Tugg Martin.

By James Whitcomb Riley

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."