The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-02-10
THE NICK OF TIME.

mand, or she could not have fiirted: but
AL her Irritation seemed tosbe directed
solely 10 the end of Vexing this single
lover, whose grave, quiet, repressed de-
meanor never let her know whether he
were a lover or not, and drove her first
to some action that almost BETRAYED her
o~n feelings, and then to one that
should give the lie TO that BETRAYAL, and
set every thing at loose ends again.
You could hardly say why Miss Trues-
dell had 50 many suitors. She was not
so very good-that is, she was as good
as most people, but not jot better; she
was not pretty-at least not till she
laughed and showed her white teeth,
and dimple deep as Love ever nestled
IN, or till she lifted her great gray eyes
and let YOU see how luStrous they were
under that trick Of dropping lids. No,
II could not have been her beauty that
was the charm; twas voice, smile, face,
figure, all together; her personality, gay
spirits, teasing moods, sweet WAYS: her
Infinite variety that attracted every body
coming within its sphere. She sang
little, she danced little; whatever She
did she did well; and so, of course, she
hirted to perfection, and played off one
lover against another as prettily, the
io"kers-on might think, rs a juggler
toSsps his golden balls. But what did
the lovers think of il?
One Of them thought very poorly of
A.. and was determined to bring Miss
Alice 10 close quarters in small time,
not in the least aware that all the 9TH
ers had made exactly the same deter
mination, and had found that to deter
mine was one thing and to do was an
other. Man might propose, but Miss
Alice must dispose; and Miss Alice
as, indeed, they each and all fOndly
hoped-was a match for any one of
Jhem. If she danced with Gregory, Just
aS Gregory felt encouraged and began
to whisper the burning words, she drop
ped her tan with a glance at Mallory,
who darted to restore it, and was de
tanned with thanks and gay words and
replies just long enough to make it i'm
possible for Gregory to take up the
thread where she had broken it. If she
walked with DR.. Fowle, it was only af-
ter she had allowed MIR. Boiles to know
that she would be Strolling in that di-
rection, where she was always so pleased
to meet him when he came up breath
lessiy, and found the doctor muttering
anathemas between his teeth-invoca-
tions to -Esculapius, she called them.
But DR.. Fowle was not a man you
could put off forever when he once made
up his mind to a thing, and so Miss
Alice began to learn. And when, one
night As he bade her good-by, Mallory
and the rest being there, he told her, in
a grave but authoritative under-tone,
quite unlike that of the usual lover, that
he wished to see her next morning at
eleven o'clock, if she had wanted to
deny him, she could not. But, to tell
the truth, she did not exactly want to.
The young men had seemed so inconse-
quent and so stupid that evening; Netty
Armitage had seemed so frivolous; they
had, each in turn, come in and inter-
rupted the doctor when he was telling
her such fairy-like tales of recent dis
coverieS in science; she had shrugged
her shoulders at them till the situation
struck her ridiculously, and then she
had laughed with the merriest of them,
and pouted at the doctor. But now, as
he was going, she slipped her hand in
his arm and sauntered down the lawn
with him. The night was a night in
June, when, if ever, nights are perfect:
the air was laden with the breath of hon
eysuckle and mock-Orange; the winds
that curled round them seemed TO come
from distant lands of everlasting bloom,
so sweet they were; and the stars hung
their lamps through the clear dark close
above the thick tree-topS. She fanciad
that night that life was too delicious a
thing to be indulged in freely, and she
murmured something of the fancy with
half "A laugh. There are times when
we all feel that life is more than we de-
serve" he answered. "TO-morrow-it
may be Shall | feel the same myself
tomorrow, or will fate"
She laughed uneasily. "YOu mustn't
ask me riddles - she cried.
"Ateleven tomorrow, then, " he said,
lifting his hat.
AT eleven tomorrow And she
went back to the house, wishing it were
eleven tomorrow now; and then, in
gay freak, as she heard the hall clock |
strike, she ran down stairs and set the
hands forward an hour. I" Bring him
the quicker" she whispered" bring
him The quicker, " and went back to the
others.
They were talking of the flags and
bulruShes that grew by Lenders Lake,
4 sheet of water in the neighboring
woods; and she was eager to hear the
details Of the direction there, for she
shared the popular frenzy ragiRg just
then for bulrushes, ana thought of all
things she should like some great
buncheS Of the soft brown velyety
things in the vases tomorrow.
- believe, if I rose early" she said, |
q | could be there and back before |
eleven.''
"Why eleven?' said Mallory, lazily |
"Oh, | have an engagement at that |
hour" she replied, bending her head a |
little, that he might not see the color |
creeping up. 49, -.
- am at your service" he said.
"Will you come along, Netty?' she !
asked.
AT five o'clock in the morning, and /
on foot? Not a step. That hour in the |
afternoon, behind pair of bays, would |
suit mevery well.n Young Vary thought |
it would suit him too.
"Nery well, Mr.. Mallory. Ifyou will |
come at eight tomorrow, l shall have
my bulrushes and be back in good sea-
SON.
Wen not fall" said Mallory. "And |
10 that end, | assure this company that
it is the witching hour of night, when I
the sweetest sound the ear can hear is |
the slamming of the bic house door,"
And with that they all departed. al
As eight O'Clock in the morning came,
Miss Alice, with her shears hanging at |
her side, and her hat tied on, was book,
ing up and. down the road impatiently.
She quite forgot her freak with the old |
clock the night before. at is very
iadecorous way TO serve me, d" she cried.
Zen minutes past eight And ! shall
no; wait another moment. Iwill have
nv bulrushes, Mallory or no Mallory.
And fIam a little late / don't care; it
will seem as though body We're not so
verv anxious; and | don't knOw-I'm
afraid-I'm really afraid was gushing