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

MARK HASCALL'S CONGENIAL
SPIRIT.


they get up, too said the young man.
little sheepishlv, but still very proudly.
He was having his brothers wedding
advertised in a city newspaper. HC
thought, somehow. that everybody mus
feel an interest in their wedding, even Il
the sharp, busincss-like clerk who took
his money and his advertisement behind
the counter in the city newspaper office
To Dick Hascall, country boy, young. a
little bit green" unused to grand we'd
dings, city ways, or city finery, this we'd
ding of his brothers was the one resplen.
dent event in the history of the world. II
was something to dream over and tell
about. But the sharp business clerk be
hind the counter in the city newspaper
office paid no attention to Dick Hascall.
He ignored the bashfully boastful little
remark in the lOftiest manner, as though
tall wedding" was the most ordinary
thing in the world TO him, as though he
had a Il" tall wedding" of his own every
day i'm the year. for that matter. Dick
looked disappointed at the sharp clerk s
evident want of sympathy. and turned and
went out without venturing any more re-
marks. Now, if I'd been that newspaper
clerk, I'd have certainly asked what the
bride wore, and who married 'em, wouldn't
you?
Dick Hascall's brothers name was Mark
HaScall, a country schOOlmaster, with a
sweet tenor vOice-a farmers son he was
who had married on short acquaintance
Bell GOswall, gay. brilliant city girl, who
played the piano. She played accOmpani-
ments. while he sang - Dreaming of Thee,
Love-" with his sweet tenor voice, and in
hree weeks time they could not exist
away from each other. After a lengthy
and extensive acquaintance of six weeks.
Mark Hascall went, one Friday night, to
the modest dOmicilc which was the home
of his father and mother, and said:
Mother, am going to be married"
Yes; so is that brindle calf" remarked
Dame HaScall, sarcastically.
But, mother, it's So" said Mark. Pm
going to be married as soon as schools out
to Bell GoSwall. You've seen her, haven't
you. mother?"
Dame Hascall set down the pan of corn
dough, with which she was feeding her
spring chickens, and wiped her brow with
her apron.
"Markey, Markey! Don't skeer me-"
she said family.
"Why, mother, what is there scary
about being married ?" responded Mark,
cheerfully. "You were married, you
know"
Dame Hascall recovered her presence of
mind Immediately. She never wasted
any time in giving way to her emotions.
She picked up the bowl of corn dough-
again.
MARX said she, sis it truth you've
been telln' mc?'
"Surc, mother. I be come all the way
from Sweetbriar TO tell you about it,
Mother IIaScall looked at him with her
$50 you've engaged yourself to that
city girl, have Won? And now you 90 to
the house, march to your room, go into the
closet and shut the door, and get down on
your knees and ask God Almighty to for
give YOU for bein' fool"
She took her empty dough pan, and
walked slowly into the house in a most
stately manner, without another word.
Mark frOwncd with veXatiOn at first.
then he laughed. then he fell to thinking
how little his old mother knew about him
and his Isabel, and about true love in gen
eral.
They were married as soon as ever his
angelic ISabel's multifariOus and multiglo-
rious wedding garments could be pre-
pared. Ii was ''tall wedding" sure en-
Ough. Isabel's father was not a rich man,
and he spent nearly all his worldly saw
ingS to give his daughter a magnificent
wedding and some forks and spoons. Then
he washed his hands of her future, and left
her to her husband and Providence. SO
they were married because they could not
exist without each other.
Ii was one of those hurried matches
which sometimes take place between two
young people whom the tateS have decreed
shall make fools of themselves.
They did not keep house, because Bell
didn't know how to work. and, secondly,
because they had no house to keep. They
remained at Farmer HaScall's, and they
had not been MARI d three months before
they began to discover that two cOngenIal
souls who had been mated i'm heaven be-
forehand, and born for each other. and that
sort of thing, could nevertheless quarrel
like two sqUabbling pigeons. Dame Has
call worked for them and was rather kind.
but grim and. on the whole. not encour-
aging to a sweet girl-bride, who wore white
Swiss morning robes trimmed with lace
and inserting, and didn't know how to
make soft soap.
- think YOU northumberland dear Bell, !
mother" explained Mark. "She is not
one of those frivolous city girls who can't |
DO anything but dance and thumb the |
piano. Dear Bell has very superior intel |
It'll lltl W llll lie 10 her llISl.
you know. That dear girl actually knows |
political economy; and her favOrite au-
thOrS are Mrs. Browning and TennysOn |
and Emerson"
Il don't know nothin' about Ennyson |
TemerSon." answered Dame HaScall, in |
diSdain. But | doubt Mrs TemerSon |
didn't learn her how to make a loaf of |
yeast riz bread. or to raise brindle calf |
by hand. or to do anything else that poor |
farmers wife has to put her shoulder to. |
Known how to do them things is what |
call a Savin' knowledge. However, she |
can learn, | 'SpoSe. wish her well. and |
You too, and I'll teach her how TO make |
butter and take care of calves and cab |
bages."
Mark smiled to himself as he turned |
away, and thought how his brilliant wife |
would stare at the thought OftOuching her |
dainty hand 10 churn. But the smile |
was more than half a sigh. Mark worked |
in the bayfield,. He had ALWAYS been an
industrious lad, but never steady. Some
days lac would work like steam OK.
crowdin- into one day As much as a slow
man would do in three days. then maybe
he wouldn't lift his hand for week. He
was just 50 in everything. All his life
Went by Jerks. He wanted something 10
lltll liltl bililt lld>tsall SdlG. lie l
seemed TO have found it with his new wife
at first. He worked valiantlv on the
farm. and came home at night tired hun
grv, and with soiled clothes, not at all the |
trim gallant who had won the love of dain- |
" Bell GoSwell. II wasn't always agree I
able TO Mrs. Bell TO put up her retinedli lips |
TO be kissed by man who had dirty hands |
and dust in his mustache. By and by she |
left off coming to meet him when he came |
from work. and reHSined in the vine-cOv- |
cred porch reading Margaret Fuller In 1
Mark wasn't always as sweet |
tempered as Bell thought him before they /
We're married. Bell never learned TO .
raise a brindle calf by hand She de- /
clared she could not endure the thought /
oil such coarse things,
Mother Is going 10 take a summer .
Doarder, Bell, = said Mark. one dav. Hes |
portrait painter, believe. or some fellow |
like that. He's coming out here to fish. /
and study ideal heads he's got in his own /
head"
WHATS he like - asked Bell
"Oh! useless fellow, wasting idle days.