The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-01-20

in branches o. the dead-wood. This
branch he'd two tines to it, partin' like
pair % tailor's sheers Just a leetle
ways open. The puff o. wind he'd
drawn me up atween the two prongs,
most splittin' them apart. There | he'd
bekim wedged. When rekivered my
senses Iseed how things stud l war
grupped by the twin branches right
roun' the ribs Jest below the armpits,
an out o. that fix / soon found there
warn't no gettin'. The crotch KEEP me
as tight as if I'd been in a vice; an
squirm as w'u'd 'twar plainly onpos-
sible to get clear o. it. So | didn't try
arter the fust wriggle or two, for seed
it w'u'd be a right dangerous bizness.
The limb waTn't over thick, an as the
sap war gone eloutO' it'd seed. thar wur a
Feasibility Oiits snappina night off an
precipitatin' me to the groun', not less'n
thirty feet below. Whenever l made a
move it wabbled about more than feel
ed comfortable, so | made up my mind
to keep still. i he'd to do that, for thur
was no other way. - ia W. ~
rival, BOYS, ] needn't tell We, it war
any thin but comfortable fix to be in.
To say nothin' o. the unpleasant posi-
ton, wi my legs danglin' down, an the
hard dead-wCod branches squeeZin'
40 I'm my ribs, he'd the thort to trouble
me Uhet mOut niver git relieved out o.
the predicament. The ole 'oman mout
Ia been in the track o. the herrikin, on
her way back from the cross-roads-fOr
it he'd kim that way-an' if SO, she an
the hOss an the grocery-fXin's, whar
w'u'd they be now? That wur what
troubled an perplexed me. If she
didn't come back, who w'u'd? The
cl'arin' war out o. the way o. all traffic.
It mout be weeks afore any one 'u'd be
strayin' in that direekshun. -.. q
"Take my word fort, boys, war in
ugly fix, an as the hours passed |
feeled skeerier and skeerier. had jest
begun 70 gle up hope, thinkin' l must
stay up thar till breathed my last, an
then stay like 'possum thet's been
shot an still clings vii his tail to a
branch. L may say I'd gin up hope,
when hearn screech thet made the
blood run fresh and sweet through
every vein o. my body. 1t war the ole
'onidn's voice. Hooked down an seed
her seated on the hoss, at the spot whar
ourshanty had stud. She'd Jest arrove,
arter a good bit o. trouble in maxim her
way through the fallen trees. In a.
minnit more, she'd slid out o. the sad
die, an war STAMINA unnerneath me.
oval, boys, ye may think it war all
over, bat it want. Ny ole 'Oman war
thar down on the groun' an up in the
tree Thar war we, man an wife, not
more'n thirty feet apart. FIR all that,
we war as well separated as if Indiana
he'd passed sentence
atween up. She ked do no more torst
gittin' me down thun [ meself; so thar
war I in the grup of thet fork jest as
tight as iveri -...--.. 49,.
+" An thar he'd to stay till she re-
mounted the ole hoss an rode back to
the crossroads store, whur a wheen o.
felluFs war. soon gathered and kim on
VII ropes an ladder. fs.ELT7rT 4
"They got me down at last; but
but 'twar all a month afore my ribs
feeled right arter the ugly squeezin'
they'd experienced atWeen the two
prongs o'the dead-wood. .tf.- s'..'
% So, boys, We kin be thankful to y'ur
stars that they niver put We onto
the track o. a herrikin-when it war
ragin'."