The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1917-08-17
BOY SCOUTS ON HIKE


Brownsville at p. m. for a two-hun-
bred mile hike on our bicycles. The
sun was shining down as hot as July
sun could shine. But what care we for
a July sun? We are Boy Scouts, and
were out for hike across the country.
We carried our blankets and change
of clothing, and each had enough mon
ey to defray expenses of the trip. We
arrived in Ripley that evening at $3.50.
Of course we stopped to rest and cool
off on the way. Nearly everybody
knew us until after we passed Ripley.
We spent the night there with a friend
and went to the picture show. We
arose next morning at o'clock and
took the Memphis to Paducah high
way for Dyersburg. We passed thru
Double Bridges Tuesday morning and
while there | met lady who used to
live neighbor to US. She was awfully
glad to see me and insisted on us stay
ing for dinner, but the other boys want
ed to go on. We stopped at all the
country stores to rest and get cool
drinks of some kind. Everybody we
talked to asked us all kinds of ques-
lions and everybody talked about the
war. All the boys thought it Won
derful thing to be a Boy Scout. One
old lady said she had grand son in
the war and shook hands with US and
said we were brave boys. She wanted
to kiss us, but we all ran and every
body laughed at us. We arrived in
Dversburg at about eleven o'clock
Tuesday morning. We were little
warm but soon cooled off. We spent
the balance of the day there and met
quite a number of people we were ac-
quanted with. The Boy Scouts there
showed us a nice time and we went In
swimming in the river; sport no one
can enjoy as a boy can. After that we
went back up town and there was a
man in buggy called one Of the boys
and gave him a dime and said Son, go
over there to the lunch counter and
bring me a pie" What kind of pie"
the boy inquired. "a 'mel-pie' said the
man." pointing to the restaurant. The
boy took the dime and ran over to the
lunch room and soon came running
! back much faster than he went, and
+. the proprietor of the lunch room was
: standing on the curbstone waving his
hands and daring him to come back
again. We were at loss to know
: what all the trouble was about and
! why everybody was laughing so hear
we ffs stdls lat az ewS Mas sf na q
: Sam Melpi, and that that very SAM
! Joke had been PLAYED quite a number
Of times on strange boys when they
I visited Dyersburg. We stopped at the
y Kircieve Hotel that night and left
(. early next day and went to Newbern
where we again went in swimming
They have fine big swimming pool al
Newbern, and we staid all day there
and thoroughly enjoyed it. We left
: next morning bright and early for
J Trenton. l had some trouble with my
wheel and was delayed for a while, but
soon got everything o. X. again. There
is company of soldiers at Trenton,
camping at the court house. We went
over and soon made friends with all
of them. We got permission from the
marshal and camped there on the court
house yard with the soldiers all night.
We had fully intended VIII. we left
home to camp out every night, but if
we had we could not have attended the
picture shows along the way. We
heard the bugle call early next morn
ing and got up and saw the soldiers
drill, ate a hearty breakfast and start
ed to Humboldt. We had promised we
would be good boys and not get into
any mischief, but we had had good
joke played on US, and desired to play
one on somebody, so when we came to
big pond on the side of the road
where there were five little negro boys
in swimming, we rode up and got off.
l took out little book and pencil /
had in my pocket and asked them their
names. We told them we were SOL
diers and that it was against the law
for them to go in swimming on the
public highway. They jumped out Of
that pond, grabbed up what little
clothing they had, and took across
the woods. We heard one of them say
Oats dem'ar sojers we bin hearin' |
bout so much; dey sho' wont ketch
mel" They were soon out of sight
and we got on our wheels and went on
to Humboldt. We only spent a part
OF the day there. We rode around on
our wheels and saw the town, ate an
early supper nd started for jackson.
Night overtaking US, we rode along |
IN the moonshine until late in the night |
we came to bridge in the shadow of
a tree and in some way missed our way
and all rolled off into the creek. The
water was not very deep but we were
wet and had to change our clothes. We
had our clothes in oilcloth bags or else
they would have been wet as we'll as
we were. We intended to get into
jackson in time to attend the picture
show, but it was late when we arrived
there. We got up early the next
morning, which was Saturday morn
ing. We rode around town a while.
ate a good breakfast, and took the
highway straight to Brownsville. We
stopped and got cool drinks at every
place along the road and at II o'clock