Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-12-16

Aa5Ae aAoue, uuu, GOu AmlSnty, II
| you take him away 1t might be good
thing for himself, but for us-O God"
The voice quivered and was silent
1 "Amen!"
Then some one, think It must have
been the Lady Charlotte, began "Our
Father" and all Joined that could join
| to the end. For few moments Bill
] stood up, looking at them silently.
Then, as IL remembering his duty, he
said:
'srhis here church is open. Excuse
me-
He stood at the door, gave a word Of
direction to hi, who had followed him
ont, and leaping on his bronco shook
him out into hard gallop.
| The Swan Creek church was opened.
The form of service may not have been
correct, but If great love counts for
anything, and appealing faith. then all
that was necessary was done.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE PILoT's LAST PORT.
MYY1N the old times funeral was
l8l j regarded in the Swan Greek
RSSa@5V country as kind of solemn
vs3SJ festivity. In those days, for
the most part, men died In their boots
and were planted with much honor
and loyal libation. There was often
neither shroud nor coffin, and in the
far west many a poor fellow lies rs he
rade's blanket.
1t was the manager Of the Z u COM
pany's ranch that introduced Grape.
The occasion was the funeral Of one Of
Athss- ranch cowboys . killed by his sbEon.
co. but when the pallbearers and
mourners appeared with bands and
streamers of Grape this was voted by
the majority as "too gay" That cir
cumstance alone was sufficient to rem
der that funeral famous, but 1t was re-
membered, too, as having shocked the
prophecies in another and more serious
manner. No one would be SO narrow
| minded as to object to the custom Of
the return procession falling into a
series of horse races of the widest de-
scription and ending up at Latour's in
general riot. But to race with the
corpse was considered bad form. The
corpse driver" us he was called, could
hardly be blamed on this occasion.
His acknowledged place was at the
head of the procession, and 1t was a
point of honor that that place should
be retained. The fault lay clearly with
the driver of the x L ranch sleigh,
containing the mourners IAN innoya-
ton, by the way), who felt aggrievedi
that HI Kendall, driving the Ashley
team with the pallbearers another
innoyatlon), should be given the place
of honor next the corpse.
The X L driver wanted to know
what, in the name Of all that was black
and blue, the Ashley ranch had to do
with the funeral? Whose was that
corpse, anyway? Didn't it belong to the
X L ranch? Hi, on the other hand,
contended that the corpse was in
charge Of the pallbearers. 1t was
their duty to see it right to the grave,
and If they were not on hand how was
1t goin' to get there? They didn't ex-
lspect that 1t would git up and get there
by itself, did they? Hi didn't want no
blanked mourners foolin' round that
corp till 1t was properly planted; after
that they might git in their work.
But the \ L driver could not accept
this view, and at the first opportunity
slipped past Hi and his pallbearers
and took the place next the sleigh that
carried the coffin. It is possible that HI
might have borne with this affront and
loss of position with even mind, but
the jeering remarks of the mourners us
they slid past triumphantly could not
be endured, and the next moment the
three teams We're abreast in a race Us
for dear life. The corpse driver, hav-
Ing the advantage of the beaten track,
soon left the other two behind running
neck and neck for second place, which
was captured finally by HI and main
tanned to the grave side in spite Of
many attempts on the part Of the x Ls
The whole proceeding however, was
considered quite improper and at La
tours that night, after full and bibu-
lous discussion, 1t was agreed that the
corpse driver fairly distributed the
blame. For his part, he said, he knew
he hadn't ought to make no corp
git any such move on. but he wasn't
goin' to see that there corp take second
place at his own funeral. Not If he
could help 1t. And as for the others, he
thought that the pallbearers had
blanked sight more to do with the
plantin' than them giddy mourners.
But when they gathered at the Mere
dith ranch to carry out the Pilot to his
grave it was felt that the foothill coun.
try was called to/a new experience.
They were all there-the men from
the Porcupine and from beyond the
Fort. the police with the inspector In
command, all the farmers for twenty
miles around, and of course all the
ranchers and cowboys of the Swan
Creek country. There was no effort at
repression. There was no need, for in
the cowboys for the first time in their
experience there was no heart for fun,
And as they rode up and hitched their
horses to the fence or drove their
sleighs into the yard and took Of the
bells there was no loud voiced saluta-
! ton, no guying nor chatting, but with
silent nod they took their places in the
| crowd about the. door or passed into