Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-03-19


on :in1reYerses ord er,s and the rest of IT..
1n the neigh borhoo ds of the townswass
zaEdeligh tfuI suburb spot, hen known
merely ~ the sand WI ERE VII
sons uncle. James Bones. u ho had:
married 81 Marion oodrow. ~ oodrowS
Wilson'S aunt had q country house.
Wilson and Pleasant stovall used to
ride ont toH the SAND B hills on horse
back and spend u great deal OF their
time ia the pleasant country. Mrs. IL
son frequently spent summer IN the,
north, and when she was away from
home the boy went out to 5live. with his
aunt 81 the sand hills.
The daughter of the house, II ssis
Woodrow Bones lshe #is now Mrs. AN
TIL. Brewer sc Chicago was 9 great.
ztomboy and idolized her cousin, and
the two spent many q lone. happy SUM
mer day at play sin. the woods. Long
before she knew5a letter he had filled
her mind and Imagination with the:
Leather Stock king Tales and what
he read to her or told her In the tW1.a
{ light on the veranda they acted out In
their play next day: Casting aside all
the encumbrances Of civtlizat ion except
that which conservative authority In
the shape Of the aunt and mother re-
5quired. they stained their faces, arms5
and legs with *pok eberry juice and with:
headd dresses Of hers and armed
with bows and arrows erept out Of the
house and stationed themselves BY tho
side Of "a lonely road leading from Au--z
gusta to q negro settlement in the
piny woods. Here they would lie II.
wait until chance brought them their
victims in the shape OF little darkies
on their way to town with bundles OF
$lightwood on their heads. hen, with
blo0dcurdling warwhoops, they would
dash out upon the unsuspecting prey,
brandtshing wooden tona hawks In
frightful fashion. e..3..==*
On other occasions the little girl had
to enact the part Of various kinds Of
game. Once she was supposed to be q
squirrel In the top of a tree So good
a marksman was her cousin that she
was bit. BY an arrow and came tum-
bling to the ground at his feet. The
terrified little: hunter carried her limp
body into the house with a conscience
torn as it probably never has been
since, crying: am a. murderer. It
wasn't an accident. Il & killed her,
Young bones are supple, and the little
girl had happily sustained no injury.
Mr.. Bones house stood next to the
United States arsenal, which after the
close Of the war was occupied by the.
Federal troops. Tommy and Jessie
never tired Of going to the guard
house, at the entrance to the arsenal
grounds, to look at the soldiers and
talk with them. One day, however,
Jessie's mother explained to her that
those friends of theirs were Yankees
and had fought against the south. It
was a great blow to the couple, and
they often discussed the feasibility of
converting the Yankees into Presbyte-
rians, all good people being Presbyte-
r1ans and all wicked ones Yankees z
Tom Wilson, for one: reason or. an
other, was not taught his letters until
long past the date at which most
youngsters have learned to read. 8 It
may have been that his mother, who
had been strenuously taught In her.
young years In England and who used
IN later life to speak feelingily Of the
folly Of having to learn Latin in ones
sixth year, had ideas OF her own about
forcing the young intellect. It may
have been bis: father, who was man
Of very great positiveness and origi-s
nality Of opinion, was averse to having
his son get his first glimpses into the
world of knowledge otherwise than
through himself. But, however it
came about. Tom Wilson was not.
taught his alphabet until he was. nine
years old. There was q great deal Of
reading aloud In the family, not only
his father and mother, but his two sis
tiers, frequently reading him choice ex-
tracts from sta ndard books. Sir Wal
ter Scott and Dickens were made IA
miliar to the lad tn this way. He re-
members still the pleasure which his
father showed "a .Pickwick, 3 reading
the tnstallments aloud. with Mrs. Viii
son as the special audience, though.
even at the early age OF: eight the boy
remembers that he appreciated much:
Of the bumor Of the young author.
The lad attended the best schools
Augusta offered. Public schools were.
either nonexistent or SO poor as to be:
worthless, 50 the. boy was put at an in-s
l3stitution kept By Professor Joseph 7.
Derry, with a habitation over the post
Iomce. Later, Professor Derry moved
his school to q building on the river
bank next to some cotton warehouses;
Here the boys made the warehouses
their play grounds, exploring and play
Ling hide and seek among the cotton
bales. 5. So
Joseph Rucker Lamar, now. an as
sociate Justice Of the supreme court OF
the United States was pupil Of Pro
fessor Derry at about the same time.
Joe Lamar was the son Of another
minister In the city, the Rev. James s..
Lamar, pastor Of the Christian church.
who lived inS house 3on cIntosh.
street. next TO the Wilson's.
Professor John 4. Derry. much be-
loved Of all his pupils. had returned.
home from four years lin the Confeder-
late army to teach: He is. the author
Of several books and is now In the
"a :. iS.Sf