The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-04-19
Too GOOd-natured.

ny $ one day last summer. "Old man
Chirrup" came sauntering along, when
he observed that Gadfy's front gate was
wide open to the street. In fact, it was
set to its farthest backward limits by the
aid of piece of stick.
Now, Chirrup is one of those good
natured, benevolent souls, who are new
err at rest unless giving assistance to
something or somebody. Several of his
acquaintance say this is busybody med
ding, and that it would be very much
better if he would attend to his own
affairs and let those of other people
alone
On this special occasion the old gen.
tleman was bubbling all over, so to
speak, with consuming desire to rem
der his valuable assistance, and he eX-
claimed, "Ah!" fastening to replace
the gate into its rightful position; ''some
wicked boy has done this. What a
shame! Such mischievous boys ought
to be severely punished. There! it is all
right now, and mighty lucky thing l
happened along just when | did, or
neighbor Gadfy's cabbages and flowers,
like as not, would have been all tramped
to destruction by some stray cow or an
other. -
Just here Chirrup lifted his eyes
towards the house in anticipation of
grateful approval, when his ears were
assailed by a tremendous uproar COM
ing up from the rear, which seemed to
be a commingling of Infatuated yells and
frightened screams, added to the bang
and thud of sticks and flying missiles,
and the shrill snaps of a yelping cur.
Chirrup became so startled, he stood
with mouth agape vainly trying to col
lect his scattered senses, when he was
mortified by the sudden appearance of a
maddened COW, with head lowered and
tail brandished- up aloft, gallOping
through the shrubs and flowers directly
towards him. He had but just time to
spring aside, when the desperate animal
took short veer round and plunged
like resistless avalanche over q new
route into the mellowest garden-beds
back to the rear Chirrup had barely
time to gaze wildly down the yard and
calculate ''Bless my SOUL" ere there
sounded piercing shrek, in female
voice, followed by a second furious
plunge of the COW along the shrubs and
flowers, and out with crash through
the center panel of the new picket-fence!
ChiTup wrung his hands in fright
ened tremor, and gasped, " Dear, dear!''
at the moment Gadfy, literally purple
from over-exertion and the eXasperated
state of his feelings, tore into view. In
his hand he brandished broken clothes
prop which had been battered to pieces
in his Infatuated chase after the COW.
When his eye fell on Chirrup and the
closed gate, and in one swift glance he
had taken in the fearful wreck of his
new fence, he stood for brief second or
two fairly gasping at his throat in the
vain effort to unburden himself of the
pent up fury boiling within. Then he
screamed:
"Did you shut that gate7"
"Ye-yes!n Chirrup faltered. 81
thought
" You ttoughtm Gadfy yelled in a
voice of such concentrated rage and con-
tempt as no mere words can begin to do
justice to, and with a savage snap of his
teeth as if grinding the wretched Chirrup
to powder. "Doggon you! you ever
lasting idiot, couldn't you see the gate
was propped open on purpose? For
two pins I'd mash your meddling fools
head. Yahl You did 1t to keep the cOrS
oct? You laundering jackass! You
shut the cor IN Dye hear? You shut
the gate when l had that infernel critter
tearing up and down the yard, and I'd
set it wide open to get it out! Dern
your blamed busybody hide, all through
your meddling the garden is twice as
badly torn up, ten dollars worth of
front fence is smashed into eternal
smash, and Mrs. Gadfy hunted into the
chieken-coop i"-Puck.