Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-12-25

III
and whitfield the time away as best /
could until the train arrived.
After boarding the Memphis train
/ soon learned that the "Hero of the
lost cause" was on board. I quickly
found his coach and took a seat be-
hind him and listened to a converse
ton between him and some other
gentlemen. The people from all
parts of the train were constantly
coming in to shake hands with him.
Mr.. Davis is getting old and gray,
and is feeble, as one will observe
from his walk; his eye, however, re-
tains its former luster, and he still re-
tains his eloquent styleof conyersing.
/ had a strong desire to grasp the old
veteran by the hand, as 1 always
have had an ardent admiration for
him. I RETAINED on account of not
being able to talk loud enough to be
heard.
At Milan, an old ex-confederate
soldier boarded the train, and as
soon as he learned that Mr.. Davis
was aboard, he came in and said, "is
this JEFF Davis ?" approaching him).
Mr.. Davis said, "yes." "Then,"
said he, ~ was in Forests brigade,
and fought for you once, and would
be glad to do it again" This only
shows that Mr.. Davis and the cause
he advocated, still live in the hearts
of those who, like himself, suffered
in defense of what he thought was
right. Whatever Northern fanatics
may write or say derogatory to the
character of Mr.. Davis, and the cause
he espoused, his name will be trum-
peted afresh in the ears of future
prosperity, and live and bloom an
emerald long after the names of such
men as r. B. Hayesshall havepassed
away into the Wondering records of
bygone ages, and the marble that
marks their last resting place shall
have crumbled to dust.
1 arrived in Memphis at 8 P. NJ,
and laid over until 8 o'clock next
morning, when / took the Memphis
and Little Rock train. Here / en-
countered difficulties too numerous
to mention. The coaches were all
cold, and damned and packed with
every conceivable form of humanity
like sardines in a box. We were
about two hours getting across the
Mississippi River on top of an old
steamer, while the "wee" small boy,
(and girl, too), were taking advantage
of the privilege granted them as
American citizens in the right of free
speech and yelling. OF all the rail-
roads it has been my lot to travel
over, this one "takes the cake" You
can hardly keep your seat an account
of the jolting and bounding up and
down motions of the train. 1t is
about like dump cart running over
road made of fodder-stack poles.
AS usual, / encountered on this
train a family of emigrants going to
Texas. In former days, the chimney
to their domicile had fallen down and
killed them all but fourteen, and
these surviving members of the fami-
ly all insisted upon keeping the win
dows of the coach all up, (notwith-
standing the balance of the passen-
gers were about to freeze), so they
could see the country, while the old
est son, bumpy-faced, hopeful of 20
summers, insisted upon promenading
up and down the coach talking to
everybody, and asking the porter,
news-agent and conductor all manner
of silly questions, very much to the
amusement of the rest of the family,
and to the disgust of the balance of
the passengers.
had hoped to get through this
trip without encountering the gig
Cling maiden with her bird cage, but
not so. At Forest City we stopped
for breakfact, when in there skipped
this simpering Cupid smasher with
that veritable bird cage, and took a
gentleman's seat and set the cage by
her side with that degree of compla-
cency SO satisfying to these canary
companions. / don't think / will
make another trip without canary,
they are so nice to travel with. The
young hopeful referred to above and
this canary maiden
81 have placed upon my list,
And they won't be missed"
/ managed to go forward after