The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-01-19

tne street, really thought, Nate, that
those cabmcn would put us into their
horrid old cabs. Pa had to pull like
everything to get his valise away from
one of them, and he did look ridicu-
lous. Anybody could tell that he and
ma and Toby didn't belong in New
York, they acted $3.50 interested in
everything, but just behaved as if
! had always lived here, only sciU admit
that l thought the glass box they put
tickets it on the elevated railroad sta
| ton was an ice-cream freezer and asked
pa, so that a man heard me, what in
the world they wanted to sell cream
for at this time of year. How that hor-
rid man, that heard me, did roar
don't see that he had much to laugh
about though. His overcoat was
awfully shabby. But l really don't
know what am writing all this nom
sense for. / started to write about the
Brooklyn bridge and how we went
across. Pa was awfully anxious to see
the bridge, and the sleeping-car con-
ductor told him that it was right at the
end of the elevated railroad, and so pa
said we'd go down on the elevated and
go across the bridge before we went to
the hotel, as we'd sent all the baggage
down.
Kate, you have no idea what fright
full sensation it is riding over the ele-
waited railroadi First we went a little
way in one car and then got off and
waited for a long train, and then we
went down an awful way in the train,
and finally had to climb over n great
high bridge, level with the roofs OF the
highest building, and take another
train. We rode all the way even with
the second story windows OF the houses,
and l should hate to have to live in
one of those rooms. You know you
can look right in and see everything.
Won't you ever tell if tell you some
thingp Well, l actually say man in
one of those rooms L almost blush
when / write tin his shirt sleeves.
Don't you remember we have always
heard that New York people are awful
ly fastP [ guess that's pretty true.
Why, whole families frequent the sa-
looms together. / know it because
every saloon we passed had family
entrance. Isn't it shockingP should
hate to live here because l haven't the
slightest doubt that if we did Toby
would grow up to drink beer.
But haven't told you word aboTt
the bridge yet. When we finally got
down to what they call the "City Hall
Station" it was about eight o'clock in
the morning-you see we got in on a
very early train--a and everybody was
rushing down town in such hurry
that we thought that there must be a
fire, and pa as ked policeman about it,
and the policeman said it was only men
| in, h,,,., 20, To bai,. ntH
pa asked the policeman what that was
we were standing by, and he said it
wasn't a depot. it was the Brooklyn
bridge. Pa told the policeman he'd
better not try to guy him, because he
was acquainted with his superiors, and
that horrid policeman actually told pa
to go and fall off the dock, and said
he'd better tie string to himself or
he'd get lost. Then ma said very dig
nitied to the policeman that he was an
impudent wretch, and do you know
what that policeman did? He told ma
to pull down her vest! / was never so
shocked in my life! Then we asked
another policeman where the bridge
was. and sure enough that was the
bridge we were standing by.
Pa said we'd walk across and then ride
back, and so we started in where lot
of horses and wagons were coming out,
and two more policemen stopped US
| never saw such an awful lot of police
, men as there were around there-and
told us to go in further up through the
ticket office. /. So pa took hold Of
ma and ma grabbed Toby by the middle
! of his arm, and we went in and had tC
pay five cents apiece. Then we climbed
a high flight of stairs and came to 6
: place where there was railroad track
,, and q side track beside it, and we walked
out to the end of that sidewalk, and pt
, asked another policeman If it WASH
dangerous to walk out on the railroad
track, and the policeman told us there {
be a car there in minute. Pa told hin
he wanted to walk across and he tolt
us to 90 down the stairs and bacl
through the 'ticket-office and get ou
!, money back, and then go through tn,
next gate and only pay one cent apiece
Pa said the facilities of the bridge wer,
very poorly arranged, and we went bacl
2 and got into the right place at last P'
went into ecstacies and talked so lout
about the bridge being monument TO
/, all ages that everybody stopped to lool
at him. 1t was simply grand, and afte
!. all I had heard about the bridge l wa
: not prepared to find such an absolutel.
= immense structure. We could look RICH
- straight ahead. it seemed for mile, VI
the broad pathway with stone parape
on either side, clearup to great tower
P with an arch, through which the road
u way led. And that tower was only tn
, first pier of the bridge. After that cam
/ the tremendous span high in mid-ai
' across the river, and then another tai
s tower, and the same long descent dow
o the Brooklyn streets
u There were whole crowds of peopl
n coming over from Brooklyn, and, on
g roadway little below the path for foo
; passengers, wagons and trunks, an