The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-07-08

lIlS Cdbln, anu SOlleDOuh Was SulOhluS
cigars.
Miss Nancy" was the name of my
mistress, and she called me Trumps.
got a wonderfully BIG supper that
night considering nobody was supposed
to want any but Miss Nancy and me.
There was bean soup, broiled steak,
black coffee, the leayings of game pie
and bananas. The old lady had her
- death hunger" Miss Nancy said, but
was so deaf she gave up trying to make
me understand all about it. When she
had shut the door behind her and
slipped the bolt l heard her say:
That's the biggest piece OF luck we
poor devils ever had. POUNDS! if we
don't save ourselves tonight we mayas
well give up s.E ID
Il must die tonight, surer'-the
same wheeling voice l heard on Navy
Island. -s. q.
"Say, Hank, why not send this dolt
over with my cofiin?"
That just what we will do boys.
What lucky dogs we are, after all.
Catching him will be another thing from
catching one of US"
Its running great risk" said
somebody, hardly above a whisper;
cold, disagreeable voice. IF this thing
goes up we are ruined. Captain BedeIl
is on our track. jerry heard some of
his passengers talking about it to-day.
They think we make the run from Grand
Island to Tonawanda that we have
canal boat or a lumber SlOOp in the
business. The Captain doesn't suspect
Jerry. Asked him about his grand
mother The other day. 1t seems there
is good deal of interest in the old
lady"
l was called shortly after to bring hot
water and had stumbled through the
door quite into the grandmother pres
ence before Miss Nancy could checEme
l only saw coffin Standing upon table
near an untidy bed-not large coffin,
but it was empty and open, and the
sight shocked me so gave a little
scream and so lost seeing anything
more. Miss Nancy laughed when she
had followed me out into the kitchen
and said the old lady was very queer;
she had had that coffin by her bed for
more than a fortnight. Then she went
on to say that 4 message had come from
Jerry. He was sick at Black Rock. If
his grandmother should die that night
they were to send her remains directly
to him. Somebody would be waiting
for them not far from the house where
he was. She was glad was bOatman.
1 would have to take the body over be-
fore morning, no doubt. She would
follow in another boat with Father
O'Leary, if he could be made to go at
all.
Why not wait for the daylight" l
asked. .-- . ... ..
"Then we might miss Jerry. He
gives the orders. We must do as he
says"
l went to my loft where my bed was,
but with no idea of going to sleep.
did not undress. threw myself down T.
on the bed and that was all knew I'M
til was awakened by Miss Nancy about /
midnight. The grandmother was dead, I
she said, and in her coffin. She would !
have to stay at home and l must make !
the trip alone.
moved about as in horrible dream, .
talking to myself in my thoughts and .
then only saying something like: "Suck .
to it, Peggy. Don't give up. You are
almost through. Nothing will hurt you:
and by tomorrow only tomorrow
you viii be very rich girl, Peggy; well |
paid for this nights work. Keep up,
Peggy, keep up"
That was a very heavy coffin Miss
Nancy and | carried down the bank in /
the black night, considering the size
of it and the weight of most old women.
But l said nothing-only to Peggy Her
rick. The boat sank almost to the
waters level when got in. My orders
were to steer for Buffalo light until l
was a half mile or more from port.
Then 1 was to put in to a light that
would see in high building to the north
about half mile-between a poplar
tree and a church steeple. The light
would be in the third story and Jerry
or somebody else at the dock. My oars
were muffled-I knew that at the first
Strickland silent as death my boat
pushed out, Buffalo light cleaning
family over the black waters.
"Now, Peggy, cut for home." l said
L
point and looking over my shoulder for
the necessary bearings. knew every
tree top dimly outlined in the distance
against the sky. In two hours at most
| would be home, for the current would
help me. Should they follow we would
have race with our oars, that was all.
But how could they see my course in that
darknessp The clouds we're breaking;
but it would take better eyes than mine
even to see such black shape as my boat
and its cargo pushing through the dark.
was perhaps a mile from home. A
strange joy had given place to my fears.
| was thinking how surprised father
would be and how many dollars the
poor old grandmother would be worth,
when my right oar creaked horribly un-
der my excited pull. Another stroke,
and it broke at the oar-lOck! Great
heavens! and was not dreaming! 1t
was not all a nightmare! My oar was
broken! l had no other! My boat was
gliding into the main current of the
river, the Niagara River, and the falls
not fifteen miles below
What did do? What could do but
sit frozen in terror, helpless and dumb?
On, on. on l was steadily floating. The
night shutting men in; nobody to hear, 7
nobody to help; the distance between
me and the bank of Grand Island grow
ng wider and wider; that black cruel
current the very gulf of death. No, l
lid not pray unless the wild shrill cry 1
rave when | saw the roof of our house
against the sky was a prayer. had
brown off my wrappings to make the
desperate plunge that would only bring
leath the sooner, and save me from ]
L L : L L IL = = j = /