The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1907-07-12
Skeet Retired.
by GEORGE BINGHAM.


Copyright. 1906 BY Daily Story Pub. Coz
The freight train ratified and
swayed as II ripped along at Its best
speed down the steel rails stretching
out through the lowlands and the
knobs.
A wandering printer lay stretched
out on some old newspapers spread
over the floor OF & box car. and he
had Just awakened from the sound
sleep Of man who had nothing on
earth TO bother him.
Seeing the bright flashes OF sun
through the cracks around the side
door Skeet arose. stretched" himself
and climbed through the small end
window to the top OF the car.
A brakeman with q broad. red. Irish
face came slowly down the train.
well. general" he spoke above the
rattle and ciang as he approached the
tramp, how'd you rest last night
Any bugs In that coachf"
q mo. never heard any stirring
around through the night I've seen
'em turn around and 90 back. when
they saw me. Why. have you had any
complaints from other passengsrsT
Yes" the brakey replied. Shorty
you know old red Shorty. with the
crooked eye-yss he rolled out OF
there the other night and trotted back
and said II ! didn't give hm another
place he'd get on. and make me give
him his two bits back. He'd adone II
tool"
"What'd you do with hint"
"Oh. / moved him over into q mule
car. and never heard any more OF
him."
Say, brakeman. where are we any
how7"
THAT last whistle back yonder was
Peachtree Switch"
In Kentucky. hey?"
"Yes. hit Kentuck back yonder be
fore daylight"
where's the next water tankf
Red Oak Ridge"
"Tll blow of there. Red said there
was 4 print shop there. and I'll drop
OF and clean up"
When the train Stacked up for Red
Oak Skeet Wood dropped OF and found
himself standing In the villages only
street.
The municipality Of Red Oak Ridge
consisted Of a few, rambling, unpaint-
ed houses sQuatted about among the
growth Of scrubby red oak trees and
bushes.
A boy came along the road driving
a COW.
Say. amt your name Charlisr
5keet Wood asked.
Nav sir. Ny name amt Charlie.
IT'S Grover, that's what II ID"
Well, that's what | thought. You
even look like your name was Grover
Say. Grover. where's the printing Of
Ace? The place whore they print the
weekly newspapsrr
Amt any"
Why"
cause they moved 1t on. That's
why" 49,
Moved the whole print shop awsyf
"Yes. sir. That wasn't such big
job"
well, Grover, whore did they move
the Office tot"
Where did tbeT move 1t tot They
moved Il to Purnlsy."
where Is PuTGey. Grover"
"Haw. don't you know where Purs'
ley Isl Pursley is IL miles from here
That way"
where is the courthouse that was
here once upon q timer
Its moved 10 Pursley, too"
HAS II? How long agof
IVY. Il moved TO Pursley the next
day after the newspaper moved 70
Pursley."
How long has that been?"
"Whut?
How many years has II beenf"
"Oh. Il has been about IL years ago
II was moved three years after wai
born"
"Is that 80, Grover?"
"Yes. sir"
say Grover. is there a post once
herei"
"Yes. sir. there is a post Office here.
why didn't they move 1t to Purs
ley toof"
Because they already had one there
and they didn't want two there"
How about the blacksmith shoI
hereY Have you got pretty good
one?"
Nav. sir. We did have one, ou'
they moved 1t to Pursley."
They did?"
"Yes, sir"
Looks like a road used to run righ'
across this field here. Where Is Il
now7"
eYes. sir, there was road running
right across there, but when theJ
moved the other things over to Purs
lev. they turned the road around and
mad II so II would run into PursleI
too"
you had started somewhere Will
that cow. hadn't you. GroverT
"Yes. sir. I'm going 10 take he'
| .-oot. haitian N cot hQl