The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-12-03
HOW BILL WAS MISTAKEN.

HOW BILL WAS MISTAKEN.
s'Two crazy mem live up there. Go on,
Sanchl Where'r gOin - said my "pros=
pecting pard the first words to me. the
remainder TO the pack -mule-as we jour
neyed, skirtins along the base of range
ofrough, rocky peaks, which peaks, like
ourselves. were, and still are, in that vast
area of sage brush called Nevada.
''TwO crazy men!" repeated l, and
added. "Where?'
"Why, up thereto the right hand, at
the end of that sort of a road we jist cross
ed-where the mule wanted TO turn of,
YOU know" and turning in his saddle, he
pointed. 'You see that high, dark-looking
peak, with the round, white spot of snow
on the north face, near the top; it's the
biggest peak of the lot, and kinder behind
the rest. DO you see it:'
Il think | do said /, shading my eyes
with a heavy buckskin glove. There is
something like squad of white pine trees
Just below the snow spot"
''Yes, that's it. The white pines are a
little below, and little to the right of the
snow"
nodded my head.
''Sanch, Go on. Git. Just below them
pines lives the two craZiest men in this
State"
''Why craZv-what have they done?"
"DOne? Why, they amt done nuthin'
but work uD there winter and summer,
on little bit of razor-blade silver lead
that isn't worth hill o. beans. Been a
worlxin' there fist that way for three or
four years-sinkin' and sinkin', and drift
in on nothin.
Glow do they live?"
"Oh. the little streak is rich enough,
what there is of it. They jist dig and dig,
and blast and gag-bustin' fellows to
work, you bet.-and they save every
ounce of it. Then you jist have to laugh
TO see 'cm. They've got sort of Spanish
raster. and and Old blue, mouse-colored,
biz mule, with a club foot, and rope har-
ness; and with such fixins they grind out
bullion enough to keep soul and body to-
gethrr. The raster is right alongside the
shaft of the mine, jist aside the dump, and
one of the fellerS works on the dump and
hiSts it out, while the other feller and an
Iniun works below. The chap on the
dump hists out, sorts ore, and SHES piece
of waste rock at old muley, now and then,
TO wake him up. That old mule his club
foot is mighty pigeon toed, and they work
him with that foot on the inside OF the
track, so he fist don't walk, but sort o
leans round and round all day-that old
mule has been kept goin' one way on cir
cular work so long that when he's turned
out to feed they never miss his tracks,
cause he always graZes in circles"
''Who are these craZy men?'
"Two brothers, they say; name of Rock
shaw"
s'Where are they frOm-what race
Dutch, Irish. French or English ?'
''More'n | know. Never heard any
body say they pI etended to know much
about 'em Ones older'n t'Other; he never
talks: Jest works ahead, with Yes, sir.
NO. sir Can't say, sir Perhaps so
sir and sich like: mighty short, but kline
o. perlite and guiet. The other One-th'
young One-is always smilin'; and hi
ewes are always as blue as the sky II
spr.ng time: little eyes away into his head
and nearly kivered up with long, sandy
eyebrows, like a hairy rat terrier dogs
and they twinkle like specks of ice among
dry grass on sunshiny winter morning
And that youngfeller, he never says moth
ins to speak of, mOre'n the old one; bu
he'll look at you like two bran new GIN
lets, while you're talkin'; and he'll stand
all nervy like, with smiles twitchin' rOunt
his mouth, a-waitin' for something L
laugh at.''
Il don't see anything out Of the way il
what you tell me about these men,"
''You don't? Well, you haven't seel
'em vet Why, told that young one tha
old story about the broken winder. and
thought first he'd bust, and then wea
himself out a-laughm.'
Il don't remember any story about
broken window. What was it,"
Don't you know about the man VIII
was ridin' along the road, passin' a 10;
cabin, where was a siX-pane winder-sasl
with all the glass broken out, and the oil
woman and four children lOOkin' out G
the five frames in the sash. and the maj
said 10 the old woman. How de do. ma am
Have YOU had funeral in yOur tamll.
latelyg NO. sir. Why do yOu aX?' say
the old woman; and then the man said, :
see one Sash-ffame's got ne head in it, AM
| thought 'tother head might be dead
But that man was on a good horse an
saved his skelp."
''To laugh at that sort of story is nc
coed evidence of insanity said 1 to m
''pard,n rs we spurred off into shoI
lope.
/ make note here of a fact, namely, afte
a Joke on horseback, an acceleration
gait follows. | do not, however, wish
infer that the animals enter into the Ell
iovment. In riding the sage, the horse
are compelled by the punches of brush {
which interferes with any pace beyond
iog-trot: so that we were soon forced {
give up our gayety Of motion and resum
the slower progress. which seemed also
call for a resumption of conversation. -7
From what you tell me. Bill, abOT
those queer fellows, | feel inclined 10 rid
back and see the men and the min,
What do you say?n
Not bit of use. They won't let yo
dswn into the mine-ashamed of it, | reel
on-and you won't think of stayin' thel
all night"
"Why can't we stay there all night
We've got our ewn grub and bed."
40, well, you could stay up there, br
you wouldn't"
81 don't see whyE' -
"You don't want to be ct up Wi
m'skeeters, if YOU sleep oIt of doors, al
YOU can't sleep in them feller's cabir
there amt room. They live in q hole
the hillside. and the hole is so small tn
one of 'em has TO 60 TO bed or go out VIII
t'other one puts on his coat or pulls on |
boots. I've been up there. Them lit
popplewood groves is fuller of m'skeete
than Mississippi swamp bottom; and
July a Nevada mountain IN 'skeeter is DIR
full savage, cuts like a lancet, and sue
like a leech."
"Well, well, William, If you've be-
there, of course I'll not insist; but If '
live to come back this way, I'll ride
and see the boys
IAN right; rm on it if you are in air
est about wantin' to go now," said Bi
riding forward to turn the pack mule.
No, no, never mind. Come bac
Bill. Let the mule go ahead as he is
said 7. $50 So p y
"WeI,n said Bill. dronnino into II
again, list as you like. I'm none of yo