The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-07-22
From Kansas to PennsylVania---A Boys
Story.

len udAS ago SAYS DTdOllOTu IA.
letter to the New York Sun, dirty.
faced, bare-footed boy, just tall enough
to look over the counter and carrying a
/ tiSh-pole, entered a restaurant in this
city.
I've been fshin' all day on Bolivar
Run" he said to waiter. Il walked
more'n five miles and didn't ketch
nothin'. | amt had nothin' to eat bat
piece o pie since Yesterday
He climbed on one Of the tall stools
in front of the lunch counter and laid
down a five-cent piece. The waiter told
him that if he hadn't anything to eat
all day the best thing he could do would
be to go home and get something.
Go homer he replied. II guess If
| wait till | get home for something to
eat I'll be starved to death. Mister Ny
home is in Kansas. D. you know where
that is? My uncle, Joe Snyder, lives up
here in rapport, but his wife amt no
good, cause she won't let me stay
there. l ran away from home cause
my father wouldn't buy me a yeloci-
pede and Jest as soon as he sends me
fifteen dollars I'll buy me one and go
DtlAh LAOlllC Oll lbs L u 1lhC " lluN Z SO4llt
O them pork and beans. A man over
to the drug store gi' me that nickel and
this fish line. If there amt money
enough think my Uncle Joe d pay for
the pork and beans if you ask him. D.
you know him?'
A number of persons in the restau-
rant gathered around the boy, attracted
by his talk and Independent manner
He was piled with questions. He said:
" | amt goin' to talk no more till |
get sOmethin' to eat and that settles it. -
The waiter was ordered by a by
stander to give the little fellow all he
wanted. Between mouthfuIs and in
reply to interrOgatOries. he entertained
his listeners with the following eXtraor-
binary story of his wanderings:
My name is Frank Wisner | live
in Mayview, Jewett County, Kansas. |
am goin' on twelve years old. | had a
bicycle and could ride on it bully, but |
liked velocipede the best. | asked
my father to buy me one and he
wouldn't do it. told him if he didn'
Pdrun away and earn enough money to
buy one myself. He laughed and said
that'd be bully good scheme, cause
he didn't think I'd run away. | know'd
my uncle Joe Snyder lived in Tarport,
but | didn't know where Tarport was
| found out twas in Pennsylvany where
they dug kerosene and know | could
find 1t. One morning early, just after
April FOOLS day, got up and made up
my mind to start for rapport. | jumped
on my bicycle and away | went. 1t
was rainin' and the gOin' was tough,
but | rode all day. l had twenty-five
cents in my pocket that | was a savin'
up for the Fourth. l went through two
or three towns and slept in a barn the
first night. Next morning got some
milk at a house and piece O. bread. |
told the folks that | lived in a town that
wasn't far from there, for fear they'd
keep me and send NE back home |
was awful stiff when [ got on nv bcy-
Gle that mOrnin', but | knOw'd it was
a good ways to rapport yet and braced
up and went ahead | give out before
night and walked a good ways, rollin'
my bicycle along with me. came to
place where there was three houses to-
gether. | went to one o the houses an
seen boy on the stOOp cryin' like ev-
erything. l asked him if he thought |
could stay all night, and he said he
guessed not, cause his little sister had
just died. Then he cried harder and it
made me cry and | wished was back
home. But [ knOwed | must be a ter
rible ways from Mayview and thought
L might as well 90 ahead as to 90 back
onI rrit linlyir,' pftnY, I Co
L went to another house. A woman
said | could stay there and have some
supper. She asked me all sorts O gues-
tiOns, but told her was only gOin' lit
tleways further to my uncle's. There was
a boy in this house that they called
Jack. He was bigger'n me, but treated
me good. The next mOrnin' Twas too
stiff to git on my bicycle, so | made up
my mind to walk. Iotfered my bicycle
to the boy, but he wouldn't take it I'M
less I'd take fifty cents for it. | took
the money and started on. Igot long
ride that day in a farmers wagon and
he wanted me to 90 and stay at his
house, for | ted him I'd been a livin'
on farm where they didn't treat me
good and l was goin' back home. |
said no | must 90 home. He left me in
a town called Townsville and paid for
my supper and bed was awful home
sick that night and bellered myself to
sleep, ihinkin' I'd start back home in
the mOrnin' and let the velocipede 90.
When | got up, though, and got my
breakfast, | felt better and pulled cut |
agin for Uncle Joe's. That day | came |
=, Il Il
They was tough-lookin' felIers and hol- /
Tered at me. stopped. asked EN-
how fur it was to Tarport, and they |
laughed and said there wasn't no such /.
place round there. Then told EN- it |
was in the oil regions and they laughed .
agin, and said they was agOin' that way
and | could ride with them. But they /
didn't have nothin' to ride on and | .
found out they was trampS. was glad .
met 'em, though, for they showed me |
how TO steal rides on railroads and how .
men would pity me and not put me off. |
was with them fellers three days and |
then they wanted me to play was the
blind son of one of 'em, so they could
make some money on me; but l
do that and they made me
cave 'em. | was up to the railroad
business then, though, and had a nice
line gittin' along. Once rode five
n les hanging on to the rod under the
-. That came near chokin' me to
iylth with dust, and l never tried that
lgin. | rode a fearful ways one day on
| COW ketcher, till the engineer seen
ne. He was goin' to put me off, but
old him who l was and where | was
yoin', and he took me in his engine and
ook me as far as he went.
By and by-I don't know how MANY