The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-04-01

coonl' Down went the toothpicks, and
the Chimes picked 'en up. Then Sam
] goes on - Now. Just make tracks out o.
Z this, and don't come back no more. or
/ you'll get yer sarce hotter'n you like Me
/ and my pardner's took this hyar location,
and II have fifty more men ont in a
i.weel;s time; so you'd best leave y
"This tOas rather tall talk, | swar for,
I to save his life, Sam couldn'tha' put man
on the ground barrin' them that war thar
already and one o. them war dead, and
another putty nigh it. But the boys swal-
Tered every word ont, and war only too
glad to git away, carryin' their killed and
wounded long with 'em. And when the
fun war e.. oser. an cid wizeHed heather,
with a pig-tail ike tOw-rope, who SEEM
ed to be the boss of the gang, got up and
tkanked Sam and me in the very tallest
kind o. speech, and vowed that we were
the greatest fighters in the world, swift as
the wind, and terrible as the lightning
Just like a 4th-o'-July o-ratiOn; and be
said, if ever he and his people could do
any thing for us, done it should be, and no
mistake. | only larfed at all his parly-
vooin', thinkin' that all he could do for us
wouldn't fill the bag much; but | warn't
quite right thar neither, as you'll see pres
emily.
"And now. for a bit, every thing went
fust-chop. We parceled out the yaller-
skins into gangs, and put one of our boys
over each as Overseer; and | tell ye, we
did get right-smart chance o. work outer
I 'em, you bet! They warn't our match for
strength. o. course. as how could they be,
fed on scraps and shavings as most all on
'em air? but can tell We they keep it up a
good long spell when they are at il, and il
cost next to nOthin' for their keep. Why
that Frisco railway track of Ourn war most
all done by Chinee gangs, and that war
how we done it so cheap. Many a time
did Sam Jeffcot and J., arter we'd got
through with our own work (for we
worked like wood-choppers our own
selves, let alone overlookin' the rest), come
along and stand over the yaller-faces as
they worked, and we'd como out with a
bit of song that Sam had brought with
him from Sacramento (they tell me now
it's in book that's a-runnin' all over the
States):
Then Hooked up at Nye,
And he gazed upon me,
And he rose with sigh,
And he said Can this be?
We are ruined by Chinese cheap labor"
And he went for that heather Chinee.'
- The work they had jist suited our
Chinees. We took the pickin', an shovel
in. and breakin' o. stones, and sich-fOI
they hadn't pith enough for thet; but the
pan-washin' war the very thing for 'em
and they stuck at it from mOrnin' till
night, spooniu' and shakin' and dribblin
away. And | can tell We, they fotched up
a right smart lot o. the stuff, jist at fust
for this war one o. them spots whar it all
lies on the sufiace, and you've nothin' to
do but jist toskim it like cream. As to
the Skunk's Misery boys, they never
troubled us no more, arter the whippin'
we Civ 'em; and so, for goodish bit, we
felt as good as a hungry nigger over dish
o. hog and hominy.
80, as | said, we went on for a spell,
slimming it Ike cream, but the wust O.
that is, that if ye skim long enough, the
creams bound to peter ont. and leave yeI
nothin' but skim milk to go on with. And
lest so it war with us. One day our Chi
nees fotched up nary grain o. gold, and
shook nv head. The next day they
fetched up nary grain agin, and Sam he
shook his head. The third 'twar jest the
same story, and we both shook our heads.
So Sam calls up all the boys w'd been over
seein'. and says to 'em :.
- Boys, il feels to me as if this hyaI
| camp war putty nigh played out; ano
/ what | should 90 if | war by myself 'ud be
/ to pay Off them yaller-skins of our'n, and
! let 'em go whar they like, and then jest
pack up the dust, and make tracks for g
new location. That's how | feel. How
/ does it strike youH
Wal, the boys all said Il war Jest their
idee, and that they froZe to their cap'n, LEI
/ him 90 whar he would: and the sooner
/ we made tracks the better. So we mus
! tered out yaller-faces, and paid 'em OFF &c
7 the last cent; and then we found that theil
/ boss man, the old boy with the everlastin
pigtail, war nOwhar to be found
'"Thet's a pity says Sam, for he wa:
/ a wiliin' hand, though didn't quite swal
Z Ter all that tall talk o. his'n about dOin
Sich great things for us. However, he's
sure to iine the gang agiI,' somewhar, so
guess wen jest give them his money Il
take care on
Wal. off went the Chimes, the hull XII
on 'em; and we that stayed behind fell tC
chiperin' up our take, and sharin' it Ou
all round. Sam and | he'd Jest he'd oul
supper and our nip o. whisky, and wal
! talkin' over our pipes bout whar w,
/ should 90 next, when up gets sOmcthin
\ beside us like a ghost. / war jest a-goin
10 LET strip at it with my six-shOoter, wher
! Sam sings out
-. Hold hard, Jim-blest if 'tain't ole
Longtail kim back agin.'
so il war. sure 'nuff: and we war glaC
1 TO see him. for il looked well his freeZin
/ 10 us this way, stead of skedaddlin' will
! the rest. SO, afore we'd let him open hi:
head to say word. we Civ him gOoC
blowout with what warleft o the supper
and then we began iawin' at him for mis-
sin pay day; and Sam war jest a-tellin
him that be shouldn't lost by ii, for we'C
make it up to him somehow-when the
old boy holds up his hand and stops hin
short.
s'No talkee about that, master-tha
[ little pidgeOn (business); no matter make
] You no sabbee where me come from
] What you thinkee this, eh?'
/" He held out something in his lOns
! yellow claw that sparkled in the tireligh
fit to put your eyes out. Sam looked a
it-gi'n kind o. half whoop, chokin' i
4 down as it came out-and then pulled ;
! nugget outer his pouch, and held il clos
to the thing the Chinee had handed him
"'Wal. your child whips mine all Il
fits, says he. thar amt no denyin' it; so
if you've got any more o them curio's il
the shop, trot 'em out, and I'll make bi,
for the hull lot
''The old Chinee only grinned till h
showed all his black teeth at once, an,
brought out couple more as good as tn
first. Sam looked at 'em both alongside G
his'n. and then slapped his hand on hi
thigh, and larfed loud enough to shake tn
leaves off the trees. -..-.- ..-..-. .---
-S..Wal.' said he, If this don't whip crea
= ton. I'm Dutchman! won't play n
more, old feller-l'm fairly euchred thi
turn. Wash yer mouth out with a nip {
the Old Rye, and tell US whar you &c
them cards, and what you'll take for tn
hull pack y
1.-The old fellow grinned again, like
fox-trap, and then began TO tell us, in hi
queer jargon. all about il. He said he
gone down agin TO Jeffcot's Pan jest {
! look around and see if thar war any sig
of more gold to be got out on't-when, a
he was a-loafn' along little stream tbs
fell inter the main river Jest at thet PIN
his knife slips outer his belt and tumble
/ inter the water. Wal. he marked wbar
. fell, and began scoopin' away with his pa
, TO try and fish it up again when, 10 an
behold the very fust scoop fotched u
tiEst air fust nugget as he showed US an
IL -.-1e-