The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1915-05-14
THE DAYS OF LONG AGO
Recalled In Letter Of Tom Hill, Of
Wyoming to VIII MeKin-
ney Of Alabama.

Will G. Mckinney, the bard and
poet laureate Of Alabama, sends the
]. J. letter he recently received from
his old college chum Tom r. Hill, Of
Buffalo, Wyoming. Both we're boys
together in Stanford, and the letter is
full Of boyhood "reminiscences which
will touch the hearts and bring back
many pleasant memories to those who
knew them in days of long ago. The
letter is as follows;
Buffalo, Wyo., Apr. 8, 1915.
W. II. Mckinney, Montgomery, Ala,
Dear Bill:-Some how ] have had
you in mind for the past two weeks,
and cannot seem to get any rest un-
I'll ] write you. ! heard from Bill
Bright where letter would reach
you. ] knew you were somewhere
on the Footstool, or else ] would have
heard Of il long ago.
have been thinking Of the old
days when we used TO go TO school up
on the old hill where the Yellow brick
school house used to be, way back
in Stanford. The old school house
has been right before my eyes for
weeks, and could see the summer
sunshine on il. and the old chinkapin
trees down by the POND in old man
Van Deeveer's field. and the old elm
tree with the big roots running on
top of the ground that used 10 stand
down in the old yard just north Of
the pond; ] can see the old places
where we used to play shinney and
hoogle google, and base ball. and that
game of jumping where we had TO
take a hop,skip and a jump over an
other fellows back. and you used al
ways 20 jump just little farther
than any Of us, or would Jump on our
backs ard make US dig our noses in
the mud and sod.
Lord. Lord. Bill. it all comes back
to me just as II il was yesterday.
can hear Oh McRobrts blowing his old
horn over at old uncle Peters. And
poor old man Myers. You remember
him Bill. Bless his old heart. ] hope
the sod rests lightly on his grave.
And Smith Baughman; do you re-
member Smith? lie used to come to
school on fat horse and bring with
him satchol full of grub for dinner
and hang il out in the entryway IN
der the old stairs in the old school
house on the hill and old 10 Hayden
with his yellow horse. Don't you
remember him Bill? He used TO car
ry an old shawl on his saddle. and it
would flop about when he rode Off on
his old yellow horse. Then there
were some old apple trees out in the
garden east Of the school house where
some Of the knottiest and sourest APP
plies in Kentucky grew and we used
TO go and steal them and eat them
too and think they were nice: and
then We used 10 play fox and hounds
and run over into uncle John Nc
Roberts orchard and steal his apples
too, but they were good and he had
lots of them. and | wish ! had one
OF them now; but our faster is not
the same now as il was then, and |
fear they would not be good to US.
Poor old uncle Johc. May the good
Lord rest his soul. But. about the
old school: never learned thing
worth a cuss there. but il was not
old man Myers fault He tried hard
enough to see that we got something
through our thick heads. But, Bill.
he never touched us; our blamed
heads were too hard. What has be-
come of the old bo,s-Eph Owslcy,
Jake Owsley. Sam Lackey. Junius
Rochester. 10 Hayden. Bill Bright.
Peter McRoberts, Harve McRoberts-
where are they all now? Some of
them gone and all of them who are
left are old and gray. What you