The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-08-28
THE NAN WHO WAS KICKED,

THE NAN WHO WAS KICKED,
-asn4- ss..rssr4aeiess, a Man whom All the
cgn41s r . NIT G seass boBroThI of %
/ FIRST saw Davis at h Academy,
xheE, at the beginning of the spring
aerIs IN 1850, ,her Sidied into the ,tlrthSr
end Of z ksshsa issa against The *Ass
Ale was then about II years of age. A
ISL, gauut, awkward man, clad in a
EaGeG, iH-itting suit of homespun, and
IaaIEinG with an undecided, hesitating
Es8it, with his bead thrown forward, and
one unceftadH hand heiplessly rubbing a
.r,sceding dim. Wasthe figure presented
as he went out of the hall at the close of
prayers Infitnlity of purpose was writ
Zen all over him. He had an air of be-
5Rg old without ever having been young.
as face was long, with large features,
high cheek bones, a long nose, promi-
neHt mouth, and q recedjng chin, from
(which stgasgiihg YhYker PFotruded a
certain way, as though in doubt wheth-
II 10 grow longer or disappear altogetll-
.er- 1t was. a very weak face, with an
ipfirm culver of the hardly closed lower
Zip, and facilitating, half timid eyes OF
-Verv pale blue. Its weakness and indie
-ciSion might have been comical had not
IN expression OF earnestness and seri-
.ouSneSs made itspatheEc' His speech
-gyas hfSaating and appealing, as.thelIgh
.craEjBg constant indulgence for his te-
merity when speaking atall Yet there
WAS such assurance of his hearers SYM
pg1hy and help, that it generally carried
its point. '.-.Ha
EFpn the time when Davis first Sidled
into The se4t' and leaned against the'wall
for smpBortt, he Continued leaning, only
exchanging the wall for his classmates,
or indeed any enc who would carry his
weight No sooner did his support give
WAY in one direction than he transferred
himSelf % Another, and leaned all the
harder During the years of his academ-
zeal life, his manners retained their
primitive rtsticity, despite the constant
attrition toiwbieh they were subjected at
the bands of his fellows, His taste in
dress took no turn Tor the better; his
bearing and gain changed not an iota;
and when he set out on foot for the hill
g-egion whence. he came, he seemed eX-
actly the si.lnenold young man that had
.sidle6 in hpon us three years before.
\ short time afterward ! learned that
he was teaching the school In his native
village. 1T turned out, however, that
ne carried his habit of leaning with him
even there. He asked the advice of his
pupils as TO what he should do so fire.
.lucntlv that the took advantage of his
weakness to do pretty much as they
pleased. They barred the master out,
refused 70. attend recitatiOns, save
al their own pleasure, and otherwise
enjoyed themselves to such an extent
shat the trustees felt compelled TO de-
mand his resignation on the ground of
lack of government. After that he went
into the country and Taught a. district
school, boarding round among his pu-
pills. 1t Vas while thus engaged that he
became temporarily resident in the fam
ily of ~ small farmer, possessed of a
gTasping, questionable character, and
several daughters for some time in the
matrimonial market. These latter were
Thin, sharp-faced, managing maids, who
partoOk of the unattraotiVe chsBacteuis-
lies of their sire. The most unattractiye,
perhaps, Of them. all set her eyes upon
Davis. In lack of better material and
actually became his wife before that hes
itating person had decided what to do in
the matter After this he drifted out of
my knowledge, and his memory, with
that of efkfFI vass aFpeiates, rfPNtkj
merged fftd nd SIRE and yellow leaf Of
recollection.
In the summer Of 1871 II, was one ,Of
semi-official prospecting party in west
erm Bakota.I e6Itended, to pehefrate
Il. \. "a
River, near the British line, returning
. bv way OF the Black Hills, If cifeihil
. stances permitted. The dozen men con-
StiiuiiBg the party were all heavily arm
ed, and we had, by way of impediment,
three mule wagons 1.-THE day before
we started from. the small town which,
for the fortnight previous, had
been ott headquarters, 4 tall round-
Shouldered RAN sallntered into the camp,
and. leaning against wagon-wheel.
Booked kindly but inquiringly abont He
wore a long coat Of alpaca of .ecclesiaS-
IDEAL cut, snd 4 Fiddawske hat fttstian
trousers, and low CATERS tied with. a
string. His face was hong, and its fea-
-ureS large, and a retreating mouth, al
most destitute of teeth, gave a greater
prouineace 10 his rather elongated nose.
BE carried a BLACK. silver-headed stick,
and altogether he was a curious mixture
of the clerical With the rustic After
being msde the butt of considerable rid
icuIc. hc>ex,yressed, III = hesitating way.
his desira 70 90 to The Rack Hills. And
when returned TO camp toward even
Ing. 1 found the Stranger added to the
party as the Guide, philosopher, and
friend Of one of the mule teams. a
glance 1t the awkward figure was
enough ItAaa4 Datis EII@E-he' came
there was told in q siRgle one of his hes
itating sentences.
- You see, Mrs. Davis left me, and
took up With 4 Reighbor of ours. sup
1,ose ] was too slow for her. But |
thought Il might make her uncomforta-
Ole 30 have pqe LIKING Sc, ei9se BY 80 /
zame Wests"