San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-08-21
"GOne to Texas"
lProm the Pail Nall Ga1ette.l

In the good old days when vigil
ance committees as yet were not, and
the reign of law, ,other than lynch law
stopped short abruptly at the original
frontier by the Sabine river, it was
the custom for defaulting bankrupts
in the northeastern cities to write
upon their shutters on the morning
of their departure from the neighbor-
hood to their too trustful creditors
the simple legend G. T. T., which is,
being interpreted, "Gone to Texas.
That brief intimation was held suffi-
GENTLY to indicate that the bankrupt
had removed himself altogether from
the restricted sphere of American
civilization. Mr.. Tom Hughes, how
ever, has closen to rehabilitate this
time dishonored phrase by giving it
a quite new significance as the title
of his selected letters from his Texan
nephews. The story he has to tell
us is short and not very stirring
one; but as singularly unaffected
and open narrative of pioneer life in
the far Southwest it is not without
interest to the thousands of English
families who are anxiously asking
themselves at the present moment,
what are we to do with our spare
boys? Indeed, Mr.. Hughes enters
into domestic details so frankly and
unreservedly that one hardly likes to
follow him in print into such open
disclosures of the things most men
seek to conceal so carefully. 1t is
impossible not to admire the manli-
ness of his simple story; but it is
impossible also not to feel little
modesty in reproducing it.
A few years since brother of MIR.
Hughes had been forced by serious
losses to break up his establishment
and take to a very small suburban
house, where he and his boys had to
do everything for themselves, includ-
ing cooking. The eldest son got
clerkship in the Aylesbury Dairy
company and here, though his
salary was small, he managed In eigh-
teen months to save f13O. That
fact really forms the keynote of MIR.
Hughes book, which consists of
letters from the three brothers in
their southern farm, and any parent
who feels moved by the fair success
of these English lad in Texas to
send off his young scapegrace to the
same hospitable region had better first
consider whether the scapegrace in
question is at all likelyto save f130 in
three half years out ofa small salary.
If he is, then by all means-keep
him at home, and let him save it.
"Willy," however, as the book calls
him, thought otherwise, and not per-
haps less wisely for his own tastes.
He determined to try his luck in
Texas. So he went out to New York
as steerage passenger, prospected
about at several ranches along the
Rio Grande district "twenty miles
from anywhere" and finally settled
down as a landed proprietor on his
own account, in open defiance of MIR.
George and the Democratic Fedora
ton. Soon Cousin Tim, city clerk,
was also bitten with desire for life
in Texas, and went out to join Willy,
taking with him some Oxfordshire
sheep. The lads settled down read |
ily to ranch WAYS, guided the plow
with their own hands, and learned
the Texan dialect with such singular
rapidity that their vocabulary
becomes occasionally unintelligible to
effete British journalism at an early
stage of the proceedings. They dis
course fuently about being 'leaded
by Greaser. doing q Scent bust
ness and ''coming-in bully, as
though to the manner born Willy
excuses the profuse profanity Of the
Texas cattlemen on the ground that
as the people are 80 glad TO see you 1
they sort Of emphasize . bit Liy-
ing in q one-room sbAnty with Q
lean-io. the Pair got on comfortably
enough, in spite Of nOrtbers and
other local plaques. and were by-and-
by loined BY the youngest brother,
tie doctor. % called from his love Of
natural saenoe Last Of al Chico,
the middle lad Of the three decided
-, re-s-z later ~ c1ve No ms bOpes