Carthage courier. (Carthage, Tenn.) 1913-current, 1921-06-09
Smluh County,
church News
WWM D M Y 3
Fifty Years in the Ministry

During my college vacation 1871
Cousin Ponie Oakley OF Commerce
had gone to Crittenden County, KY,
to live with our uncle, Ephriam Tay-
Tor. He had left his horse at home
and made me proposition to pay my
expenses and give me ten dollars if ]
would ride his horse to him. ! ac-
cepted his proposition and left Com
merce early one Thursday morning
with pair of saddle bags and big
wooden shawl on my saddle. | passed
Lebanon and on out to Coles Ferry
on the Cumberland but no ferryman.
A stranger on foot was eager to cross
and said he could ferry me across.
We pushed off from the bank and
round and round and round we went,
all the time going down the river.
We landed mile below the landing
place and l pulled out through a field
and passed Callatin, taking the Hop
kinsville pike. An hour by sun / be-
gan inquiring for a place to spend
the night. Everybody turned me
down. At dusk found an old tobacco
barn in a field and dismounted and put
up for the night. Just back of me
4 had asked for lodging but the lady
told me to hit the road. 1t was a fine
home and wheat threshing there
After dark | went across the road
and borrowed II bundles of oats and
as many roasting ears on the sly and
fed my horse good. made myself
a comfortable bed Of 6 bundles of
oats with saddle bags for my pillow
and shawl for covering. / was soon
in sweet dreamland. About 2 O'Clock
in the morning a train passed, blow
ing a keen whistle, which frightened
no ~ nTT% s~f g. -
Kluck times then and not knowing
there was a train anywhere about /
thought they had me. Early
mounted and babe the old barn good
bye, thanking it for its shelter. /
never did pay the man back his oats
and corn / borrowed that night. All
this time / had not eaten a bite. /
rode all that day, landing at Penn
broke, KY. long before night and ate
my first bite since early the previous
day and paid IS cents for supper.
breakfast and a room. The next thing,
stopped with man by the name
OF John 0. Guess, three miles beyond
Princeton. He was a good man and
soon found he was a deacon in a
Baptist church and / felt better than
did in the old barn. He did not
charge me cent and babe the young
tFaveIer Gods speed. At u o'clock
the fourth day / arrived at Uncle
Taylor's and what a happy time we
did have. After a good dinner Ponie.
told me he had good sweetheart who
went home with Mr.. Hardinp's oirIs
from church, just below Uncle Tav-
Tor and ne wanted me to see her
soon we were on Mr.. Harding's porch.
surrounded by half a dozen bows and
girls. Suddenly the whole bunch went
up in the air and over the banisters
scurrying in every direction for the
woodplle and outhouses without say
ing word to me. Suddenly a fine
looking girl, about 10 years of age.
with bare arms and breast. bobbed
hair and bare-foted, came rushing to-
ward me, saying: you old niger,
what are you doing here?" She then
caught me by both cheeks and for
several minutes we pulled off a fight
no human can picture. She was stout
as mule. Chairs were knocked he'll
ter and SHELTER and me, too. Finally.
rescue came but / was carried back
to my Uncle Taylor's with the man
of the United States on my face. The
girl was the daughter Of a neighbor
who had come over for a SUNDAY af-
ternon visit and they were on the OBJ
posite side of the house under shade
trees and the girl, who was foolish.
slipped away and made for the COM
pany of young people who knew she
was there but / didn't. 1t wasn't
long however till / knew she was
there. That fracas got a long WAYS
past a joke with me and you know
by that it was serious affair. The
next morning / was writing mother
a letter about the stampede with the
girl on the porch when a two-hundred
pound woman with three red ears of
corn came in my room and informed
me she was going to lay the law down
to me right then and there. / rose
with the intention to run over her and
get out but she shook her fist in nav
face and said: "I'rn not going to ride