The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-01-29

"All of you be good to Mis- Cragin.' -
And we called Phebe Mis- Cragin. She
sot down on tie floor beside of his
head, and never left her place that
night, and they talked in whispers and
kissed one another till he kind of sunk
into a trance or sumpin, and laid that
way all the after part of the night, and
died about sun up. / staid up to help
nuss him and look after her. We had to
change cloths on his chist and give him
drops to keep him quiet, and ole Mis-
North she handled him like mother.
don't think no one about the
house rally slept. He looked as
perry as child when he was layin' a
corpse, and there sot Phebe, kissin' his
hair and eooin' to him, till we drawed
her awsy. She didn't make no loud to-
do like we lowed she would, but she
never left that corpse from the time it
was dressed till it was put under ground.
1t was big funeral, so it was. Ole
man North he had the undertaken out
from Kokomo, and every thing was done
up nice, and Phebe, she walked along
rightinext to the coffin TO the grave, a.
hOldin' to ole man North's arm, and
lookin' Ike she was in trance, and /
b'leve in my soul she didn't have her
right senses fer many day.
Why, lawsi she'd walk two mile to
that graveyard and set there all the af-
ternoon by that grave, kind o. talkin' to
John. Me and Mary was comm home
from Kokomo one day-I'd ben dom
some tradin' and we see Phebe layin'
there with her arm over the grave,
agoin' on like John and her was havin'
good talk. i do low she thought he
could hear her, and mebbe he could.
Laws! how do ne know?
She tuck the money he left and had
big place fenced in all round his grave,
and gate put to the fence, and ali sod
ded. The graveyard was open-like,
and the cows they tromped it. And
she bought the pertiest monnyment
you ever sot your SEEM eyes on; and
his name and age, and time he
died'n all, was put on to it, and a
verse of Scripter that says sumpin'
about "Entreat me not to leave thee "
and forgit how the rest of it goes
But all so perry. 1g. 1Era
Laws! how mad it did make them
Car'ls fer Phebe to use her mans money
that way. They called her all the fools
they could lay their tongues to; and
Abe said, after he'd KEEP her as long as
he had, he did low she might give him
sumpin'; and Jake and his woman they
cut up. and said now she was widder
woman she needn't come onto him fer
support, and the old man he didn't do
nor say much of nothin' but ies' let her
alone.
But laws! how they have changed
their tune. You know John ne left ev-
cry thing, and not long after his death
there comes news that some kinsfolks of
hisn'n inS the old country had left him a
big fortune of ten thousand dollars, and
Phebe she got 1t, every cent. There
wasn't no lawin' nor nothin' about it.
And there was Phebe a rich woman for
marryin' Irish John.
The Car 'lslthey didn't never say an
other word agin him. And they'd jes
lick Phebe's shoes now, SO they would,
fer they know she won't never marry
agin, and they think their young uns'll
come in fer the propertyy Phebe she's
good to 'en1, but they're done drivin'
her and tellin her what she's got to do.
And | think it always sticks in her craw
the way they talked about John. She
lives at Mis- North's jes' ike an own |!
daughter, and has her money in nice |
farm, and gits the rent and sees to
things herself, AID comes and goes as
She pleases. Many's the, feller that |
would like to git her. but she won't |
change the name o. Cragin as long as
she lives. Mis- North says she has |
Johns ole room, and keeps his clothes
and things a-hangin there, and she's a
picter of him on the wall. And every
of her life she's out by his grave, /
so she is. There never was a lovin'er /
soul drawed breath.
Well, this amt gittin my work done,
sittin' here and talkin' about Phebe Carl. |
-LeSte'S Weekly.