho don't seem to appreci.
lte enterprise. vigilance, heroism and
,ooms and wharas she'd ruther be at
he mercy of the fire fend than to have
Ter disastrous conflagrations squirted
tut. now tharfore resolved that this
'and of heroes be disbanded, and Jeri-
no kin go to thunder!" NJ. QUAD.