Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-26

"Mebbe Poke Dog amt as important as
Bulifrog or Manhattan. admitted Bat
Sommers, but it's comm along some few.
and | guess If we want TO hold a Memorial
day parade for the benefit of the hero dead
OF our prosperous and growing metropolis
we can get as good an article as any one.
only there amt any hero dead OBJ
jected Nate Cassidy: "leastwise none which
fought and bled for the country. We got
cemetery that any town in this section
should be proud Of, but most Of the de-
parteds were u leetle slow on the draw
Cassidy" admonished Sommers severely
there are some men what would seek to
keep even place like Poke Dog on the list
of never-wases. Pears to me that we could
do some mighty good missionary work with
rail and little tar and feathers.
Besides he went on as Cassidy sub
sided. 4 didn't say we've got the genuine
article. l said we could get 1t. By Decor
alton day Poke Dog is gOin to be preserved
in history as the last restin' place Of one
of the great heroes of the civil war
Who might he be?" asked Murphy, with
interest.
Murphy. as proprietor of the Casino sa-
loon, was a person of standing, and Som
mers took the interruption quietly.
He's Pete Knoxville" explained Som
mers, General Peter Knoxville. He was
personal pal of mine, and it grieves me
great to think Of his revered ashes lyin' out
in the Arizona desert. I'm goin' after him.
and We'll plant him proper on Decoration
day
Il move that we appoint a committee to
raise funds ana make a delegation" sug-
gested Cassidy. anxious to re-establish him
self i'm favor with the sheriff 'Tatn't fair
10 make Bat pay all the money.
Somehow tie proposition did not appear
TO meet with Sommers approval Pete
was my friend he said brusquely. and
I ain goiu to pass the hat when 1t comes
to seem that the deceased is planted IN
one of the bIussoming centers of the west
I'm goin to perform a duty long deferred,
and when I want help III lift up my voice
Tn set en- up to Pete volunteered the
diplomatic Murphy. and as the crowd lined
up before the bar some one hustled the ag-
ErIeved Cassidy over into corner.
The whole town turned out the next day
to witness Sommers departure by stage,
but half OF the population of the ADJOINING
camps came over to welcome him back
when. a week later he came up with the
pack train from the railroad
In the interval the fame of Pete Hron-
VILE mad grown apaCe. and he was credited
with half the victories of the war and with
hundreds of exploits of valor that made
mere history seem stale, fiat and unprohta-
bic.
Reverently the rough pine box was
ried into the shack that served as a town
hall and there the inner coffin was re-
moved and placed upon the hag-drdped
table that answered Tor the boatu meet
Ings Bat took his stand at the head of the
coffin and watched with jealous eye that
the lid was not tempered with while slowly
the crowd fled past
II was three weeks until Decoration day,
and it was agreed that the body should lie
in state until the following Thursday, when
there was to be a meeting of the parade
committee. and that IL should then be re-
moved to the Casino back room, where 1t
would await interment.
The parade committee had not been Idle.
and it had arranged program that would
make Poke Dog famous even beyond the
boundaries of the state. Murphy. who
had something of a political pull. had made
arrangements 10 borrow caisson from the
National Guard. as Poke Dog did not yet
boast a hearse. There were to be speeches
in plenty.
Now. it so happened that Ding GLADDEN.,
the telegraph operator. gossiping with BE
at Leadvle when the line was not busy.
told of the glorious times to come, and
Be, being a girl and the sweetheart of