The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-09-03

| Piled Sir, shall give my daughter ten
thousand pounds the day of marriage.
My calculation is as follows: She is not
eighteen, you are sixty-twO-there goes
five thousand pounds. Then sir, you, at
least, think her not ugly; she has many
accomplishments, speaks Italian and
French, plays upon the guitar; and as
fear you play upon no instrument what
ever, think you will be happy to take
her at my terms, for here finishes the ac-
count of the ten thousand pounds.
Whitfield asked the hand of young
American lady, of her parents, without
troubling to ascertain her inclinatiOnS,
and was good enough to let them know
they need not fear OF offending him by
declining the honor, since he blessed
God he was free from the passion called
love.
Next to Ignoring the lady altogether,
the worst way of making declaration is
to do it by deputy. Cupid is no friend to
faint-hearted lovers. Ii the damsel be
worth the wOoing, it is odds upon the
proxy suitor proving false, and suing on
his own account. When those insepara-
BILE brothers, William and Jacob Grimm,
were persuaded of the necessity of one of
them taking a wife, they had a friendly
contention as to which should be the vic
tim, and after some days argument, Ja-
cob decided that he, as the elder, was
bound to sacrifice himself They had
previously fixed upon the lady, beauti-
ful girl of twenty-five, but when it came
to the push, Jacobs courage failed him,
and William undertook to persuade the
maiden to love his brother. After a
weeks acquaintance poor William was
Mortified at discovering he had lost his
own heart, and now, fully alive to the eX-
cellences of the fair one, was miserable at
the thought of losing her, while he felt
that to rob his brother of such prize
would be an objectionable treachery.
Fortunately for everybody, Grimm's aunt,
a shrewd old lady, saw how things were,
and told Jacob what had come of Will
liam's efforts in his behalf. Jacob was
delighted to think he had escaped matri-
mOnial bondage, and celebrated his good
fortune by roaming about the country
free man, until the honeymoon was over
the cross cOurtship ending more pleas
antly for all concerned than such things
commonly do.
C nvinced by kind Mrs. Churchman
that he needed a wife to look after him,
the judiciOus Hooker escaped the bother
of counting and popping the question by
and arrange all preliminarfes. Happen
ing to have daughter upon her hands,
the diSintcreSted matTOn soon executed
her commission, and the great church
man was speedily married, as per contract.
Shakespeare's heroines are remarkably
ready to take the initiative, properly sup
posed to be the ladies' right only i'll Leap
\ ear. Helen demands the hand of Bert
ram as the price of her wOnder-wOrklng
prescription. DesdemOna gives OthellO
the broadcast of hints that she is to be had
for the asking. Miranda tells her patient
logman she is his wife if he will marry her.
Olivia says to her lovers masqucrading
messenger
Would YOU undertake another suit,
had rather hear you to solicit that,
Than music from the spheres!
Then finding Sebastian himself of more
malleable stuff than his fair double, fetches
priest to make sure of him while he Is
in the humOr; and Juliet, caught think
ing aloud, declares her willingness to lay
her fortunes at ROmeO's feet, if he will
but say when and where the holy man
shall make them one. If the poet drew
from the life. we must assume the ladies
of his time were equal to bringing laggard
admirers to the point by popping the
question themselves. One EnglishwOman
of high degree, at any rate, had not very
long before set her sisters the example.
Mary Tudor, thinking, not unreasOnably,
one lOveless marriage sufficient for life,
determined not to be sacrificed to state
policy again: and Charles Brandon had
not been many hours in France ere Mary
tearfully told him that, unless he welded
her there and then, he should never have
another chance. Brandon was not the
man to say nay to such an appeal from
the fairest princess in ChristendOm, let
what might come of it, and, at the risk OF
his head, accepted the prOffered hand. The
pair married in haste: but it is not record
ed that they repented at leisure.
Had the daughter of CASTOR dOrleans
been as wise as the English princess, she
would have taken Louis NV. at his word,
when he consented to her marrying the
GascOn, De LauZun. MademOiselle was
proud; if love had impelled her to offer
her hand, with her heart in it, to an in
feriOr, she could not brook the idea of be-
ing married in a manner unbecOmlng a
princess of the blood royal. The King
had time to listen to the remOnstrances
of his cOunselors, and when she besOught
him on her bended knees not to with
| draw his consent, could only reprOach her
VIII HOI HdfIhS PlOliVOU W IL "iN S
could.
Louise de SavOie, sometime Queen-re-
| gent of France, was equally unfortunate
when she usurped masculine privilege and
proposed to the famous Constable de
| Bourbon. Louise and Bourbon were at
variance respecting the disposition OF his
dead wife's property. Talking over the
| business one day together, the Queen-re-
| gent observed that there were more ways
| than one of accommodating a lawsuit.
Queen Anne, for example, had saved Brit
tany from civil war, in manner worthy
of imitation. True" answered BOur-
bon; "but | know not what princess
would enable me to settle your highness'S
suit in such an agreeable manner" ~ ou
forget, Duke, | am a widow" said Louise
allowing her hand to rest upon that of the
Constable. Bourbon's face darkened as
he rose to his feet, saying, " our high
ness mistakes me. The respect L owe his
majesty, the disparity of our years, my
own feelings, all render such union i'm
possible. If the King goes to law, will
light him, madam, that is all Had not
Louise de Savoie challenged that mOrtify-
ING rebuff, Bourbon had not lived to lead
his country's foes to victory, and the sack
of Rome would not be matter of history
Miss Kenrick, the beautiful heiress
celebrated in the ballad of the Berkshire
Lady's Garland, adopted singular method
of winning the handsome young attorney
BENJAMIN Child, with whom she had fall
en- in love at sight. She sent him an an
onymous letter, demanding satisfaction
for injuries received. After vainly puz-
Zling himself to guess whom his challeng'
er might be, and how he had offended
Child betoOk himself, duly provided with
second, to the place of meeting, near q
pleasant crystal fountain. There he saw
no fierce gallant, only a masked lady,
who asked him his business there. He
told it; whereupOn his fair questioner
flashing a rapier she carried for her secur-
ity, said,
| IL is that did invite you;
! You shall wed ne, rI'll fight you,
| Underneath those spreading trees,
Therefore choose from which you please!
Rather taken aback by such summons to
surrender. Benjamin asked to see his chal-
lenger's face ere he decided. This was de
MED; she would not unmask until the
knot was tied, but generously accorded
him an hours grace to turn the matter II
his mind. His friend advised him, as he
! oo,,IJ lo-o rntbinor fn taE tha lady an0