The Opelousas courier., 1895-05-18

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have fits. Aud likewica also if a maj
has got the brains to start on, you un
derstand, he eve will be u fool
Brains are brains and a fool is q fool
schools or no schools, books or no books
"fame as Quality Folks"
Old man Zeb Milligan, which use t.
run a little store over at Doolev's Gross
Roads, was a man amongst men in his
day and generation. He couldn't tell
the Bible from a blue-back speller ex.
ceptin by the general color, and he
wouldn't know his own name from
yours If he was to see them both in
plain print as big as a painted horse
rack. But old man Zeb had sense, you
understand-sense the same as quality
folks, and sense till you couldn't rest.
~o wv 'tho ~ "a IIkA " ~
bin in futures. TWAS mostly all spots
with him. And whilst he didn't keep
no books. he could sell a hundred dol
lars worth of stuff on a credit to a hun
dred different men like today, and keep
the accounts straight in his head for
twenty years to come. The mainest
thing with old man Zeb was his head.
IT. yvoS nc l0nr nc n AO,~ h, rro1 ~~I NJ
level as a squash. which the general
machinery of it run as smooth and
steady and reglar as a clock-never
missed a lick nor jumped a cog.
But l reckon no doubts when the
good Lord made Zeb Milligan he bust
ed the moulds and took out and quit.
In SO far back as the records run the
onlyest man exactly like him that ever
breathed the breath of life and walked
the downward road into the valley Of
dry bones, you understand, lived and
died right there at Dooley's Cross Roads
and in the surroundin country.
Old man Zeb was red-headed and
freckly-faceted and web-footed, but the
old people still Twin in that settlement
till now will tell you that his strange
and pecurious appointments didn't make
a blame bit of difference with the gen
eral shape and size and gearins of his
head. He first turned up in the settle.
ment many years ago as an orphant
boy that had run away from his folks
way back in Georgy, and all he had in
the way of this words goods vas a few
plain buds tied up In the wallet on his
back. In the common run of time he
didn't turn out to he a Governor or a
General or a President like SO many
poor orphant boys which you have
heard tell of and never saw. But he
took off his coat and rolled up his
sleeves and spit in his hands and went
to work. He took his text and stuck to
it. About the time he got good grown
he married himself off with a peart and
stirrin woman and opened up the little
at the Cross Roads. Right then
and there he drove his pegs down, and
there he stayed and stuck and stuck
and stayed till he got old and rich and
ready for the last roundup.
A Cat In the Meal Tub,
By-and-by one day it come to pass
that a new a by the name of MILL
gan moved into the settlement and
went to farmin of it down on the head
waters of Deer Creek. His fool name
was John Henry Milligan, and it leak
ed out presently that he had come from
Georgy and was a half brother to old
Zeb. But as time went by every
body took notice that the Milligans
over at the Cross Roads and the Milf
gans down on Deer Creek didn't mix
and mingle and keep company together
very much to speak of.
1t stood to reason with me that there
must be a cat of some description in
the family meal tub, so 1 saddled up
Ind lit out one mornin and went over
10 the Cross Roads to look for the bris-
lies and the claws.
II don't give a durn for no durn man
that don't give a durn for me-" says old
nan Zeb Don as / got him good warm
md wound up On the main question.
4 am the onlyest full blood and gen.
pine Milligan in this country, and so
'ar as 1 know they have stopped the
breed back there in Georgy. Twas left
ri orphant boy, you understand, when
want no bigger than a pound of soap
Lfter a hard days washin. In the main
lime the old man he had took and mar
led his secont wife before he died,
his wilder she had one son by
he name of John Henry. For a hun
lred years before that time, which I
'ould give you the proofs if I was back
here in Georgy, all the men folks and
ONE Of the women of the Milligan gen
had been red-headed and freck-
y-faceted and web-footed. Now l have
'ot the general family marks and
on me, which you can see for
Rufe. They stick out like a
fence around a country
.'raveyard. I moved my washin from
he State OF Georgy when / was nothin
ut a yearlin boy, and right ow if 1 |
vas to GO back there in che old settle
aent every man / met in the road !
you'd say good mornin Mister MILL
But the widder's son John Henry, |
vhilst he was horned into the family,
understand, never did have the
eglar Milligan appearments and he
int got them till yet. You will take
notice, Rufe, that he is nei-
her r~ed-headed nor freckly-faceted nor
The wilder she maintains
Il along that he was q Milligan, but
Q ' did look like a Milligan and
urn my cats if 1 believe till yet that
is a Milligan. The wilder and John
.enry use to poke fun at me because 1
as red-headed and freckly-faceted and
'eb-footed, and that didn't sound like
10 Milligans by a whole lot. They
itched in after the old man died, you