The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-12-03

GROWERS that wants it all ms own Ways
and can't humOr pard's curiosity;
That's not me. can give and take, ana
allus do-on trip like tins"
Hereup0n William proceeded 10 tell me,
as we rode along. of the various prospect
i've trims he had been on in the sage-brush;
interiecting his narrative with estimates OF
human character worked up from quiet
observation of men in what he called
sclose. hard games, and "tight places"
from which man had to fall back upon
his sore i'm reserve" and just "dig OUT or
die all ofwhich he concluded with this
bit OF wisdom. Said he:
" A man may live in civilized country,
and be as fiowery, and mossy, and sweet
to look at and be with as butter-cup dell
on a seashore mountain, while all his life
long he's slippin' on the bedrock; but you
bring that man in this dry country, where
all the posies die and the leaves burn up,
he is soon stripped so that, if he amt got
the clean grit IN him, you can pan him
down till he peters on the bed rock IN
week."
swell, William. my boy, you've got the
advantage of me, think. You have had
experience i'm panning-both mines and
men-whiIe never vet handled pam"
.sTbat's it. is it?'' said Bill, chuckling.
~ was talking hyperbOwl-but you'll see.
Eff YOU don't have higher or lower opin-
ton of me. af1t'Nss Of you, when this Trip 5
over. then don't know the road TO break
fast. Frills'll do at a social and make-np
faces will pass in church but out in these
mountains YOU come right down TO
mammy's boy, good or bad. What you
are, you are, and you amt no more, nor
can't be.n M
William Wilson's conversation is not
very interesting without Williams man-
ner, especially without his peculiar lntona-
! ton; which latter. though making no dis
agreeably perceptible suggestion oil malt
| ing. still has that interrogatlve-respo
| eiaculatory style, not exactly Emerson
/ ian. vet bearing such likeness thereto as
| to require a similar habit of elOcutiOn in
reducing it to reading. For instance, like
MANY Pacific-slopers. he had at least six
WAYS of saving ''yes''-three ways of as
| senting with the word. two of doubt, and
one which is neither assent nor doubt. In
| this last ''yes," there is assent, dissent,
| doubt, admiration and wonder.
| said to Bill, after we had ridden some
time in silence, broken only by the ring
| ing Jingle of the great Spanish spurs on our
| heels, as they tangled among the tops OF
the brush. or by the voice Of Bill, urging
Sancho, the pack-mule:
. Bill, think it's our luck to find stav-
ing mine on this trip"
Bill looked at me from under his hat
rim. as he swung rapidly round in "A circle
the knotted end of his picket rope and
said, "Y-y-e-e-us."
aWhat do you mean by that kind of a
yes?''
Well, l meant mean"-looking
straight over his horses ears, past the
coils of the flying rope-''git a-e-up,
Sanch II mean, as near as can make out,
| SORT q, YES. sort o. no, and mebbe sO-Gm
willin'."
Il don't like that kihd of a yes, Bill. 1t
| hasn't much faith in it."
Then Bill said, ''No-o-uh," with pecu-
! liar cooling, rising infection.
:" Your no is as queer as your yes:
Then Bill said ''Y Y-y-e-e-us - and laugh
ed at the sound of his own words.
"Do you think you used your words
! that way before you came TO California
II dun know. Don't reckon / did,
though. | think that kind of use in the
words comes from a feller talkin' when he
is busy. If I'm in a Drift, piekin' and gad-
din. and lookin' outfor roeks~oyerhead,
and YOU are wheelin' out, and you tell me
i something that ! don't know about, one
way or t'other, can't agree IN full, nor yet
! 90 DdCk OH ll,-tllu stll ~ liuSii '''h.O ~
talk. anyway. | throw all the answer into
one word"
ssThat's a new style of elodutiOn, Bill" ."
"Don't know, never elOcuted any my
self: but it fills the bill as well as sermon
could"
There is not a great deal to startle the
gaze of rider through the sage-brush,
where the gray of one valley has its reflex
i'm each other valley, and the ranges OF
mountains have, at first view, about the
i sameness offurrows in anew-plowed field.
But. in the utter absence of bright green
pastures, and the myriad seamy palms OF
ieafv woods. with the CLINT and glitter OF
gliding waters pooling underneath, there
is wonderful play and delicate blend,
inc of subdued colOrs, along with grand
and varied lining-Out of mountain tops
against the blue-white canvas OF the SKY
while every change in the atmosphere al
ters this shading and blending, in degrees
so slight as to be scarcely percelvaDle TO {
strangers eve, and yet 10 be felt, ever
when not taken into exact account. OVel
these gray valleys and sober-hued noun
tains travel the images of the floating
clouds, painted by the sun-a moving
, panorama, with nature shifting the weirC
lights: and the naked geology of TIT
country modestly changes color under th'
inouiring glances of the sun.
| said: william, my boy, do you Sc,
t any thing pretty or sublime in the sur
| rounding cOuntryg"
"Scenery!' exclaimed Bill, suddenl.
refining up his horse and looking around
Which There?"
"Whv." said /. waving my unoccupiet
, hand in a lofty manner, ''thiS grant, quie
, chapter in the wide open history OF IN
! universe, where the great Central lntelli
I gence has written in lines indelible-nC
; subject to prOOf-imprint, or printers re
wise, error or erTata-the pre-hlstorl
? Sermon on the Mount"
: "Ehr calculated Bill. ''Ef you com
) that again, you'll make my eye bnng on
/ like a butterfy's. You skeer me-"
| ssWell, William, will desist; but ther
! is, nevertheless, lofty repose, grand re
serve of tone. in these silent surrounding
which seem to hold the chirrup and clat
{ ter of more busy, busting LANDS in tn
: strong quiet of true aristocratic scOrn."
t al don't know what you're a drivin' q
any morn a bump on log. Mebbe yo
r are a-playin' Off on the scenery people
f those high-toned uns who 90 into fits owe
o a bunch of green rock moss with dew
: drop in the middle of it; which L hear
6 one woman. WlUu lOuS DOly MllluS uduu'
o and gold spectacles, once on the Sierr;
, call il the king of dimenta, with the en-
a erald in his dream Is that what your
o goin' for?''
e "No, William. truly admire what W
o behold around u.s." -, rE
"You do? Well, | don't. I'd as 500
t look at Quaker meetin' when their splr
e was off on particular business. Scenery
). something that | don't saver. L alwa!
thought it meant something green a-stan
u in' out of doors in the worst place ii cou
: get to. But here we are at the spring. al
e we may as well put up for the night
And Bill diSmounted.
2? Putting up for the night on prospeC
ing trip; may be rendered lying out I.
1T the night; but there is pure-aired SAT-
faction in bustling about the impromp
location, with the ever-prescnt thought
h "What next?'' that drives away alb weal
ID ness, TO be replaced by a zesty keenness
Il appetite as the prelude TO simple suppe
in a solacing pipe, and sound slumber.
at After we had done all that a sage-bru!
lie camp requires, in the way of unpackin
is unsaddling, hobbling, picketing, makiI