The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-12-21

making, and the hundred other employ
ments women turn their hands to now
adays were unknown and untried by
them then; SO put the little / had in-
TO clearinghouse. | didn't live about
here at that time-you see, it's an old
craft with mel lived in the western
part of the state at Croftford."
Croftfordi" echoed Mr.. Royburne,
STOPPING to pick up the bow he had let
| fall.
"Yes. You have been there? It's
thought pretty place of its size. The
house l kept looked out on the Mall,
where young folks went walking arm
in arm in the long summer evenings,
and sometimes the band played-such
tunes! They don't seem like the same
thing nowadays. Oh, don't you feel
well tonight, Mr.. Royburne?" she ask
ed, picking up stitch in her knitting.
GAS usual, thank you, Mrs. Dunn. ="
"Things come on so suddenly at
times" she apologized. 81 thought
you must be going to have an i'll turn
just now You looked quite ghastly,
upon my word. Are you quite sure that
you feel all right?"
alt was nothing, believe me-noth-
ing more than twinge of rheumatism,
that one must expect at my age"
EgnhT W., r,,,-o 49,
such a start, assure you"
"The young people were walking
arm in arm on the Mall, and the band
was playing" giving her the cue.
"Oh yes, thanks. I'd been in bust
ness about year when he came across
my path. l dare say it's silly for me,
with my gray hairs and crow's-feet, but
sometimes of spring morning, when
| open my window and the fresh fra
GRANGE steals upon me, find myself
forgetting my years and expecting him,
just as l used to; and when come to
my senses presently, all the day seems
vacant and dark, and 60 about with
weights at my heels, and the spring
sun is behind cloud. / don't suppose
you can understand my nonsense"
"You don't know me-" said her
listener, turning his back upon her to
snuff the candles.
"He wasn't one of my boarders,
you know" she continued, "but he
was intimate with some of them, and
as fam iliar in the house as need be,
coming to dine and lunch when it
pleased him, till he knew the lay of the
land as well as if it belonged to him.
That was long before L knew that he
cared or thought of me, for though my
glass told me | WASN'T ill-looking-it
has given over telling fattering tales
nowadays-yet I'd never thought much
about love and that sort of thing, being
practical body, and too busy to med
die with things [ wasn't called on to
worry about. He got in the way, when
his friends were out, of knocking at
the door of my private parlor, and
dropping in till they came home, as
matter of convenience, naturally sup
posed, because public parlors are drea-
ry places to wait in at the best, and he
was one of those men, I'd noticed, who
love luxury and prettiness desperately.
But one night when the moon was up,
and the band was playing out on the
Mall The girl left behind me-, and
was leaning out the window, after cast
ing up my accounts for the day and
giving orders for breakfast, watching
the love-sick people strolhng about by
twos and stopping to kiss each other in
the shadow of the elms-somebody
tossed handful of cinnamon roses up
at my window. OF all the roses that
June blows that little old-fash-
toned cinnamon rose is the most
fragrant to me; and it was he,
calling to me to come down and walk;
and L went down, too readily perhaps,
and we walked through half dozen
tunes-such tunes as seemed like the
music of the spheres with variations.
Sometimes when I've been passing
your room, Mr.. Royburne, you've
drawn out strain or two of those very
airs on your violin, and it has seemed
as if smelled rose leaves, and I've had
to sit down on the stairs to recover my
self. However, when [ reached home
that night and locked up I'd found out
something | hadn't known when went
out had found out that loved Jules
Adderley, whether he loved me or not.
1t was an embarrassing piece of news
to me; it was both pain and pleasure
curiously twisted together. 1t made
me start at every step and get nervous
at every knock, and began to look in
the glass with more attention, and wor-
ry about my face, and grow absent
minded about the bills aud the house.
keeping, till one night l met him on
the stairs; he was going up and l was
coming down, and we didn't do either,
and-dear, dear, what an old fool am!
l can't think of that time without
tears-and the band outside in
the moonlight playing MY love is like
the red, red rose.' And yet he couldn't
really have loved me, you know"
al don't know any thing of the kind"
broke in Mr.. Royburne, almost angrily;
I'm sure that ne loved you"
81 like to think So" she said, smil-
ing to herself and looking into the fire;
" but you haven't heard all. We
weren't going to be married for year
or so, because he was only cashier in a
bank at Croftford, the Pactolus Bank
l hate the very sound of it; the words
burn my tongue-and his salary wasn't
big enough to please him; and then L
was in no hurry. 1 wanted to make
money myself, and life had grown so
sweet, was almost afraid of my good