The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-02-25

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having it seen, and few of her nearest
friends ever saw it. Will was pro
foundly ignorant upon the subject. He
could not understand, you know. Rura
Quill, Esq, was somewhat a celebrity
wrote humorous articles that went the
rounds of the state press, and wa:
hailed wherever he went by the same
unquestioned authority, swift, Scholar
Patriot, Poet" and, indeed, only missed
being great man by so many others
having been greater in his peculiar
line. He was editor of "The Clarion, ,
published in LynesviIle, live town,
some thirty miles away. Some months
ago Milly had sent him, with a letter,
quantity apologetic for the "sin oi
rhyme, " poem, beginning
"Above the ftful, moaning sea
The wild winds sigh and shiver,
o! Winds Blow home my love to me;
love my love forever"
and so on, through a dozen stanzas
wherein several most heart-breakine
images, and all available rhymes fol
Ever, Never, Culver, and Shiver, were
completely used up. He had replied
assuring her that /" The sin of rhyme
is ono not to be paliated here, nor par.
doned in the world to come, but when
ore can write as you do (and that one q
womaB) then tits sinful to be silent,
and published her poem as one "that
would do credit to the pages of ou1
best magazines" and the correspond
ence and contributions had gone on,
increasing IN vigor aud inter sity until
now. His last letter had said, "In
such a case too know no impossible,
so five o'clock Thursday afternoon will
find me in presence of the Rose OF
Brier Wood" ard this was the fatal
Thursday. 1t was not without trepida
ton that she confded all the moment
ous affair to Will and she was relieved
that his only comment was, "Take
care that he don't get scratched. Nc
rose without thorn, you know"
That was busy day for Milly. She
filled the house with flowers till Will
declared ''the garden had moved in
DOORS" rausacked the orchard fol
choicest fruits and helped the cook gel
mp many and various dainty supper.
dishes. At o'clock she went TO array
herself IN the freshest of muslins, and
clme down a perfect picture, with hel
white draperies aud tea roses and hello,
trope crowning her brown braids. She
was pardonably proud of her appear
ance. Even Will thought "there
wasn't a girl in the whole country who
could hold a candle to Milly in that
rig" How he liked to tease her, sc
now he said "I know you don't al.
low spittoons in the parlor, Milly, but
you'd better have one hunted up. IL
bet my head your editorial friend chews,
and, with the eccentricity of genius, he
may take your new screen for a substi,
tute."
Horrors What proclamation Il
would be unworthy a Feejee Islander
No, sir whoever else allows it, my face
is set against it for ali time. But hush
there he comes" And sure enough
punctual to n minute, across the lawn
rolled a shining buggy, and from i
atghted the dapper and djStingge Rura
Quill.
When Milly recovered from the en-
barTassed first greeting, she found her
self tete-a. tete with an understood, mid
dle-a agel person, whose noticeable
points were a general wrinkled yellow
ness of complexion and a pair of dark
kindly eyes. He was fluent, courtly,
polished, none of your self-made men,
but the carefully manufactured article
Like his letters, he was extremely
complimentary. Had he not been 6
little less than call her fancy painted
him." Miily would have declared him
"splendid :" but nothing so disposes
to captious criticism as unfulfilled ex
pectations.
Milly breathed more freely. Supper
was over, and with it all danger of In
terruption. Papa Weyman slept the
sleep of the tired. VIII sat on the
porch, whence he could see and hear
''The Mutual Admiration Society.
I don't know what was in his heart
His mouth was full Of tobacco. Sup
per had been over an hour, and Rura
Quill, Esq, was hard beset with the
peculiar craving teeth-on-edge sensa-
tion born of abstinence and eating,
known TO all tobaceo-cheweTs. He
strove against it valiantly, but who
can master the giant, Habit? Milly
went for the writing desk to show him
her last poem. She might be away ten
minutes. He would quiet his nerves
with a chew. But she was not. She
recrossed the Threshold almost before
the precious morsel was settled in place
There was a very becoming tremor II
| the white hand that held toward hin
the fairly written sheet. He gave i
back with n most superlative bow
She must read it to him. Even it
music would be enhanced by her lips
Milly did read it, then wandered OF
into discursive review of her favorit,
poets, which, I am bound to say
abounded more in quotations than com
mon senss-for womsn's memory /
always ahead of her judgment-but wa
not wholly destitute Of that invaluable
article. It was almost monolOgue
and her wonder grew and increased owe
he sudden quenching of editorial bril-