Tugg Martin.

I.         Tugg Martin's tough. - No doubt o' that!         And down there at         The town he come from word's bin sent         Advisin' this-here Settle-ment             To kindo' humor Tugg, and not         To git him hot -         Jest pass his imperfections by,         And he's as good as pie!         II.         They claim he's wanted back there. - Yit         The officers they mostly quit         Insistin' when         They notice Tugg's so back'ard, and         Sorto' gives 'em to understand             He druther not! - A Deputy             (The slickest one you ever see!)         Tackled him last - "disguisin' then,"         As Tugg says, "as a gentlemen!" -             You 'd ort o' hear Tugg tell it! - My!         I thought I'd die!         III.         The way it wuz; - Tugg and the rest         The boys wuz jest         A-kindo' gittin' thawed out, down         At "Guss's Place," fur-end o' town,             One night, when, first we knowed,         Some feller rode         Up in a buggy at the door,             And hollered fer some one to come         And fetch him some         Red-licker out - And whirped and swore         That colt he drove wuz "Thompson's" shore!         IV.         Guss went out, and come in agin             And filled a pint and tuck it out -         Stayed quite a spell - then peeked back in,             Half-hid-like where the light wuz dim,         And jieuked his head         At Tugg and said, -         "Come out a minute - here's a gent             Wants you to take a drink with him."         V.         Well - Tugg laid down his cards and went -                 In fact, we all         Got up, you know,         Startin' to go -         When in reels Guss aginst the wall,         As white as snow,         Gaspin', - "He's tuck Tugg! - wher's my gun?"             And-sir, outside we heerd         The hoss snort and kick up his heels             Like he wuz skeerd,         And then the buggy-wheels         Scrape - and then Tugg's voice hollerun', -             "I'm bested! - Good-bye, fellers!" . . . 'Peared         S' all-fired suddent,         Nobody couldn't         Jest git it fixed, - tel hoss and man,             Buggy and Tugg, off through the dark         Went like the devil beatin' tan-         Bark!         VI.         What could we do? . . . We filed back to             The bar: And Guss jest looked at us,         And we looked back "The same as you,"         Still sayin' nothin' - And the sap         It stood in every eye,         And every hat and cap         Went off, as we teched glasses solemnly,         And Guss says-he:         "Ef it's 'good-bye' with Tugg, fer shore, - I say         God bless him! - Er ef they         Aint railly no need to pray,         I'm not reniggin! - board's the play,         And here's God bless him, anyway!"         VII.         It must a-bin an hour er so         We all set there,             Talkin o' pore         Old Tugg, you know,             'At never, wuz ketched up before -             When - all slow-like - the door-         Knob turned - and Tugg come shamblin' in,             Hand-cuffed' - 'at's what he wuz, I swear! -         Yit smilin,' like he hadn't bin             Away at all!    And when we ast him where             The Deputy wuz at, - "I don't know where," Tugg said, -         "All I know is - he's dead."