The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-11-19
"Tell me why not, dear Miss Violet ,

"Tell me why not, dear Miss Violet u
he said at last.
\ Placing her little hand on his, turning
fully on him the glory Of her eyes, bend
ing very slightly toward him, as If, with
all the sense of her beauty, to blind him to
the blow. she said
MIR. Sterry, have done wrong-not
to you only, nor TO myself only, but to
another. The gentleman TO whom | am
engaged returns from Europe soon. and
am to be married in September
But you do not love him?n said Mr.
Sterry hurriedly. You cannot love him
tell me for yourself, that you do not"
Yes, | do love him." answered Violet.
I" have always loved him."
81 have ventured to think that my at
tentions were not unwelcome to you,"
continued Mr.. Sterry; 81 have then been
mistaken p" - - va ~
"Yes," replied Violet, in a low voice.
taking her hand from his, where it had
lain lightly and untouched, "yes, l did
not care for your attention, but it was dull
and lonely here in summer, and l am
young and fond of pleasant company, and
oh, Mr.. Sterry, you might have known
that / wouldn't marry clerk"
A very long pause ensued, during which
Violet furtively watched him. 1t was the
trite old simile of cat and mouse.
True, | might have known, but did
not; and he rose to go. r"- H.
AT the door he partly turned. Violet
was standing, her hand outstretched, sweet
and infantine dimples playing about her
face, grace and winning Cancellation in all
her manner. "Now don't be angry with
me, she said.
81 am not angry. he replied. And
that was his farewell.
"Auntie," said Violet. as she went in as
usual to bid her good-night-and as she
spoke she turned up the gas-hght, and
looked in the glass at her own face in va
riOus positions before she continued her
narrative 'Auntie, do YOU know that that
clerk that / spoke of, offered himself to
me ?! Wasn't it impudent?"
"Oh, Violet but you told him"
"Oh, yes, told him-and now, as we
go so early tomorrow, 1 will say. good
night, auntie dear.'' S-f
They went to the country, and immedi-
ately after their return, Violet was mar
ried. Il
Before that event took place, she made
some excuse to go to the store where Mr..
Sterry was employed. But she did not
see him, nor did she ever see him again.
l. W. years Sic anu
were at Mackinac, where they made the
acquaintance of a jolly Britisher, as charm
ing of manner as he was ugly of ceunte-
nance. Sitting on the cliff one night after
tea, looking off on the peaceful waters,
now all dyed warlike red in the evening
sunset, some chance remark started the
Englishman on the subject of American
girls, whom he characterized as "fast,"
and upon being challenged by Violet to
give an example, he told a story of a
friend of his "a Lord Hastings) "who in a
fit of illtemper ran off to America, and ac-
tually served as shop-man, you know, in a
city in New England, think you call it
well, of course, no one knew who he was,
and he fell in love, do you know, with a
regular beauty; he used to tell me that
she was, 'pon honor, the most beautiful
being he ever saw; she invited him TO call
and used to receive him alone-nO parents,
and convenient old aunts always out of the
way; and there was something about
meeting at some beach in the rain, and the
landlord thinking her 'Sterry's sweet
heart and so on-weA, by and by he
offered himself-and, do You know, she
told him that she was soon to be mar
ried to some one else Hal ha ha dye
seer'
Violet's pink cheeks were suffused with
deep peony color. She longed to know
more, yet she was tremblingly afraid to
ask. Fortunately her husband laughingly
inquired: =
"And what became of him?''
-"Well, them" continued the BritOn,
"just after his refusal, he got word of his
fathers illness, and off he went at once to
England. It's just my impression that he
was too much of man to grieve for girl
like that. He was married before l left
England and is living very pleasantly. 1
made visit at his home in West Derby
not long before Il came to this country.
Oh, many's the talk we have had over his
experiences in America He used to turn
his eyes slowly toward me and say, 'Oh,
Mr.. Sterry? you might have known
wouldn't marry a clerk ? And then he
would laugh, and would laugh, and we
would both laugh together-d'ye see?n
"Let US go in," said Violet, rising;
" the air grows chill. l.n"-Daabmy NeaOs.