The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-09-17

riage ended in a miserable divorce; only
4 just beginning life then, so to speak. Th,
= dream of her girlhood, before
{ she met Mark Hascall, and founC
in him her congenial SOUL" haC
e been to 90 OH the stage and b,
/ famous. All | don't suppose there evel
was romantic boy or girl who didn't hav,
the same dream one time or another. ThC
ambition came back to her now with
wild heart-bound. If she could become al
actress. and show them all what she wa;
capable Of-Mark, who had blighted hel
life, as she said to herself the coarse old
!, mother-in-law who snubbed her, and even
her own father and mother. who seemed
tired of her and disappointed in her,and TO
look upon her as burden on their hands.
and who somehow didn't seem to care for
her as they used
She didn't consult all her friends about
it. She made up her mind all to herself,
and when she was ready to 90 she just
went, and the friends stormed afterward.
When you want to do a thing, the best way
is to go and doit. Isabel was young, bright,
handsome and persevering, therefore she
succeeded, and when she was successful
her friends who had turned their backs
on her turned around face front again, and
opened their arms. It's the way of the
world.
Her life was full of ups and downs and
petty vexatiOns, too. and hard work; but
throughout it she had one steady jOy-her
brave, bright. pretty boy, her Leon. Moth
er's heart could not have longed for finer
son. He grew and thrived like June
blossom, until one morning Isabel remem-
. bered it was his birthday, and he was ten
years old. He had never given her mo
ment's sorrow in his life, except that when
ne was a very little fellow, he used to
run to her from his play sometimes, and
say:
Tommy's papa is going to take him a
ride. Where is my papa, mother?"
At such moments life seemed very bitter
! for a little while. As the child grew old
er. however, he ceased to ask her such
questions. He seemed TO under stand it
! himself. And now Leon was ten years old,
and she had heard no word of Mark Has
call since the day he kissed the child and
wentaway.
| That summer she took her boy and went
! to an obscure farm house in Maine for the
vacation. Though in Maine the settlement
was as new and unfinished - one might
/ say, as any place in the Western wildS.
! That was why she chose it. She saw so
much art all the year round that the very
breath of nature rested and gladdened her
| life. They had neither doctor nor minis
ter in the settlement. They didn't need
any doctor, they said, and no minister liked
so rough a living as theirs was.
The old lady at the farmhouse gave lsa-
bel her best bed, covered with the delight
of her eyes. her saw-toOth" quilt, with
calico teeth so sharp and fierce that they
looked as if they might have sawed your
head off at any moment. Isabel liked it.
because it was old-fashiOned and country
ish, and somehow, as she grew older,
cOuntryish things began to be beautiful to
her eyes. think it is so with most of us.
Brave Leon was as full of childish happi-
ness as his little body could hold. He
made acquaintance with the pigs, sheep
and cows at once, and was soon on excel
lent terms with even the old mother hens.
He watched the nests in the morning, and
ever and anon came running merrily in.
holding up fresh-laid egg, and cackling
to initiate the brown hen that laid it. Isa-
bel thought she was happier than she had
ever been before, glad with the innocent,
heartful happiness of childhood.
One day Leon fell into the little river.
and before they could rescue him the
bright, sweet, loving child was drowned.
Isabel would have torn her heart out to
bring him to life again, and when that
would not do it, she could have torn her
heart out with agony. The only jov, only
hope of her lonely life, was taken away.
She cursed the hour she was born.
I" If your husband was only alive to help
you bear it, it wouldn't be so hard" said
the mild, sweet-faced old landlady. at
appears like mans arm is strong to help
a woman through troubles. I've had six
children. and buried four of them when
thar~
have killed me when | lost them, only for
my husband. He held me up. There is
no friend so near to woman as a good
husband. Forty years my old man-and
have held together, through good and bad,
and the older we get the more good there
is and the less bad, and in a few years
more, please God, it will be all good, and
no bad any MORE" said the dear old lady. !
reverently.
Isabel wept bitterly. 81 have no friend
in the world, not one, now in my trouble" |
she said.
The old lady held up her hands in dis
may. Don't take on like that" she said. |
Her son came in and whispered to her. |
She arose and went out with him.
Mother" said the young man, " there |
is not preacher within twenty miles OF |
here. What shall we do for burial ser
vice."
Again the old lady held up her hands in
dismay. "To be sure!" she exclaimed. |
But there's the schOolmaster, John. He |
is kind, Christian man, and will say it as
beautifully as any minister could. He !
ought to be a minister, this day, and he's |
a lesson to 'em as it is. There never was |
so good and wise man in the settlement, |
John, or one the people loved so. Get the |
John -
They told Isabel, who was in such a
maze of grief, poor, heart-broken, lonely |
creature, that she scarcely knew what |
they said. They had the child's funeral |
in the schOOl-hOuse, and all the neigh
bors, good, kindly people, came to help !
her bury her dead. In the schOOl-hOuse |
Isabel covered her face, and scarcely saw
the tall, pale man in black, who stepped |
timidly up the open space beside her boys
coffin. He read chapter which is very
blessed to bereft mothers:
''Suffer little children TO come unto me,
and forbid them not, for Of such is the
kingdom of God"
Isabel heard that, even through the
Of grief. Then the schoOlmaster
sang a hymn. Isabel started when she
heard it. For the voice which sang was a
thrillingly sweet, rich tenor voice, and the
H. Illll Was Ouc NulCH OHCt HlOiIeT-lll-ldW
Hascall sang at child's funeral.
Isabel looked up, as the beloved school
master advanced and with reverent hands
the face of her boy. He look
ed at her too, then, and also at the dead
child in the coffin. then he began softly
and gently:
This little one"
He stopped. While they looked to see
what it meant, there came sudden. heavy
fall. The beloved schOolmaster had faint
ed across the coffin of the dead child. ISa-
bers heart seemed bursting. while they
lifted him up and sprinkled his face with
water. For the pale face of the beloved
was the face of Mark Has
call. He recovered himself in a minute.
and sank beside the coffin. claSping it in
his hands with bitter cry. Driven by an
impulse she could not resist, Isabel hur-
ried forward and fell on her knees beside
him, and they wept together beside their
lead child's coffin.
May be the bright spirit of the dead lit
tie child embraced them both in his tender
arms.
Do you know what the rest is 1t is