The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-06-08
An Eccentric American Widow.

An Eccentric American Widow. /
A letter from Geneva to the american
Register PARIS says: Like most con-
tinental cities, Geneva has its morgue. !
A short time since a medical man
had occasion, in the course of his pro-
fessi1hsl duties, to visit that ghastly
yestibule OF the tomb.9 He had com
pleted his business, and was about to
leave, when his attention was arrested
by large box which stood in one cor
ner of the apartment The box was
not at all in keeping with the somber
characteristics of the place. It'did not
bear the least rksehiblafice to eoffn;
there was nothing whatever of the NOR
bid or the suicidal in its appearance
rather the reverse, indeed. The exter-
nal aspect of the affair was that of a
substantial, handsome, brand new tray-
cling tfurk, Of eapagiohs dimensions,
and, presumably, as touching its inte-
rior arrangements, provided with every
possible convenience.
"a notwithstanding box for such
place. as this,r remarked the doctor,
interrogatively; ''what may it contain?"
!" An American gentleman" answer
ed the attendant, gravely. i"'lg sal q
"God bless me- an American gentle
mani What Is he doing thers?h
"He waits for his wife, Monsietit. F" Z
1.-THE deuce he does. i am afraid he
will have to wait long time" IN
"Pas du tout, Monsieur lie Docteur!
We expect Madame to take him away
very shortly. She travels at present"
dTravels, travels! What is she trav-
cling for9n -'-'
$40 amuse herself, Monsieur lie Doc
teuf;i' .vae...7.',.q 49,.
"Trateling for amusement while her
dear departed is doubled up in that
chest! What sweet creature she must
be! But, come now, tell me all about
it; how did it happenP''
"Avec plaisir, Monsieur lie DOcteur.
You see, Madame came from the United
States with her late husband to make
| the European tour. These Americans
are always travelling I was reading,
the other day, . book by 4 Ftench lady,
Madame Olympic Audouard; she has
been much in their country; she has
seen the way they live. Their houses
are built on wheels, so that they may the
more easily be moved about. People
don't cult their dwellings, as we do
here; they have no demenagements
across there, sir! They are too in
genious for that. When gentleman
desires to remove, he just orders the
horses to be put to his house and haul II
to another part of the town. And
Madame Audouard says that at certain
seasons of the year there are some
American cities where one meets as
MANY buildings moving along the streets
as YOU meet cabs in Geneva on fine
morning in abeIie saiSon."
81 congratulate you on the correctness
of your impressions about America, >
interrupted the Doctor. {" You mus
make a Journey there, or say you have
made one, and write a book of YOU
travels, like the French lady you speak
of. In the meantime, you are forget
ing all about this gentleman in the box
and his wife,
"Pardon, Monsieur! Where Yves u
All, yes, Madame accompanied hel
husband to Europe; they landed a
Liverpool and fastened to Paris. There
they spent some weeks, then came
leisureiv to Geneva, with the intention
after seeing something of Switzerland
of spending a year in Italy. tnhap
PLY, however, Monsieur fell seriousl.
i'll at the Hotel de Voltaire, and, after ;
few DAYS sickness, died. The lady wa
in despair; she had lost her husband
and she was in fear of losing her tour
for the deceased had made her promise
during the few last moments of his life
that She would not bury him amongS
strangers in p strange, land, but woul(
herself take back his body to America
At the supreme mottlent of her perpleX
ity-at the very moment, indeed, Whel
she had very nearly resolved to abandon
all hope of continuing her tOur-th'
light of hope cleaned on her troubled
soul. She was struck by a happ,
thought. As she ran her eye mechan
ically down the columns of tn
Journal de GeneUe, her interest wa
suddenly awakened by the account OF
suicide. A man had been found hang
ing to a big apple-tree at the foot OF tn
| SdleNp. AS lUcIG NsbS HOtLlhS5 AOO'l'
on his person to afford clue to hi
identity, his body was placed in tn
morgue. why said the lady to her
self, after she had pondered a few min
utes over this incident, why should
) not have my dear husbands body EN-
balmed, leave him en- depot in tn
morgue, continue my travels at leisure
and, in good time, return and take hin
to American Inquiries were at one
made, the idea was found to be feasi
BILE, the services of an embalmer wer
obtained, the box here was provided
and there rests the husband-quietl
enough, poor gentleman-waiting unit
it pleases his wife to take him back t
: America among her bonnct-boxes an
dressing,bags."
The doctor was wise mamie ha
read many books and seen many land
and as he thoughtfully smoked his G
oar on his way into town, he did ~
make a mental note that all America
ladies travelling in Europe, whose hu:
: bands died on the journey, had ther
| put in a chest and placed en- depot in
: morgue until they were through wit
their tour.
Toy.Naking in Paris.