The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-08-19
MRS SMITHS VELVET CLOAK.

John Smith was not named John Smith
which is good reason why he should bt
known by the app"llarion in this relation,
For other heads would ache if his genu
inc cognomen was made public here in It's
given and Christian parts. He was not
an IL temperate man, but had a liking for
what are called nips. so called because
there is nothing substantial to nip about
them.
A married man was he, and in years had
passed so far along that the fire of five
and twenty had cooled ia his veins, and
the smoke of youthful passion had cleared
away from his brain. the covering OF
which important portion of his souls
corporeal tenement had lost a part of its
hair; so much of its hair, indeed, that
viewed from above il had a remarkable re-
semblance 10 tif there was ever such a
thing) midcwed or moldv billiard ball.
Mr.. John Smith, that is to say, was an old
young man. Not old enough to be solid.
and too old TO be flighty; with a relish re-
manning from the many reliShes of his
earlier days, for a good, fangy drink.
Mrs. Smith, was a good yOung-Old wo-
man, with a weakness for Ornamentation,
growing like a fungus on fair tree-stem.
upon her honest love for hoIe and its
vain, and her soul underwent much lace
ration when Mrs. Jones fiauntel past her
window with a new hat on, or Mrs. Rob.
inson land how Mr.. Robinson ever saw
any thing in that jilt of a hOmely thing
she could never understand) fluttered by
with new parasOl of the latest STYLE and
new plum-cOlOred ribbons all over her
dress. For to tell the truth, Mrs. Smith S
new dresses were fewer and farther be-
tween than the most transient calls bes-
tOwed upon mortals by the least sociable
of angels. But she loves her home, was
devored to her husband, and, all things
considered, tolerab'y content
1t was the commonest thing in the
world for Smith, when he went down
town in the morning, to meet Brown,
with whom. hen boy, he had been on
terms of never-dying intimacy whose
youthful sprees were associated with his
own. but who was still bachelor And
Brown would say, as they sauntered down
Madison Street. Amt it about time to
take some medicine?' % to which Smith
would respond, . think this is about the
proper hour" And they would imbibe
wine Of coI n to the extent Of about fifty
ce is worth, the expense being jointly
divided; for one day Brown would pay
the doctor and another day Smith would
pay him. So that their medical accounts
footed up, upon the whole, some $75 to
500 year each. And it was all very nice,
though wrong.
One morning, when Smith had finished
his breakfast and was preparing To sally
forth upon diurnal business, Mrs. Smith
arrested him with the observation, deliv-
ed just ahead OF the parting osculatiOn,
"Johnny, my love, L want a velvet
cloak
Melinda, my dear" said he, " why do
you want velvet cloak p
Because" said she, " you know very
well my old lace sacque is not so nice as
it used to be; and. beSi e. it is growing
chilly, and YOU know my old cloth sacque
is so shabby declare I'm ashamed to look
at it. and | know look like fright in
either of them, and can't go out without
something on. And, besides, Mrs. Rob
inson HIS just got beautiful new velvet
polOnaise, that only cost $l50-"
Smith shut one eye and WINGED.
- and she trimmed it with the lace
of her last summers silk dress, and ii
looks Just lovely, and really feel so dow
dy when | see it and then think of what
I've got that could just cry. There -
And the pretty little ladv's pretty little
lips began to tremble. Smith grew seri-
Gus.
"I know I could get a real handsome
cloak for S75. | know | could. The vel
vet wouldn't cost over $50, and L could
get il trimmed perfectly delicious and
made up for S25 more, and think ought
TO have il. OfcOurse | don't care for any
thing so grand as Mrs. Robinson's, be-
cause know very well we can't afford il
but think 1 might have one that would
cost half as much
Z 80
I'm sorry. but | haven't. If | had. you
should have our cloak. I'm sure would
be more pleased to see you with it on than
you would be 10 wear it; but | can't af-
ford it"
And Smith meandered downward, leav-
ing a sore heart behind him. At the cor
ner he met Brown. and the nipping o 'era-
ton was successfully performed previous
TO an outlay of twenty-five cents on the
part of Smith, whose wife's request trou-
bled him all day long. When he returned
home in the evening he found her in tears
"My darling" he said, whats the
matterp"
Then. with many breaks and thousand
sobs, Mrs. Smith squeezed out the in
formation hat she had met the wife of
Mr.. Lawrence O'Ragan. who kept the
samIly-room on the corner, with polo
$500. And when Smith came to think it
over he rem embered having seen this
identical lady come into the bsr-room with
that identical gorgeous piece of apparel
on. and ask Mr.. Lawrence Organ for
money; and that MIR. Lawrence O'Ragan
had thereupOn gone down into his panta-
looms pOcket and fished up a regular
Daniel Lambert of a wallet, from which he
extracted $50 without making any no.
ticeaole impression upon it, and handed
the money over TO his spouse. The recol-
lection caused him parg. 81 have been
buying that woman's clothes" said he to
himself, and here is my own wife going,
might say. naked. Aud what good does
it do me? Not any. | will do it no long
er." So be comforted his wife, and told
her he had found a way TO get the money
without incOmmoding any one, and she
should have her cloak.
Next day he met Brown as usual, and
Brown, as usual, extended the invitation
to nip.
Nay" said good Mr.. Smith, "nip me
no more nips. l have nipped my last nip,
and nip no more. Ishall never contribute
another cent 10 this aecurSed traffic in
liquor. I've sworn of"
And so it was. Every day, instead OF
spending that money on liquor, he laid 1t
aside. True, the friendship between him
and Brown cooled of, but his pile grew
from day to day. And in the short space
efone year be had saved the requisite
amount.
One evening he walked into the house
with a bundle under his arm. When he
had laid aside his hat and umbrella, he
stepped over to where his wife was sitting,
and tossed il into her lap. She opened it.
There were ten yards of elegant silk velvet
ans SIS in shin-plasters. The little lady's
ewes snarkled with joy. She sprang up
and threw her arms about his neck. %,
.Johnnv. where did you get il, you dear,
good. old boy? o. ant IL just lovely, my
dear. and the money, too, how much there
is of i'll | am sure l never had such
pleasant surprise in all my-lfe; kis'
me-
John Smith, he Of the mildewed head,
but warm heart and tender stomach, sal
down and told her all about it. And q