The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1852-01-16
GETTING A RAILROAD SUBSCRIP.
1JON


IION.
HavIng seen nobody for thirty miles.
"'snt overlook me st the centre OF Jones
county. Tne road was only visible BY the
"three scores" on the trees, the grass xrow.
ing on 1t rank and 'all, ike that IN the id.
)acent woods. ! was striking for the cour,
mouse. IL passed a small opening in which
stood three rickety cabins, but ihev were
untenaI'ed. The road brauched off into q
dozrn trails. Completely puzzled, 1 threw
down the reins and left the matter 10 the
instinct OF my horse. He struck INTO one
ot the paths. and in 6hesn minu,s, halted
al large iarm house.
"HaI!ol" cried |.
"i's halo YOURSELF" said the mao 10 The
gallery.
"How lar 10 the court house!l'
"Whsre are you from? said The mao.
"From Winchester"
"Then," said be, ",he court house is be.
hind, and you have come righ. by il there"
pointing 10 the deserted cabins.
WAY. saw nobody there"
~ reckon you d'd'n', !" said lie. "TLere's
srogsery and a tavern twice q year, two
days Na time. but they come with tho
court and 60 with the court"
"And the clerk and tue sheriff." said I.
"where do they IIve2"
ooh the shenf is clerk, and the clerk is
squire, assessor and TAX collector io the
oa'sa.n, and he lives away down on tho
Lea,."
But the lots. my friend-who owns the
iuls2"
1.-The same individual that owns the bess
part ot Jones coun'y--the only landlurd
who never sues Tor rent, Uncle Sam"
swell. sir. ! ain Tired and hungry, cau I
slvp with you to-nishl2"
Light, stranger. light. Michael An"
dersOn neyer shuts his door W man or
beast"
Having carefully housed and fed my
horse, l sooh sat down 10 subslan iarsup.
per of fried chickens and stewed venison.
corn.cake. peach cobbIer, milk. butter and
honey, served with a welcome and sbuo.
lance peculiar 10 the pine woods. My
host was a shrewd man, we'll 10 do 10 The
world, pre!errIng Jones county 10 any place
this side OF Paradise, having lived there
twenty years without administering Q dose
Of medicine, and had never been crossed
but once during all that time. was cur
I"us to know what had disturbed The sereui.
ly OF such a lile as his.
Why. SIR" said he, II don't make \
practice Of talking about il. but being 40
you're q stranger, and Pve taken liking to
you. ] will narrate The Circumstance. May
be you've heard how the legislature chart
cred the Brandon bank, IL build railway
through The pine woods away duwn 10 the
In
banks-but roads sort OF suck our preiu.
d'ces. Before the bank could be set s,goIng
the law required 50 mues Of the co,a tn bs
planked up. The managers all lived about
Brandon. but the metal wa. mighty scarce.
and the folks about there didn't have II, Or
they wouldn't trust '+m.
They strung what lutte they had around
the babies necks, 10 cut their teeth with
We'll, il got wind that had some of Tho
genuine. aud the managers kept sending 10
me Tor II, of.rins ,U put me IN The board.
But ulwsys answered that my money was
safer IN the old woman's stvck,oy than in
the bank. | heard nothing more about i.
tor three months. when one night big.
likely looking man rude up. aud asked me
for a chunk .! fire.
esquire Anderson" said he. "my men
have camped a quarter Of mile down there
on the creek. We are surveying the rail.
way to Mississippi Guy. bu, have come 10
a dead halt, because our line runs chuck
Up against your cleara., and shall have 10
make bend 10 get round 10 the Court
House.
"The big man said this with so serious
an air. and sremed 80 mystIhsd al having
10 crovk his line around my field. that his
words went right through tn. invited
him in. We talked il over aud emp,ied q
bolle Of liquor on the strength Of it. Next
morning we vent down 10 the camp. He
,ook his compass and run his line right
spang up az iinst my smoke house, which |
had just finIshrd after six months labor.
"Wel'," says he, "this is Lnlucky. The
r9ad will cOine right through your new
smoke house; what's TO be done2"
you shall scp." said ]; "so calling my
boys | ordered them to tear Il down.
Stranger. there lay the logs, the p'eliitst
imber within fifty miles. all hewed by my
,wn hands. have never had the heart to
,ut them up sgrin. Well, the big man ne
,er changed coun.enaoce. lie ran on with
us line, and the next dsy he came back on
iIS oTouuOu "~S
ID with the notion Of the f,lroad, and .
topping place rig bit before my door. en-
cred SIX hundred and forty acres Of land.
Ny neishbors sad we'd &c, the State
House here. The big man smiled and nod
led; he pointed out where the cars would
top, and where the Governor would like
o hsve a summer eeat--snd when he went
he cs,ried away three thousand dollars for
he, all in Two Bit pieces end pieayunes."
"WelI Squire" said, /, Il suppose you
,oi the value Of i,2'
"S,ranger." solemnly replied the Squire.
I never sa~ the big man afterwards; I
esrd no more OF The road. Here's my
mok. house logs. My old womsn'e GOT
he empty stockings. Here's what they
en-, me e ceul6raie on the Brandon Bank
iock, Tor the money, and il you've 20, q
IN do lar mint drop IN your purse. l'm
es1y for q swap"
TERRIBLE TaAoEDf.-A man named
Miller was stabbed recently 10 Gilmsr. Up