The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-05-28

The children were quarreling. They
were always quarreling.
4" Win you go homef" says the girl.
"NO, L WON'T" says the boy.
"Nery well: then | don't 90 either, >
says Theo., settling herself more cOmforta
bly,. "I'm as good as you, and I've as
much right to run away as you have"
Girls can't rum says Master Ned, sen
tentiously.
"Can'tl' says Miss Theo., sarcastically
" Didn't beat you on a dead race the other
day, and didn't Daddy Dinkle laugh al
you well for it, and tell you I'd beaten you
in the conjugatiens from 'amo' to eau.
dire Ed beaten you in the multiplication
table, and now you We're going to let ne
beat you running? Pretty boy, youi
wouldn't be boy if ] had 10 be as stupid
as that"
Il do know multiplication says Ned
"How many are twelve times eleven
them"
Twelve times eleven had long been q
stumbling-blocll to little miss. and, mind.
ful Ofthat, she now brought it up as a
sumner for the race of boy.
Il know. but | won't tell,r said Ned,
sullenly kicking pebble into the brook.
II uSp. NldllCu 1tI nduus anu ldu1IlcN
outright. ''Oho, Master Ned! You
know it, do your If you can tell me how
much twelve time eleven are, / will write
your next Latin exercise for YOU"
Cannon" said Ned, giving the peb.
Bile vicious kick. "I tell YOU what.
Missy, there's one thing a girl can't do.
She can't be a sailor and 90 around the
world. and that's what I'm going to do.
I'D rather be sailor than know how
much ninety-nine times twelve is. Now |
guess I've got you"
But you can't cOniugate Gn0 to save
your life" said TheO., triumphantly.
A warm, bright room. A young lady,
with brilliant grey eyes, a firm mouth,
dazzling white teeth and bright pink
cheeks. sat on one side of the cheerful fire
opposite her sat slender, elegantly hand
some yOungman, graceful as picture, with
curling black hair, and eyes that young
women of sixteen adored because they
were so naughty, rowing, brigandish-
wicked black eyes they were. People still
said what pity the boy wasn't the girl.
Just opposite the bright fire, half way be-
tween these two, an Oldish man reclined in
an easy chair. He had big, bald head,
and the expression Offace of a baby. The
young lady was Theodore, the young man
was Ned Wallace, and the bald-headed man
with the baby-face was Daddy Dinkle. 1t
was Daddy Dinkle and his wards. Daddy
Dinkle was lecturing them in his mild
monotOnes.
My children, liberal learning will rev.
Olutionize the world. The wisdom of the
ancients, yoked with the inventive genius
Of the modern age, will draw the car of
progress steadily onward, Overturning in
its tracks the barbarism of the past and
the wickedness of the present. have in
finite faith in the ultimate elevation of he
whole human race through the power OF
liberal learning. / believe that the golden
dream of the promised time is yet coming
true in this world, when men and women
shall be gentle-mannered and honest,
when no man will have need to ask, who
is my neiehbOr and who's my brethren
but every man shall be every mans BROTH
er. To the end of fastening this promised
time, | have given my humble life and la
bors, refusing the emOlumentS which have
more than once been offered me. Mine
was a nObier task than to heap up money.
As my favorite Virgil so beautifully put it
- Majus opus moUeo.'
ITO this work, my dear children, look
ing forward with joy to the day when your
two bright young intellects would take
the grand task off my feeble old hands,
have trained you. 1t has been the hope
and dream Of my later years, that you two
children would one day take my school
and continue it, training the future man,
as | have tried to do, to read the classics
and love God and his neighbOr. TheO., my
girl, couldn't teach you embroidery. but
taught you Latin. 1t is my belief that
you can read Latin with any professor in
these loose and careless times. | couldn't
teach you TO make wax flowers, but
taught you liberal learning along with my
boys. and have discovered with Joy that
yOur inclinatiOns and mine ran together.
and You were ever the brightest pupil
had. r
But it is not good for man to be alone.
| have been a dreary old bachelor through
my life; why, one now in her grave alone
Knows. De mortuis nit 1lisi bOnun1. We
will not speak of that. But |, dreary old
bachelor, testify that a solitary life is not
a good or pleasant life. God never meant
people to be old maids or old bachelors
Ny more than children, my two friends,
who have made life less lonely for me, if.
besides continuing my school for me, you
could find it in yOur hearts to walk through
life tOgether-I tell you, next to my hope
and faith that the promised time will
come, it has been my fOndeSt earthly hope
that before my eyes close on this world,
they will look upon yOu two as husband
and wife. Believe me, know you better
than you know yourselves, and no other
man or woman can ever be to either OfyOu
what You can be to each other"
He spoke with more than his usual mild
energy as he concluded. The girl blushed
and cast down her eyes. The
young man looked up first. with flash OF
his brigandish, wicked black ewes, at the
placid face of Daddy Dinkle, and then,
with another flash into the fire. he made
an impatient movement of his arm, hap
PLY unnoticed by the peaceful old man,
but by no means lost on the sensitive
girl.
Z" Good night, my children" said the
gentle old man. Think about what l
said"
Then the old-fashioned old gentleman
took his Old-fashioned candlestick and
trudged off to bed. The moment the door
was softly closed behind him, Edward Wal
lace sprang to his feet with a look of eX-
treme veXation.
Daddy " Dinkle is a doosid old Don
Quixote,' he said. "What sort of a wea-
pom is a Greek root to fight the world
with? Inever said the cOnjugations in
nv life that | didn't get 'em tangled, and
don't know what the optative mood
means to this day. And even if / had all
the tarnatiOn old rubbish at my finger
ends, what use would it be TO me? If the
old gentleman had only seen fit to teach
me botany and anatomy"
=" like Daddy Dinkle's way best" i
TheO.
"Oh, yes, it's well enough for girls to
sit at home and learn rubbish. They take
no part in the stirring, active life of the
world. For them there are no worlds 10
conquer and measure, no boundless acres
Of marsh and forest to wrest from the
hand of nature and make habitationS for
man; no secrets of the ages TO drag into
light. and force them to disclose the origin
Of the race and of the world. Oh, my
spirit quivers within me when | think OF
i, and long to be gone. It'll do for wo-
men to sit by the fire and 6lrone over anti
luated lore a more glorious career awaits
a man-the immeasurable field of action"
1heo. tapped on the floor with her toes,
and looked into the fire, but said nothing.
The young mans eyes rested on her for
and look of slight pain mingled
with annoyance came over his handsome
face. he paced the floor for two or three