The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-11-08


his account. Whereupon she spoke up
sharp like, and says, says she:
David, be you jestin'?"
She looked him square in the eyes
when she said that, an David, he stood
it like a man. He Said he was never so
dead in earnest in all his life as he was
at that blessed minute. He said he had
a house, new built, an as good tishin'
boat as there was between Provincetown
and Portland, an though he was long
in years somewhat, he wasn't drinkin'
man, and come of a long-lived family.
If she wanted to hitch he did, and the
parson couldn't be called too soon for
him.
"rl marry no man who doesn't git
down on his knees an ask me in the
old-fashioned way" said she.
At this David Topped down on his
prayer-bones and popped the question.
''Git up, David says she, takin' him
by the hand, 'I'll marry no man but
you"
Then the folks was called in, and
David he told 'em as how he and the
woman company was goin' to get mar
ried, an they all went to the kitchen
an had some popcorn an cider an
butternuts.
The next day was Sabbath, an when
David went to meetin' he looked over to
Horace's pew, but there want no wom-
an company there, only young man
who looked amazin' like the girl he
kissed the night before. When preachin'
was over an the benediction said,
David waited in the entry, an when
| Horace's folks come out he was just
about askin' for the woman company,
when the young man stepped up as
spry as could be, and takin' him by the
| hand, he said
David, I'll marry no man but you,"
an David he looked as if he'd go
through the bottom of the meetin'
| house.
1t was wicked thing, / think, but it
cured David of courtin' strangers. The
young man was n school-teacher at Ex-
| ter, an the boys brought him over to
play it on David as they did. He had
been actin q woman's part in some
theater play at the school, and did it so
perfect that nobody could have told a
bit of difference.
Twas a great trial to David he haint
been so much cut up by anything afore or
sence, an many folks in his place would
mt stood it; but there want nothin'
he could do to make matters any better,
or to stop folks q talkin' about his
| blamed thunderin' foolishness. 1t amt
talked about so much now, by q good
deal, but the tongues was pretty busy
at sewin' societies an candy-pulls last
winter, can tell you.
David got along pretty middlin' well,
an didn't say much to folks about it,
but he told his old mother he d real
izin' sense of his foolishness an quit
runnin after the women for a time.
But he amt gin it up yet, an you'll
hear from him in some scrape or moth
err next winter eff he's spared.
There's plenty o good in David eff he
is near an graspin' an never thought O.
marryin' tell he was fifty-two. He's
got tender side to little ones, an is
often kindly an good-hearted on the
sly. There amt better seaman nor a
Drawer man on the hull coast than
on the Fosdick rocks a few years sence,
he was the first man to shove his dory
into the surf an row to her.
Others went to her, but David went
alone an asked no help. He said there
want no use O film the dory with
folks if any lives was to be saved.
1t was most shutdown an nor'east
gale was on, shakin' the rocks as the
waves struck 'em. The breakers rolled
as high as the biggest barn in the town
ship, an now you could see the Seagull
an now you couldn't. When David
got to her she'd been heayed way up
on the rocks, was ripped an split, an
twasn't only matter of mint or so
when she'd keel over. The skipper
had got his wife into a boat, with some
o the crew, and the rest of 'em was in
another, an they was just about
shown off when David he come up.
He cast them his painter an they was
just maxim it fast when the woman she
tainted dead away, an her babe that
was in her lap it rolled into the sea.
DaGd grabbed the child before it
went under, an lifted it into the boat,
but while these doin's was goin' on he
lost his oars, the painter parted, an a
big breaker which broke over the Sea-
gull drove the two boats apart. An
there David was with child in his
arms an not even a stick to scull with.
Night had come on by that time, an
the little dory was tossin' like bubbles
o. foam. But David, he never lost his
grit. He knew if he could keep the
dory foatin' the tide d drive it in. The
waves broke over the boats sides
and time an again it was ON the pint
o. swampin', but there was bait buck
ct aboard, an he bailed the water out
with one hand while he held the baby
with the other.
1t was fight between death an Da-
vid, an he handicapped with that child.
But he won, for Jest as he calkilated,