The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-06-25


liked, her to be here. You are 4 second
father TO her.
80 You won't tell her?'
-'Oh no; there is no occasion. 1t is
! simply true that am very much in want
of her help at home
"Then reproached myself for having
been selfish in keeping her so long; and
she came i'm. radiant and affectionate. and
felt that a sort of void was made in my
life, which | knew not how to fill. /
drove slowly back, after leaving them
at Furzeham, and stopped to give an
order at the saddler's. While was there,
these words caught my ear: 'Will she
take the old one or the young one, think
ye?
" ] could not see the speaker: did not
know the voice, but at the moment, the
words seemed 90 have an unpleasant sig-
nificance, though probably they had no
reference to me.n
Things do occur very Oddly" interpO.
lated Jack. "They might have alluded to
something quite different. Circumstances
seem sometimes to be tinged bv what is
uppermOst in the mind. The man might
have been talking of horses or cows that
he had to sell. Had you any notion that
your son admired Miss DaltOn?'
None whatever. He was at that time
very backward sOcially-devoted to hard
reading, and if he spoke of women at all,
il was to depreciatc them intellectually.
should have been hard on him for it,
but that he could not remember his
mother; and Anna, dear creature, is not
clever"
" She is none the worse for that, in my
opinion" interrupted Jack. As a rule,
L.,
ness. which is the chiefcnd for which they
are sent into this world"
1t was useless to answer this, though it
irritated me; he had always taken low
tone. or he could not have married the
inSipid little woman whose twaddle was
quite up to his mark
- But 90 on, James" he continued;
want TO get at the postage stamps.
think, by the way, that Mrs. Dalton was
right TO take her daughter home. Unless
people hereabouts are simpler or more
good natured than they are elsewhere,
they would infallibly say that her parents
were trying to catch you or your son for
her.'' ~ r
| WINGED again, and said You may
he right: but as have never troubled my
self about gOssip-pOSsibly because have
never been affected by it-I thought it very
hard at the time. There was |, deprived
of the harmless, pleasant fitting of girl
about my quiet hOuse, and she was re-
moved from surroundings that suited her
TO very meagre home
"Where she must have been very much
wanted by her mother" =" interrupted Jack.
1.-The fact is, James, that | suspect you
were, quite unconsciousiy, in love with the
young LADY,"
MOI" replied |, stoutly. "of that am
quite certain; but admit that after had
thought over the matter some weeks. |
asked myself why | should not marry her
if her parents would give her TO me will
lingly, and if she thought she could be
happy with me. That in a way, she loved
me, | was as sure as loved her--nOt with
a lovers lOve-that was as impossible with
me as second-sight, but with affectiOnate
appreciation, cordial admiration. genuine
pleasure I'm her society, [ could but take
her from poverty to affiuence, and, when
died. leave her independent.
"What prospect has a parsons daugh-
ter? He can leave her nothing. If, by
some painful process he cOntrives to edu
cate her-as il is called-tO make a gov
erness of her. what life is before her.
declare think girl ought to marry any
kind. good man who loves her, than teach,
teach, teach conflict with the old Adam in
children day after day, year after year,
having no freedom of action. no home the
while, till she is too old for it; and, after
helping her family, has perhaps saved
what gives her twenty or thirty pounds
per annum, Oh which TO languish and die.
Dorothy, moreover, could only be fit for a
very inferior situation; she had bright
parts, but no systematic training. What
was to become of her-her mother, and
sisters, when Dalton died? She might
with her attractions, she probably would
come across more than one man who
would be fond of her, but could not marry
without money. Of what use would that
be? After discussing the matter with my
self month, wrote her a letter, of which
| remember every word-ay, even the po-
sitiOn of the sentences. | told her that
though not with young mans love, not
with the sacred love | had given my wife,
| loved her; that | would rejoice in her
presence, would shield her as far as |
could from the ills of life, till my death.
and after it, would advance her brothers.
and sisters interests. make her mothers
life easier. told her to take herown time
to consider and to consult her parents.
| wrote late one night, and next morning
the letter seemed TO me too important for
my own post bag. was not afraid that
the servants or post office people would
think it odd that | wrote TO her. for had
often done that; but resolved to take the
letter myself, and post it at Crossford. The
postmaster there had married pariShiOn-
er of mine; she would be glad to see me
the walk was a pleasant one, and | was in
a frame of mind which demanded quick
motion. | stepped out cheerily, that bright
September morning, wondering among
other wonderings whether Dorothy and
should ever walk that way as man and
wite-"
"Now," interrupted Jack, 81 suppose
we are coming to the postage stamps"
ave are" said /, ''but we must come
at them my own way. The pOst-Office at
Crossford was a grOcer's shop. The mis-
tress, my friend, Mrs. Sims, was, as eX-
pected, pleased with my visit.
"'Such pleasure, to be sure, sir, and
you looking so well-fresh as a four-year-
DID, as my good man do say of you, sir,
special. Yes, he's nicely sir; thank you
gone to BoXham market to look about
some pigs. There's fine new sort, they
do say, that Sir William have brought into
the county, from Shropshire. You come
into the parlor, sir, and sit down. You
may well look at all them letters.
couldn't say how many has been for
stamps this morning, and hadn't one till
half an hour agone. Master Charley, too,
he have been for some. They left their
letters, and | said I'd see to stamping
them, and that | will, surely
"'I'l do it for you,' said [. Il see you
want TO put away these goods, and it will
lmuse me while talk TO you.'
$50, Notwithstanding resistance on her
part, began.- / dare say there We're be-
tween thirty and forty of them, and was
getting rather tired when came to the
last. | had really not looked at the adj
dresses of the others. [ could not have
told where one of them was going; but
Ihis one"
"Was to Miss Dalton. from your SOM"
exclaimed Jack.
1t was indeed, | replied; land can
not attempt 10 describe my feelings. be-
lieve that / was for some seconds uncon-
seious; the ground seemed gone from un-
der my feet. My own son was deceiving
me; and l could not conjecture how
tar Dorothy was involved. The one mis-
cradle consolation was that my own
letter remained safe in my pocket.
was not committed. l conclude that my
had chanped for when I rose