The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-06-14
LETTY'S PROMISES.

LETTY'S PROMISES.
When Laurence Van Everen was
about to sail for the East Indies, he ask
elk Lefty to walk half an hour in the
orchard with him, which was wreathed
and perfumed with fruit blossoms.
"I've request to make you, my dear
Lefty" he said, "and I'm half afraid
you may think it a selfish thing to ask /;
indeed, ] kraoW it is, but yet, with the re-
nowned selfisnness of man, / not only
ask, l beg it."
"What on earth can it be?'' said
Lefty, smiling. ado you want me to
get me to a nunnery till you return, or
to travel TO Calcutta to marry youP Or
do you want me to give the cold Shout
der TO Tom Longworthy, and promise
never to say so much as How dye do?'
to him?" For the gossips had said their
say in Van Everen's ear, when he re-
turned from his last voyage, to the eff
feet that Longworthy had taken advan-
tage of his absence TO be sweet on Lefty,
and that Lefty was by no means averse
to sweets, supplemented by the assur-
ance, However, Tom isn't marrying
man, and if Lefty hadn't been promised,
he would have paid her no heed; Tom
always goes in for a safe thing" But
this philosophy by no means satisfied
Van Everen.
"NO, Lefty, it is none of these trifies, !"
ne answered; sit is something much
more important to my happiness"
You know L will do any thing to
please you "
"You will? Then promise me this
thing--solemnly promise that if any
thing should happen to me, if l should
never return, if l should die-promise
that you will remain mine forever-that
you will never, never marry another.
Can you promise this, darling?"
Certainly. But you tCiH come back
you mast. Why, should die myself if
you failed. There is no need of such
promise, but 1 give it all the same. /
promise solemnly that if you die l will
never marry"
Thanks" said Van Everen, kissing
her cheek with an air of having conferred
favor. a have exactly five minutes
left in which to say good-by. There is
a great deal called love in this world
which is only propinquity; but one
mustn't call it loving, so the poet tells
us,
Unless you can love as the angels may,
With the breadth of heaven betwixt us.
And you think you can, Letty?"
al know it. Perhaps you mean to
commit suicide in order to test me-"
And then followed a few minutes of
tender nonsense, and Van Everen tore
himself away, leaving Lefty in tears.
What long, long time it was to look
forward to- How many storms would
beat along the coast, how many suns
would shine, mornings dawn, and even
ings gather to their close, before they
met again. In the mean time here was
her trousseau to finish; and she used to
sit at it hour by hour, with her thoughts
away on some distant reach of the Indi-
an seas, except when Tom Longworthy
loitered in to help kill time. One morn
ing he brought her a letter, which
sailor who had spoken the Flying
Scud, two months out, had intrusted to
him, and he looked out the window
while she read it, whistling "The long,
long weary day." softly. Tom was
really comfort to her, in spite of Van
Everen's unreasonable jealousy. He
could tell her all about the long Indisn
voyage, of cyclones, Gains, and trade
winds-all about the great foreign cities
to which her lover was bound, with their
sunburned natives, their strange GUS
toms, their fantastic stuffs, and curious
architecture-til she felt as if she were
there herself. Itwas some months later
that Tom Longworthy came in with
cloud on his face.
"You are ill?" said Lefty, regarding
him.
mot at all, thank you; only i'll at
ease.''
"Then you have some bad news"
eyes, | have some bad news.'' 3D..
"Nothing about Laurence?" she
gasped.
al hope not"
"You hope not For Heavens sake,
don't you kno00? What is it? Don't
think you are sparing my feelings. You
are only cruelty"
1.-The Flying Scud-"
'sIs lost?'
"Has foundered. But there's no GER
tainty with regard to Laurence; he may
be among the saved. Lefty! Lefty!
don't look at me as if had brought it
about. 1 would exchange places with
him gladly for your sake; would in
deed!n he cried.
She left the needle where the i'll news
found it, and folded away all the we'd
ding garments. And month followed
month of anxious foreboding: and one or
two old seamen struggled home to their
families, battered and destitute, after
many hardships, but they knew moth
ing of Van Everen; he had not taken to