The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-04-23

there, | never meant to tell you any OF
Mr.. Royalston's speeches.
Presently mother rolled the armchair
near the fire. and when he had drunk the
hot milk and was getting restored, she
went for the girls. at is Judge Royal
stOn's son. she said. "He is here, and he
must stay. So build fire in Annals room,
and then come in. Anna must get along
with you as well as she can tonight" !"
My room was the prettiest, because kept
a feathery elematis round my looking
| glass-my great-great- grandmother dress
ed to be married in that glass, and so did l
and autumn leaves and red barberrieS
about the old prints on the wall and for
the rest, it was all as white as snow, if there
Hers no carpets-wc hadn't a carpet in the
house, which would have pleased Florence
Nightingale, for one.
After the girls had crept into the room,
and Rob had come back from attending to
his horse, Francis ROyalstOn told us what
had brought him there. He had ridden
down to the beach in the storm to see the
ship ashore on Dead Mans Reef, and as
the night fell it came on to snow, and he
| lost his way, for late as the season was, it
showed furiously, and he would have died,
he thought, if he had not seen the drift
wood fire through our windows, and
steered for it. Il didn't know you, Mrs.
Featherstonehaugh, t" he said. ''But had
met YOUR son, and seen your daughters at
church, and thought their faces were so
kind might venture. Now lam going to
beg aniGtrOductiOn
Your mothers son would always be
welcome" mother began, but Rob inter-
rupted her.
"That's Anna" said he, "the brown
eyed one. She's trump. She looks just
like the picture of our grand
aunt there, the one that had her arm
broken in the big bolt of the block-house
when the Indians came! Anna d do it,
| too"
"Do hush. Rob-" For Francis Royal
ston was laughing while he bowed.
"And the blue-eyed girl is Amy, and
| the black-haired one is Maria. And now
we're all acquainted, suppose we roast
some potatoes in the ashes here"
" Here ~
'Yes: didn't you ever do it? it's very
iollv.'' And Rob brought dishful which
he had washed and scraped while out be-
fore. and rolling them in wet brown paper,
he clapped them into the hot ashes. And
when they were ready. mother had some
cream and salt and pepper and smoked
herring. 1t was all done like frolic, but
| have never been at any luxurious feast
ing since whereOne ate with betterrellsh
than Francis Royalston did that night.
Well, we had a merry evening, and
when we showed Francis his room, we
closed the wooden shutter that he might
sleeD the longer: and so when he came
down in the morning it was ten O'Clock,
and we had breakfasted, with good eX-
cuse for not disturbing one who was so
tired. And mother had a little dish OF
milk-toast for him, and a cup of father S tea
father had tea-and he thanked us, and
babe us good by, and rode away. Il am
coming again. he said at the door that
bright morning, in the dazzle of the azure
and sunshine and fast-melting snow
And was half frightened at the thought
and half happy with the hope, and l wish
ed to heavens he wouldn't, and L wished
to heavens he would.
As soon as the roads were fit, along
came Judge and Mrs Royalston, and they
banged away at the big front-door, that
was only open for weddings and funerals
and Rob was digging clans down on the
beach, and nobody let them in. But only
a night or two after there was ringing
knock at the side-door again, and i'll walk
ed Francis Royalston and his two sisters
Il
you're not at home when the tire-light il
. sending your shadows dancing every
where in sight. Just as the shadows OF thu
old portraits danced as we ran by then
at night. Mother many time said tina
father would sell those portraits we cOulC
be relieved from our straitS-they Wert
r Stuarts and Copleys-but father would a:
. soon have sold the bones of his ancestors
. Well, here we were in society, and w
j had to make the best of it. Rob set up ;
pitch-pine knot in the corner of the chin
r ney-piace, and we took the girls things
= and before we knew it Francis had mad
: us as comfortable as though we had gon
: to school together. Rob was the shy on
. now. When the evening was half over
r the girls were talking of masquerade
: they were going to have, and they wanted
: us to 90. We looked at each other and a
: mother. What would we have given t
= 90! You know young girls will b
, Young girls, Rob was red and white b.
r turns. but he had made up his mind, and h
E blurted Out the truth. Il suppose yOl
e know all about it, anyway" said he; "s'
t what's the use! We're too poor for tina
t sort of thing, and the girls have enothing a
: all to wear"
"Oh ~ said Phoebe and Jane together
S in a compassionate breath; and Am.
5 Featherstonehaugh burst into tears.
e "Now,'' said Francis. ''As if peopl
= couldn't be happy and be poor! and hap
{ piness is the end of all work"
4 1--WE are pretty happy" said Jus
D now. But I'm sure | don't know what
4 to become of us by-and-by." And, d'
: YOU know, we were presently talking t,
t those rich Royalston girls, whose pinl
. bonnets we had envied so, just as If the.
t were ourselves. And that brought u
: around to the masquerade again. But
t don't see,' said Jane; "yOu must nav
f lots of finery in that old trunk your mo
e ther spoke of that would be just the thin:
: for fancy ball"
t THAT'S so,' cried Rob. They can g
1 as antiquities. And if Anna'll make M
n a harleQuin's suit of the Continental cuI
e rency upstairs, I'll 90 as the Fool of Ia
D per Money"
# 80 YOU can,'' exclaimed Franci:
e Mrs. Featherstonehaugh can't Rob an
V | 90 and get that trunk DOWN."
i Mother went into the drawing-roOm an
d got our immemorial wax candle, and lie
:, the expedition, and down they came wit
h the trunk; and the way those Royalsto
d girls screamed over it almost gave us col
Vulsions. it was such worthless stuff to III
q who needed calico.
Q "Now just seeI" said Jane. ''There
4 some ancestress of yours in that picture
O frame up there, and here's a dress exactl
e like the thing she wears, and you can g
q in ii, Miss Anna, as your great-grcat-grant
h aunt who broke her arm in the Dol
+ Francis told us aboutit. And look at tn;
V rose-colored velvet! You can face it OF
s with this silver-cloth; there's reall
It enough of it untarnished. And here's
% whole web of yellow gauze, so old
a tears. No matter; the more streamel
a the better. Amy can be Morning with
d with flowers; we've lots in our greel
p house. And a purple brocade-"
le Just the thing for you," said Franci
looking at me, ''you brown-eyed, yellow
|. haired thing!"
" 'sAnd blue Oh. did you ever
le your life?'' And Jane was on her knee
II elbow-deep in the trunk, flushed andprett
n as possible.
1t We made haste gayly to get the thins
k on, and were sweeping about the ding
S, room, fine as you please, Rob and Franc
If laughing but admiring, when rap, ra
J. went fathers cane, and we ran into b