Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-03-19
RETROSPECTIVE.
The Days When Faxon and
Thomas Flourished.
A Good Letter Full of "reminiscences Per-
tanning to olarksville Life in the
Forties.
no tn. robaeco Leat-chronicle.l

y
years. Although our library table
is piled with fresh literature, Har-
per's, Globe Democrat, Courier-Jour-
nal, Century, Youths Companion,
Home and Farm, Agricultural,
Demorest, and several other first
class papers, when the mail comes in
it is a race who will get possession of
the TOBACCO LEAF first, so anxious
is each one to read the locals, run
over the different departments of the
paper and learn what the dear
GAINESVILLE people are doing or hop
ing to do. So much for having been
"born and bred in that brier patch"
But to-day when the TOBACCO LEAF
CHRONICLE came it fairly over-pow-
cred the writer. Sometimes one
word like wedge opens the treasure
mine of memory.
The Chronicle, its time-honored
editor, Robert Thomas, arose be-
fore me with his calm, intelligent,
amiable expression of face.
The Chronicle and the JeffersO-
nian it seems to me now that those
two papers came to my fathers house
once week when | was a child for
at least one hundred and fifty years.
Those two impervious editors used to
cut and Stay each other regularly
every seven days on paper. Thought
they hated each other, and once
when Mr.. Thomas was in my
fathers office and Mr.. FaXon hap.
pened to call in my heart beat very
rapidly, for l imagined an alter
cation would be bound to
ensue, when they met each
other with the greatest cordial
ity and bantered in the most jovial
way. Afterward when the silly
child asked her father if they had
"made up" he laughed and stroked
her head and replied: "You have
got lots to learn my little ignorant,
it is only their politics that are al
war. They like each other personally
very much. (But l fear my wisdom
there has not increased much with
time.) Mr.. Faxon was always jolly
and humorous.
Mr.. Thomas was more reserved
and less social, but he had his sun
shiny side. The first whole night l
ever spent entirely away from home
influences was with Ellen Thomas.
We went to the same school, and she
had to pass our house going and
coming. She came every morning
from that mysterious road that led
beyond Maj. Henry's big gate, the
limit of my youthful wanderings
until that eventtul evening.
That walk, which impressed me as
extending over miles-so limitless
are children's imaginations-was
fraught with many thrilling Incl
dents. / think now Ellen must
have discovered what an "innocent"
she had in charge and played upon
my timid nature for her own amuse-
ment. That was dark and gloomy
road then, with no sidewalks. A
lonely old sewing woman lived in an
humble house on the right side, who
had a wild looking, bad boy that
threw rocks at us. We took to our
heels and ran at the top of our speed
until we nearly ran over pile in
the road that suddenly became ami
mated. Ellen nearly fell down with
laughter at my expression and be-
havior when l recognized the "pile"
to be "Old Dison," noted, stupid,
innocent sot that had tumbled down
there in a heap on his drunken way
to his own squalid howell little fur
Their on. All this distance the tall,
close fence that enclosed Major Hen
ry's deer park, on the left, cast Il
dense shade away across the rough
road. AT last we turned towards the
west and rose the hill, with the set
ting sun full in our faces.
A high, well-secured latticed gate
guarded the deer park. Just across
the road there was an extensive pas
ture enclosed by a rail fence, with
numerous long-horned cattle on the
inside. Ellen stopped and peeped
through the bars of the park gate.
So did l. 1t was a beautiful picture
three deer peacefully grazing on
the soft green sod Lit up in streaks Of
gold. Ellen jerked off bright red
scarf from around her neck and
waved it just as the antlered buck
gracefully raised his head. Instantly
he came plunging towards us. We
dropped everything and shot across
the road and mounted the top
rail of that staked and ridered fence
quicker than can be told. My impe-
tus carried me entirely TO the ground
on the other side, and for some rea-
son several cows came running to-
wards us. l will never know how l
got back with my companion again.
But l do remember that in a little
while we entered the greenest, sha-
diest, most imposing yard, to my