The Washington times., 1903-02-22
CF OF TWO BY FOUR" COWBOY AND PRODIGAL :.

muss up the floor; and card tables don't
look comfortable with the rudy on 'em;
20 out doors and save the trouble o.
cleanin up
Then Shanks says Il is so dark he'll
hold lantern for him 20 see BY. You
or I wouldn't "a given h TO him: but
Two by Four was as serious as gumbo.
Wei, we got a lot oIanterns lit, and
forms a funeral parade; and We marches
Two by Four out TO that log over there.
and him never sayin' a word. Then
SignOr tells him TO take OF his right
boot so he can pull the trigger with his
toe. Then we has Two by -Four sit ca
the log while we all marches round and
sings hymns. We didn't know no funeral
songs. so we sung Rock Of Ages" and
one More River 20 Cross' and then
we stopped and told Two by Four 10
make US a funeral speech
We'll, you'd "a died o. Iaughin' 70
"a seen him; standin' UP there with one
toct on. t'other foot bare. my rifle lean
in against the log. and him as sober
as a Masons' lodge. while the lanterns
was a shinin' on him. We was all tryin'
to keep our faces straight, but signor
had to keep back in the dark and
chuckle.
But when he got 10 talkin' We all
STEPPED laughin' quick enough He
thought that gun was loaded. and he
was serious. I tell you. He started IN
ID tell about when he was a little boy
in Boston. and how good his mother was,
until you could Jess see her face lean
in over him TO kiss him in his Sleep
And when ne told about her dyin'. and
askin' him to be good. because she'd Be
watchin' him always from heaven. and
be proud he was her only boy-why.
then, misters. the boys kind O wished
they'd left him alone. and the tears
began to be pretty proniscuous-
"And then he told about his girl
down there. and how hard she'd stuck
to him always. no matter what hap
pened; and how he hurt his father BY
his bad tricks until the old man fred
him And he says, Boys says h see
that my father knows that I never
blamed him. 1 was tough, and IL was the
hest thing to do I never blamed "a
Their since I thought Il over he says
And then he told about how his girl
had wrote TO him all the time since he
left home. and how he would lie out on
the sage brush and read her letters and
feel that he had it in him 10 be a better
man; how she seemed 20 him 10 De sent
n au the place his mother had left,
and how he had even prayed as he
thought about her. Oh tell Eo'i, mis-
tiers. the tears come now. too. just q
thinkin' about the way Two by Four
told US about his doin's. for there's many
n one OF US as knew all about how it
was from our own lives When 7 think
OF my mother and-but that's not here
nor there
Then he says. Boys, be good 10 this
here lame boy. He's CROWN up here
among you without education, or with
out a woman's love 70 look after him.
and you boys ought 10 educate him and
care for him, and make a good man OF
him. He's too big to call him Dolly any
more says Two by -Four. and I wants
you boys to remember that I helped to
stake Dolly so as be could get an edu-
cation. And says Two by -Four. Oakley.
! give Il you strict In charge to see that
the money Dolly won tonight goes for
his good
We'll. sirs, 10 cut a long story short.
he takes out this here weddin' invita-
ton. and tells me 10 write to these folks
about him, and 10 tell the gal that was
married. that the money I was to 20 and
get from his oil claims was hers TO re-
member htm by And he wanted 20 be
buried over there where that brightest
green spot is And then he hands me
the weddin' invitation, and says. Oak
ey.' SAYS he. write to the parties which
was married and say TO them that the
last message I left on earth is that I
loved them both. that I have moved On
20 better things. in a better place. where
my love for them viii do them good and
not harm
We'll. sirs. We was all a cryin' when
he got through. even II we did know the
gun wasn't loaded and he want soin'
TO do himself no harm. And IL was hard
work to get the fun going again. even
when he picked up the gun. But re
helped him get the gun in pOsish, and
then we marched around and each Of
us said Good by. Two by Four, God bless
you. or something OF that sort; and
then SignOr counted for him, One. two
three. hret' and then that darned old
gun went OF and blowed his brains OUT -
There is a plot in 8 cemetery not Tar
from Cambridge. and there are two green
mounds. AT the head OF the smaller
mound is a small granite stone with
lust a name on it-'Edward Hotaliug."
At the head of the large mound is a
more imposing monument. which bears
this inscription He has moved on 10
better things, in a better place. where
his love viii do them good
I-QN4 9HLl