Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-09-20
SHAMMY's BOYHOOD.



Lake George IN. " Cor. Philadelphia Baletin.l
While musing recently, among the
ruins Of Fort George, came across an
elderly man who had found shady seat
inside the ancient earthworks, and was
quietly smoking discolored clay pipe
The old man and his pipe had evidently
seen better days, though not many hotter
ones, as the mercury indicated. at least l0o
in the shade, and rs he sal and smoked In
sad medtatvc silence, | took seat a
short distance from his right hand ana
opened conversation with him. / re-
marked: "ThIs is a romantic region
about Lake George"
Il can't see that it's very rheumatic.
Nv rhumatiz amt nigh as bad when | arr
here as ii is in Troy
| continued: at seems too bad that
this old fort should go TO ruin in this way
Yes. but that's the way Of the world
nowadays Old forts gon' 10 ruin, old
fellers like me goin out Of date, and the
hull country goin TO thunder"
You seem sad to-day DO you live in
these parts"
"Wall, partly in these parts, but mostly
in other parts. The fact is, J don't live
much Of anywhere I'm stayin' around
with my children, I've got gal mar
ried and liyin' nigh Lake George, a boy
Twin in Rutland, VT, and two more in
Troy | was horned in the town OF New
Leb'non, Klumby County, \. Y, on the
llth day of March, 1914"
Then you must have known Samuel
] Tildeny'
90, Wis, | knowed Sammy well. I'm
Jest four days older'n Sammy, but he was
too old for me Onct i"
All, how did that happen?"
Wall, Sammy wuz sly chap, and
wuz allus gttin' us boys into scrapes, and
then leayin us to git out the best way we
could Sometimes he would contriye TO
git us liked for what he was guilty of his
self, but VIC never could prove nothin
agin' him.
- remember how neighbor Of Sam,
my's father had big patch of mush mil
yons one year. They wuz called nutmeg
mush milyons because they looked like a
nutmeg, hut wuz 'bom rs big as your
double fist, round as Il apple, and sweet
cr'n honey
one day, Uncle Ike, as we boys called
him, told us to come over into the gar
ding and help ourselves, and Nose and
Sammy Tildcn went with the rest on us.
AFTER we'd had all we could eat, and wuz
on our way hum Sammy suddenly spoke
up, and says he; Say, boys, them wuz
nice milyons they wouldn't be bad To take
every day Ys,' SAYS Nose, but then
the old man won't be apt to invite us TO
eat any more, fur he kin get ten cents
apiece for em of the visitors at Lcb'non
Springs, and he can't afford to gin EN- all
away to lis boys fur nothin'
That's So says Sammy, thoughtful
like. Then he whistlcd an old tune called
American Taxashun;' | reckon you've
heercd it, bcin' Il singer yourself. You
don't know me, but guess know James
G. Clark, ! hcerd you sing last night,
and We're goln' again tonight. Them
songs went clear down to my tees. My
Sal had to use her hankcher more'n once,
and when you sung the Trundle Bed, she
cried so II wuz wct,er'n sop
Wall, rs was sayint sammy whis-
tied that ole toon, and then nothin wuz
said about the mlyons till We came to a
shady place, and all on us Sot down to
play marbles After while Sammy
spoke up in "A lively sort of way, and says
he Say, boys, it would be durn mean if
anybody should go tonight and steal
Uncle lke's mush.milyons, but I'm afraid
they will, cause yOu see the patch Is ever
So fur from the house, and Uncle Ike
never keeps no dog, nuther.
50 That's SO, spoke up three or four of
the stcalinest little rips in the hull party,
all Ia onct
Then Sammy he sung
IN give a true relashuu,
Attend 10 what | say,
Consarnin' the IuTushUH
North America
Then he scythed. and says he; Say
boys, this playin marbles don't pay. We
can't make uothin' ut il. I've been think
in howt I'd like to 50 into the muSh
milyon bZui2. | think | can afford e
pay three cents apiece for milyons just
ibt than AZ jHclt ikt'S, and Ho question,
d,bsd Ii any OF you boys has any 20 sell
tonight bring EN- around to dad S barn
atore midnight, and your pay will b,
ready, It's cool then, and I'd rather d,
hilniz about lcycu al night than in The
heat OF the day
" That same night lot of lis boys went
Ia Uncle lkc's and boyrrtd about TIVE
bushels of mUSh mikous, and fetched
'rm 10 Iildcn's barn, and sold 'em Il
Sammy Tor three cents apiece, and Most
took 'em TO Lehnon Springs airly next
mornin', and got ten cents for every one
OF EN-. But Uncle Ike missed EN- atort
noon, and suSpcctin' they had gone to thu
Springs, hitched lp his old bob-tail roar
mare. and went to look EN- up--and, SURE
enough, there they We're, in a back wood
shed, all in heap, just rs Nose had lef
en- Uncle Ike knOw'd en- cause h,
had cut the first letter of his name ont
en-. and when he wux told where they
como from, he drove over to Tildeu'S, an,
says he, Good mornin', MIR. Tlden; Nv,
come ON rather unpleasant hilniZ.' Thel
he coughcd.
49, Take cheer, Uncle Ike, YOU seem
eNcitcd-Whats the matter, Hope my
hogs halnt been heavin' yer tatcrs--hop,