The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-02-18

go, you mean, by the beard of Ba-
laamr Well that Is my only oath-my
only slDear. It's the family oath; my
father before me used 10 swear it, and no
o,her. In this follow his example,"
"What became of the poor emigrant
familyr' | asked. s. Where cid they
finally bring up? Did you get them over
the mountains all right ?"
Ibid get them over the mountains. all
right! Well rather think L did! and Eve
got 'em right till now!"
still now? Then you know where
they are and how they are getting along?'
eyes; | may say do. Did you notice
that oldest girl?-looked a bit tanned aud
dusty and used up out there, but when she
got rested and fixed up, and her mother
and the child got well, she was little the
brightest, liveliest and best-loOkin' girl l
ever saw anywhere. tell you, gotdead
in love with that girl before we'd got half
way over the mountains-just with her
talk and patient ways. Then when | at
terwards saw her fixed, up bet yer life |
wasn't going to lose hef!"
"Well," he continued, as was about
to tell YOU: | took the whole lor right
down to my ranch, and having big barn
OF a house on it that used to be a sort of q
tavern, set 'em up and told 'em to go to
livin'.
'They did as told 'em, and went to
courtin' Molly in dead earnest-almost
negiecting business 10 do it.
ITO make a long story short, in six
months we were married-bless the day
The trip to the church with her was the
best | ever made-save one, perhaps But,
it seems like an old story now. Why,
bless you ! we've two bouncin' boys and a
little girl by this time!"
'tAnd ThomasT' | asked. "How does
Thomas make it 20
"Thomas? o, you mean Anderson
my father-in-law. Well, he'll never set
the world a-fire! He's good sort of an
old man, though. He's got little ranch
of his own, off part of mine. He's con-
tented as lamb-he is. He jist potters
and potters about, and is happy.
But grandmother Mumford-the old
lady, you know-well, it was just aston
ishin' the way she come out when she
struck California-her and that old horse
after they'd got settled on the ranch
Why, that old critter--the old woman, /
mean-she jist got as spry as quail. |
often used to tell her-when | see her
chasin' the young turkeys Grandmother
Mumford, you'll be a-kiekin' up your
heels next, like old Barney, out in the
pastur l'n
"Does she ever come the Oh Num-
ford Oh! Mumford = dodge nowadays ?''
HHa ha hal" roared John Hender-
son. "HOw do you know about that
Oh, recollect now she did some of it
out there in the desert. Yes; she brings
Mumford up occasionally, when father
Anderson don't fly about fast enough to
suit her-wnen she's put out with him,
you know. Then she sits down and
humps herself, like, or comes over to my
house and stays month at time. o!
forgot to tell you-she is rich now! Some
of her big relations back in Kentucky
the Mumfords and Sylvesters, and among
'em-died and left her, or it fell to her
some way, clean $4,000 in coin !!
We've named two of the children after
her-I mean the girl after her and the boy
after MumfOrd, the one out on Green Riv-
er. His name, it seems, was lsaac-not
name | would have selected, but-well, as
far as that goes, she has fixed it all right
for Molly. | mean that the old lady has
in her will, you know. But this is too
much like talkin' business at, funeral,
and Pm rich enough already-almOst."
A stout, handsome young man about
II years of age now approached, and was
introduced by Henderson as 6 Robert An
derson, my brOther-in-law. He's one Of
the boys you saw over in WashOe."
After some talk about the trouble on
the desert Mr.. Henderson told me that
:. Bob ~ was driving one of his teams.
Il have three wings nova red wing,
white wing and blue wing"
"Have you the same old Red Wing p -
| asked. .....t
YES" said Henderson but, like the
mans jack knife, so many new feathers
have been put in here and there at various
times that it is hard to say how much of
the original is left. feel a great liking
for the old craft, and | shall always con-
slider that one particular trip to Washoe
with the old Red Wing lucky cruise-it
brought me Molly"