The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-10-23
A Kansas Episode.

Mr.. Thomas Hancock coming back
/ from his Eastern tour to his Kansas
home, at Grape Greek, was pleased to
find large crowd of his old friends and
neighbors awaiting him at the station.
As the train pulled up, the village band
burst into g The Wedding March, and
did it serious damage. The bass drum
mer thumped it badly for half minute
and tossed it to the saxhorn, who blew
it perpendicularly into the air, whence,
on its return, it was caught by the
trombone, which, after rolling it over
and over in a rough and tumble fight,
threw it straight at the head of the man
with the French horn, who twisted its
wretched neck and sent. it ''bum, -
"bum" against the hide-beater, who
originally started it. This was solace
and delight to the soul of Mr.. Han
cock and his face beamed with a smile
as warm and genial as the October sun.
As he reached the platform of the car,
three cheers were given for g Hancock
and lady, whereat Hancock looked
queer, especially when they crowded on
him, shaking hands and asking "Where
is she?' "Why don't you bring her
out?'' CANT ashamed of her, are you?"
He blushed and began protesting, when
suddenly beautiful woman seized his
arm, and chung with her pretty hand so
sweetly to him that he would have been
in Paradise if there hadn't been so many
looking on, Darling she whispered,
90 | thought l had lost you,' and Han
cock, utterly nonplussed, almost wished
she had. In the mean time, the crOlCd
began looking queer, and stopped cheer
ing and guffawed a little, all of which
made it very embarrassing for Mr..
Thomas Hancock. He was too gallant a
man to express his growing dislike of
the situation. In fact it is hardly truth
full to say he did dislike it. At the same
time he confessed to himself that he
always had prejudice, in case he ever
should be married, in favor of being
at least party to it, and of
being invited to the wedding. Both of
these preliminaries being wanting, Mr..
Hancock not unreasOnably doubted the
right of the pretty woman to cling to his
arm, as she was doing. The situation
was greatly complicated at this moment
by another gentleman who rushed eXcit-
edly up, tore away the lady, and asked
what she meant by such cOnduct-only
fifteen minutes after she was married,
too. She looked up, gave little
scream, and chung to the new conner as
tightly as she chung to Mr.. Hancock.
The latter smiled, the crowd roared and
cheered, the two gentlemen shook hands,
and the train went on with Mr.. Richard
Hardin and his wife. And then Mr..
Hancock, after duly testifying at the
nearest beer hall to the gratitude he felt
for the esteem of his fellow-citizens, de-
manded an explanation. After q severe
and patient examination he discovered
that the reporter of the local paper g had
mixed those babies up" He had an
nounced the rumors of Mr.. Hancock's
during his Eastern tour, and
being popular man at Grape Greek,
his neighbors had turned out to welcome
him and his bride. Mr.. Richard Hardin,
just married, was about taking the train
and had left his new wife in order to look
after the baggage. In the natural con-
fusion of so important an event, the
bride had mistaken Mr.. Hancock for her
spouse. The reason of all of which was
in the next issue of the Grape
Vine Telegraph, in the following words:
g The mistake which led the Telegraph
into announcing Mr.. Hancock's mar
riage arose altogether out of the remarka-
BILE likeness between him and Mr.. Har-
dina resemblance that does not stop
at mere outward appearances alone, but
develops with wonderful accuracy in
their genial natures. - Detroit Free