The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-03-07

Starbottle, which would give Bung.
starter the choice of weapons, and de.
priye Starbottle of his advantage as a
dead shot. 1t was whispered also, that
Z the sagacious Starbottle, aware of this
fact, would retaliate in kind, so outra-
/ geously as to leave Bungstarter no re-
I course but to demand satisfaction on the
/ spot. As Col. Starbottle rose, the eager
crowd drew together, elbowing each
other in rapt and extatic expectancy.
A" lie can't get even. on Bungstarter,
onless he allows his sister ran off with a
niger, or that he put up his grand
mother at draw-poker and lost her, -
whispered the Quartz Cru3her; "kin
hep" All ears were alert, particularly
the very long and hairy ones Just rising
above the railing of the speakers plat
form; for jimmy, having a feminine dis
trust OF solitude and a fondness for show,
had followed her master to the meeting
and had insinuated herself upon the plat
form, where way was made for her with
that frontier courtesy always extended
to her age and sex.
Col. Starbottle, stertorous and pur-
pie, ADVANCED to the railing. There ne
unbuttoned his collar and laid his neck
cloth aside; then with his eyes fixed on
his antagonist he drew off his blue frock-
coat, and thrusting one hand
into his ruffled shirt front,
and raising the other to the dark
canopy above him, he opened his vim
dictive lips. The action, the attitude,
were Starbottle's. But the voice was
not. For at that supreme moment, a
bray-so profound, so appalling, so ut
terly soul-subduing, so paralyzing, that
every thing else sank to mere insignifi-
canoe beside TITLED woods, and sky,
and air. For moment only the multi
tude gasped in speeches. establishment
it was a moment only-and then the
welkin rOared with their shouts. In
vain silence was commanded, in vain
Col. Starbottle, with CHASTITY smile, re-
marked That he recognized in the inter-
ruption the voice and the intellect of the
the laugh continued, the
more as it was discovered that jimmy
had not yet finished, and was still re-
curing to her original theme. d" Gentle
men," gasped Starbottle, " any attempt
by (Hee-hawl from jimmy brutal bHf-
foonery to restrict the right of free
speech to all Ga prolonged assent from
Jinny) is worthy only the dastardly-n
but here a diminuendo so long drawn as
10 appear a striking imitation of the
Colonel's own apoplectic sentences
drowned his voice with shrieks of !
laughter.
1t must not be supposed that during
his performance a vigorous attempt |
was not made to GUST jimmy from the |
platform. But all in vain. Equally |
iemoralizing in either extremity, jimmy |
speedily cleared a circle with her flying
loofs, smashed the speakers table and
vater-pitcher, sent the railing flying in
fragments over the cheering crowd, and |
only sUccumbed to two blankets, in
which, with her head concealed, she
vas finally dragged, half captive, half
victor, from the field. Even then a
nuflled and supplemental bray that
came from the woods at intervals drew
lalf the crowd away and reduced the
,ther half to mere perfunctory hearers.
The demOralized meeting was adjourn
ID; Col. Starbottle's whitening reply
unuttered, and the Bunstart-
T party were triumphant.
For the rest of the evening jimmy was
he heroine of the hour, but no caiolery
Tor fiattery could induce her to again
Exhibit her powers In vain did Dean
# Angels eXtemporizea short harangue
n the hope that jimmy would be tempt
d to reply; in vain was every provoca-
To-, ,c3,a,.oJ tbo+ ,,,ipb+ ,tinor ba,. cons; /
i've nature to eloquent revolt. She re
lied only with her heels. Whether or
lot this was simple caprice, or whether
be was satisfied with her maiden effort,
T indignant at her subsequent treat
nent, she remained silent. "She
made her little game" said Dan,
Who was a political adherent of
and who yet from that
lay enjoyed the great speakers indy
no hatred, "and even if me and her
ont agree on politics-y0u let her
lone" Alas, it would have been well
or Dan if he could have been true to his
but the offer of one hundred
Iollars from the Bungstarter party
proved too tempting. She passed irrev.
,cably from his hands into those of the
nemy. But any reader of these lines
will, | trust, rejoice to hear that this at
empt to restrain free political express
on in the Foot Hills failed signally.
'Or. although she was again covertly
on the platform by the Bung-
tarterS, and placed face to face with
Jol. Starbottle at Murphy's Camp, she
vas dumb. Even.a brass band failed to
xcite her emulation. Either she had
become disguised with politics or the
higher prices paid by the party to other
md less effective speakers aroused her
ealousy and shocked her self-esteem,
tut she remained a passive spectator
When the Hon. CarOluS Smirch, who
eceived, for the use of his political per-
on for a single night, double the sum for
which she was purchased outright, APP
reared on the same platform with her
elf, she forsook it hurriedly and took
0 the woods. Here she might have
tarved but for the Intervention of one
IcCarty, poor market gardener, who
ound her, and gave her food and shell
er under the implied contract that she
hould forsake politics and go to work.
The latter she for long time resisted,
Dut as she was considered large enough
" this time to draw a cart, McCarty
,roke her to single harness, with Sc
ere fracture of his leg ard the loss of
our teeth and a small spring wagon. At
ength, when she could betrusted to carry
lis wares to Murphy's Camp, and could
,e checked from entering shop with
he cart attached to her-a fact of which
he always affected perfect disbelief
her education was considered as CON-