The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-10-18

and broken up, the hall and the home
farm and some outlying lands were sold
to MIR. Lescombe, who was formerly OF
the Stock Exchange, but who now be-
came Lescombe of Lescombe. He had
a son born to him in this country abode,
and, still further to strengthen the idea
of territoriality, he had him christened
| by the name of Lescombe alone. You
could hardly have any thing sitter and
stronger in the territorial line than Les
combe Leseombe of Lescombe.
But the transformation of the stock
broker into the squire did not work
well. The old gentleman pinned after
business amid his lawns and groves. He
could not spend the whole of his time in
admiring his own grandeur. He went
out shooting; but the recoil of the gun
pretty well threw him over. He went
out fishing; but as, on the first occasion,
very rough weather nearly sent him to
the fishes, he settled that "this quest
was not for him." There were only a
few neighbors, who did not care for a
new man. The Lord-Lieutenant de-
clined to put him in the commission of
the Peace. But what troubled him most
of all was that the territorial idea did
not seem at all likely to be carried out
in its integrity. He had only one living
son, few daughters who did not count
for any thing, and this son marrying
had one daughter. 1t seemed likely,
therefore, that the first Lescombe of
| Lescombe would be the last. 1t was
hard lines, and the old man took it to
heart. He would probably have lived
much longer, if he had not settled at
Lescombe, but had continued his Stock
Exchange business with 4 country box at
Wimbledon. 1t takes three generations
to make a gentleman, arguing on
the unfavorable hypothesis that the
original Lescombe of Lescombe hardly
came under the denomination. But in
the third generation the l.escombe line
burst into radiant flower. Gertrude
Lescombe was lily among lilies, a
lady among ladies. An only child,
motherlesS, living in a remote part of
the country, her fathers companion and
help in every thing, she had an unusual
strength and decision of character. Her
father, born and bred in the country,
had taken heartily to The pursuits which
his own father had not cared for. The
neighboring squires called on him and
! liked him. The Lord-Lieutenant of the
county invited him to dinner, and asked
him to be magistrate. The Bishop of
the diocese, holding a confirmation at
Lescombe Church, stayed at Lescombe
Hall, and hoped that if Mr.. Lescombe
came to town he would look him up at
the Athen9um Club. People common
/ " said that Gertrude LeScombe would
be great heiress and capital wife.
A capital wife she would certainly be to
any man happy enough to get her, but
as things were going On it was by no
means so clear that she would really be
an heiress.
Lcscombe Hall was kept up, not by
the Lescombe lands, which we have
seen were limited, but by very large
sum in ready money which the stock
broker had bequeathed to his son. A
hundred thousand pounds is a very
warm SUM; but it takes a great deal of
caution and trouble to place it in safe
investments. 1t had always been a
| deeply implanted maxim in Lescombe
/ Lescombe's mind, that he should never
/ put all his eggs into one basket. This
may be very true as a general adagc.
But egg after egg may be broken, or
basket after basket may be lost. This
was unfortunately the case in the pres
ent instance. He thought he had dis
tributed his coin in so many good secur-
titles that he had made himself quite safe.
But when Dame Fortune begins to de-
press her wheel, nothing can stop that
unfavorable process. Egg after egg
went to smash. lie went into 4 coal
mine; the price of coal fell. He took
shares in bank; the bank broke, and
the shares were put into heavy
contributions. He went into a railway,
and no dividend was declared. He
sold out Egyptians at heavy loss.
). The Turkish bonds cOnfscated half his
remaining income. A hundred thou
sand pounds is a great deal; but it will
soon look foolish under such an accu-
mutation of disasters. As matter of
fact, it evaporated entirely. 1t is I'M
necessary to 90 through the different
stages of sad experience which has
become only too common one in re-
cent history. 1t became necessary that
the estate itself should be sold to satisfy
outstanding demands, and to provide a
modest subsistence for retreat at
Cheltenham or Bath.
Two young men were sitting in the
smoking-room of a London club. They
had dined together, had a game of bill
lizards, and now, according to the fash
ion of those days, were going in for
aerated waters and spirits. They were
smoking medita:ive cigars, and were
adopting that earnest business talk
which men take up when their faculties
are freshened up for few hours after
dinner. They were evidently the
kind of men who would sit up to any
hour of the night, and get up at any
hour of the morning.
"I wish every body had your luck, .
said the junior. "a legacy of ever SC
much money with no other condition
than that you should lay it out in land.
A cool hundred thousand!"
1t was not very clear how even such
sum could be regarded as a matter o.
temperature. Major Eveleigh simply
L II