Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1906-07-18
Skeet WOod--Retired
BY GEORGE BINGHAM.

NJ through the lowlands and the
\ Jobs.
a wandering printer lay stretched
" on some old newspapers spread
yer the floor of box car, and he
ad Just awakened from the sound
eep of a man who had nothing on
Hrth to bother him.
Seeing the bright flashes Of sun
rough the cracks around the side
Boor Skeet arose, stretched himself
VA climbed through the small end
window to the top of the car.
A brakeman with broad, red, Irish
bee came slowly down the train.
We'll, general" he spoke above the
attle and clang as he approached the
ramp, how'd you rest last ni5ht?
ny bugs in that coach?'
No, never heard any stirring
pund through the night. I've seen
n turn around and go back, when
8hey saw me. Why, have you had any
complaints from other passengers"
YES" the brakey replied, Shorty
you know old red Shorty, with the
erooked eye-yes he rolled out OF
there the other night and trotted back
and said If didn't give HIM another
place he'd get off, and make me give
him his two bits back. He'd adone 1t
|4oo!"
.N "Whatd you do with him?"
WI "Oh moved him over into a mule
Near, and never heard any more of
'him."
Say, brakeman, where are we any
howl"
THAT last whistle back yonder was
v Peachtree Switch"
"In Kentucky, hey?"
"Yes, hit Kentuck back yonder be-
fore daylight"
Where's the next water tank?"
RED Oak Ridge"
"I'll blow of there. Red said there
was a print shop there, and I'll drop
or and clean up"
IN When the train Stacked up for Red
Oak Skeet Wood dropped of and found
n himself standing in the villages only
street.
n The municipality Of Red Oak Ridge
consisted of few, rambling. unpaint-
ed houses sQuatted about among the
growth Of scrubby red oak trees and
bushes.
i A boy came along the road driving
Ia COW.
"Say, amt your name Charlle?"
Skeet Wood asked.
''Naw sir. My name amt Charlie.
It's Grover, that's what 1t is"
"Well, that's what thought. You
even look like your name was Grover.
! Say, Grover, where's the printing Of
fee? The place where they print the
weekly newspapers"
"Ain't any"
"Why?'. FsS % a-ss
"'Cause they moved 1t of. That's
why"
Moved the whole print shop away?
Eyes, sir. That wasn't such big
job"
"Well, Grover, where did they move
the ofice tor"
"Where did they move 1t to? They
moved it to Pursley."
where is Pursley, Grover?
"Haw, don't you know where Purs-
lev is? Pursley is IA miles from here.
That way"
'Where is the courthouse that was
here once upon timer"
"It's moved to Pursley, too"
"Has it? How long ago?"
"Wy, it moved to Pursley the next
dav after the newspaper moved to
Pursley."
GLOW long has that been?"
"Whut?"
GLOW many years has 1t beenr
!. "Oh. it has been about IL years ago.
It was moved three years after | was
born"
"Is that so, Grover?"
eyes, SIR"
"say, Grover, is there post office
here?"
eyes, sir, there IL post Office here"
"Why didn't they move it to Purs-
ley too?"
because they already had one there
and they didn't want two there"
GLOW about the blacksmith shop
here? Have you got a pretty good
One?"
"Naw, sir. We did have one, but
they moved it to Pursley."
"They did,"
eyes, sir"
Looks like road used to run right
across this field here. Where is It
now?"
eyes, sir, there was road running
right across there, but when they
moved the other things over to Purs-
lev. they turned the road around and
Mad It 50 it would run into Pursley
too"
'sYou had started somewhere with
that COW, hadn't yen, Growers"
eyes, sir. I'm going to take her
down to the creek bottom to get her
a drink of water. Pap's goin' to take
her to Pursley tomorrow"
"He Isl"
eyes, sir. Where are you goin'?"
.T think I'll go 70 Pursley, too. So
good-by, Grover"
g., voilaa over the rad stood = |