The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-06-24

The hall was all in darkness but Wi
liam found the matches on the table, an
was Just going TO strike a light, whe
bIevricS Stumbled over something in th
hall. Hang il; dogl' he cried, an
dealt a desperate kick att. 1t was aheav
blow. and was followed by sound
| Crushing and breaking, and short shar
cry. What have / donel' cried MeyrieL
"A light quicki' The light revealed th
body ofa youth lying apparently lifeles
on the floor. William gave loud shrek
: It is brother John he cried. sMey
! rick. what have you done? You haY
killed him. 1t was the white horse, yol
see, that would not be denied.
Well, after a moments speechless hor
rOr, the two young men look d into eacl
others faces; the same thing had oecurrei
to each. They were both on bad term
with John. They had killed him-the,
would be seized, condemned, hung. Ii
the nurry OF the moment they did not SCI
that the most sensible way would be Il
give the alarm at once and explain things
They thought only ofeoncealment. List
ening mtently, they found that no on,
was aroused. Then they took up the BODY
by the bead and feet, gently carried it L
the woOd-house, and placing a log agains
the body, as if it had fallen down, thel
crept away guiltily towards the town, over
powered with grief and terror. They haC
not, however, got more than halfway
back, before William stopped suddenly
and clasping his hands to his temples
cried, Meyrick, my haiti His hat haC
blown off when they were carrying poor
John, and in the excitement he had forgot
ten all about it. There was nothing fol
It but they must go back, else they might
suffer.
"They reached the house at last. and
crept cautiously round to the yard. The
tempest had abated now, and wan
yellow moon showed over the trees. Will
liam's hat lay fall in the moonlight in the
middle of the yard. He had just clutched
it when he heard noise from the wood.
house, and looking up saw ghastly fig
ure, having the features of his brother
John, but clad all in white, in the
very habiliments of the grave. His
companion saw it at the same time.
and they both darted away at their utmost
speed. But the figure, whatever it was,
followed them, without sound or appar-
ent notion; each felt that the touch of
the specter was upon him. They reached
the town at last. There was a light in my
surgery, and for it they both made like
frightened deer. must tell you how it
was that nv surgery was ligt ted up at that
time Ofnight: -. -
"John. as told you, had spent the even
ing with me. and | was heartily wishing |
could get rid of him, when, as luck would
have it a message came from the quarry
TO which / am surgeon to call me to see a
young man who had fallen and broken
some bones. The messenger bad come on
and liz went on to the Goat to
order car and horse to take me to the
quarry, whilst | put up my instruments
and so on. Among other things L took a
small bottle of chloric ether as a stimUlant,
i'm case it were required. | could not leave
John in the house. and so | took him with
me. We reached the quarry, and attend
ed TO the young man, leaving John in the
car, and, as it happened, the bottle of
ether too. 1t was a cold night, and John,
seeing the little case-bottle, thought it con-
tained spirits. and, first testing it with his
nose, applied his mouth to it, and took a
good pull at it.
''When | returned TO the car, l found
the bottle empty, and John lying at the
bottom of the car fast asleep. Fortunate
ly, as it seemed at the time, he had not
drunk enough to DO him serious harm,
but the effect was as it he were intoxicated,
and il would be best for him 10 sleep it off.
But as we were driving homewards it oc-
Cured to me that would not like to have
him at my house any longer, and as it was
not far out of my way to 60 round by the
Plas, / determined to leave him there.
When reached the house, every one was
In bed, and not to be awakened. | made
up a sort of nest for master John, with
mats and rugs, upon The hall floor, and
5rove homewards through the avenue, the
white horse in the car showing conspicu-
Ously against tn dark background of the
night, and frightened our friend William
and his companion, as | have told YOU.
And that was how the accident happened
to poor John. When | reached home /
had some medicine to make up, and hence
the light in the surgery.
swell. not to keep you any longer in
suspense, may tell you that John was
not killed-not even seriously hurt; and
what happened to him in the wood-house
be told me afterwards, and it pleased me
SO much that will tell you all about it.
" He had not been long in the wood
house when the cold brought him to his
senses. He was under the impression at
first that he was still in the car, and that
was leaning heavily against him.
That was the log, you remember, they
placed against him. Well. he gave vio-
lent push, the log fell to the ground, and
he rose 20 his feet quite bewildered as TO
where he was. Seeing, however, the
shining through chink in the
door, he made towards it aud tried TO pull
he door open. But the log he had push
I'd off him had jammed itself against the
loor, and was immovable. Then struck
him that he was in prison. This narrow
confined place, out of which it was inn
possible to get, must be a cell of the pe-
ice lookup. He had been riOtous in his
cups, no donbt, and the police had taken
lin up. He was very indignant at first
hat he, gentleman's son, should be
treated so, and he hammered violently at
The door for some time, and shook il but
finding that nobody took any notice of
him. he made up his mind to 90 to bed.
Feeling about with his hands, he dis
covered kind Ofledge on heap Of roots,
where they had been taken away for
household consumption. 1t was more on
he level than you might suppose, the
wigs and fragments and chips from the
,hopping filling up the crevices. Stlll it
could not have been very soft. But John
lhOught that ID was the prison couch, and
.ook off his thugs, down to his shirt and
irawers. Then he crept into bed, but
iOund every thing very uneasy. They
lon t shake their flocks out in prison, any
low,' was his first muttered thought, as
he felt the sharp ends of the roots against
MS bones. This is the worst bed ever
was in: Pm hanged if they don't stuff
heir holsters with chips, And they are
,paring of their blankets too he said to
CROPPING here and there for the
Dedclothes. Hi Police, police = he
shouted, Come and make my bed
But nobody came; and
hen, la trying TO make himself more COM
ortable. he seized a projecting root, and
pulling violently at it, he brought down a
whole shower of spiky wood upon him.
3e could endure no more, bur jumped up,
md seiZing the first thing that came to
Iand, which happened 10 be the log living
gainst the door, he began to lsy about
Inn violently, intending to break every
hing in the cell. The hog having been re-
moved, however, the door began TO swing
.uietly open by its own weight, letting in
bright hood of moonlight. .Diaoul!'
ried John, pleased, but frightened, at the
esult OF his exertions, I've broken out OF
he lookup; l must run for it now.' 1t
Tas then that William saw the ghost.