The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-02-03

: of the great wages Civ to gardeners
in the States, him and her had made il
up together for to club together all the
cash they could muster atwiXt 'em, and
for him to go over and keep a-sendin
her money till sich time as she could
come out and jine him and git spliced
for full due.
"Well, sir, this little gal, she were
the darter of that family, and had been
under the charge of this young woman
for nigh onto all her life, and this here
young boy, he belonged to a neighbor,
and what does these two do but to think
they were in love, and this here boy,
bless his old-fashioned soul, gifts up TO
runnin' away with his gal for to git
spliced, and she said as how she'd 90 if
so be as Nancy would 90 with her, and
fthis young woman, seein' here chance
for to 90 to her own sweetheart, con-
sented for to go along with these little
'uns. Il never stopped to think, Tom, ,
says she, how wrong it were; Masther
Edward had f10, which he had got
somehow, and this, with the bit of money
Tim had siHt over, was enough, !
thought; and I'd take good care Of the
childer, and they couldn't be marryin',
and thin such bits, and when | got to
the beyant, sure I'd keep 'em till the
maSther sint for 'em. | see now, Tom,'
says she, how bad it were, and, oh,
what'll do, at all, at all?'
"Well, sir, this were iist one ratline
higher than | could git, and what to tell
the gal | didn't know. The young chap
] ha 4 20 IA / 81
and if the ship be TO have laid forty
eight hours in the river, as they had TO
do afterwards, they could have been
took afore she sailed; but, you see, they
come to Liverpool over night, and come
aboard in the moTnin', and we went out
of dock and down channel, and here
they was nigh onto 1900 miles from
/ home.
al thought | should ADJUST myself
with laughin' when this here Nancy
telled me how this here young chap
wanted to 90 right off afore a parson
and Git spliced out of hand; but you see
that wouldn't have suited her book, not
at no price, and so she managed to put
him off and git him aboard And it's
wonderful, Tom,' says she agin, to see
them two, as has always been used.to
the best of every thin, livin' down in
that hole, meanin' the steerage, 'and
satin' the cOmmoneSt of victuals and
never once complainin', believin' that |
they are goin' for to be married as soon |
as ever they gifts over
"'Well, my lass, says l, arter reck- |
onin' it up for a while, this here is too |
heavy for my tackles; but I'll tell you |
what well do; We'll put it to old Davy, |
and if there's man aboard of this ship |
that's fit to advise you, in my opinion,
old Davy is the man.
"This here old Davy, sir, were nigh F..
hand onto seventy years old, and had .
been to sea over fifty years, so you may
Judge how much he must have know'd.
"Well, we put it to old Davy. Tom,
says he, IF it were to put two eends of
a rope together, if it were to send
spar up and down, or even if it were to
strip a ship TO Il girtline, / wouldn't
turn my back to no man; but in this
here business I'm off soundin'S alto
gether. But my advice to the young
people is that they might jist as well
wait five or six years; 'twont do 'em
bit of good for to make a splice of it
list now, cause you see they're too
young, accordin' to my opinion, as has
been to sea, man and boy, for nigh
hand onto tifty-tive years; and that's
my opinion. But this here is a case
two or three ratlines above me, and
my advice to the young woman is for to
90 to the old man, as he has got more
sense for a thing of this kind, and is
also a Sailor-man.'
Well, sir, the gal took old Davy's
advice, and as she mentioned the name
of the folks that these here kids belong
ed to, the old man know'd 'em right
away, cause he were acquainted in
Yorkshire, and they was took into the
cabin from that time out, and very
comical they used for to look, prone
nadin' up and down the poop-deck arm
in arm, fully believin' as they were
goin' for to get spliced right OF, as soon
as ever the ship arrived.
"You see, the cabin passengers hui
mored 'em and made believe to treat it
seriously, and that fooled the Young
sters altogether. Arter we got in, the
old man took this couple up with him
TO the Astor House, where he boarded,
and Nancy went off for to find her
Tim Whether she ever found him, or
whatever become of these children, of
course | do not know, but | suppoSes
that the next packet brung some one
over to look ont for 'em 'Twould be a
funny thing, sir, if them two children
did finally grow up and pitch on to one
another for good; but the odds is agin
it ten to one; don't you think sop
World.