The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1869-10-15
speaking for Both.

1 JOuu " CILu ouu Otl4 Otci ttuS boO
been friends since their earli st re-
membranee. The Worths sndeSter-
lings were neighbors, and when john
and Tom were in petticoats. their res
pect;ve mothers. whenever they Wis
tied each oiber, always took them
along. When in long clothes, they
occupied the sams cradIe-si.ting at
either end. and regarding each other
with that air of grave dignity pecul-
lar to babies, evidently pon6ering on
the curious things and strange people
20 which they lad been so recently
introduced.
When a little older they toddled
down the land hand in hard, pluck
iUg the great yellow dandelioDs, and
discou EsiQg in the m usical baby dia-
lect tEafsis said to be the lost Ian
guage of Eden. ard which. however
mysterious to our sin dulled ears.
seems to be perfectly Ineligible to
such.
There was only two weeks differ
enre in their ages. and they both ar
rived at the same time to the dignity
of jackets and trowsers-jackets with
bright. brass buttons, and trowsers
with that delight of every boys heart. :.
real pockets" into whose furthest
depth they thrust their hahds, and
strut about in all the pride Of incipi-
ent manhood.
On their first day at sohool-that
grand eroch in> child's life-they
both trudged together to the old brick
school house, sitting side by side on
the same rude bench. and coming
over their lessons out Of the same
primmar.
Together they pushed and fOUgdt
their way through their soboolboy
life, that miniature world. in which
the "big boys" have the best of it.
and the little ones nave to knock un-
der, and which is so like the larger
one outside, for which tits prepara-
tory,
1t became a matter of history to
them how Tom cried when John was
feruled. shaking his fist in his desk
at the teaches, in his impotent rage
and indignation and comforting the
culprit at recess by the biggest half
of his apple and still more
by the emphatic assertion "that
she was a cross, ugly old thing"
And how John pitched into" a
boy of twice his size-coming out Of
tie contest victorious, though with
torn jacket ard black eye-because
he knocked Toms hat off in the mud
They shared all their boyish joys
and treasures; the only strife seeming
to be which could give the most. and
take the least. Even their whippings
were had in common; for it was gem
orally observed that if John was IN
any mischief Tom was sure to have a
hand in it.
Thus they grew uP. shoulder to
shoulder, rude aud rough as boys
generally are, but always loving and
true to each other-grew to be tall,
stalwa,t men, with broad shoulders
and brave. generous hearts.
And their friendship grew too. Il
mi bit have been less demonstraliye
but it vas stronger and deeper. So
that it was often said in the neigh
bcrhood, that ''it was a pity one OF
them wasn't woman so that they
could marry.
But at last circumstance occur
red-common and simple enough,
but which generally proves too strong
for The strongest friendship which
has been the cause of so much strife
aud bitterness: yea, which has, in
its ultimate effects, overturned king
doms and deluged countries In blood
| that is, they both fell in love with