The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-02-15
"Ahl you haven't entered the High

"Ahl you haven't entered the High
School?'' +a
swell, no. There aren't many boys
of my age in the High School. I'm just
fifteen"
"Seven years from the point at which
I left school, said the examiner, paren-
thetioally.
Then he turned to Milly. "Perhaps
your education is farther advanced.
Can you make coffeeP"
Nilly's thought went roaming from
coffee browning in the oven to coffee in
the mill, in the pot, in the breakfast
cup; but all the territory was utterly
vague to her. By an appealing look,
she asked mamma to answer for her.
"She can't make Coffee" said man.
ma, solemnly.
"Muddy coffee's what Joe Dill and
his wife commenced quarreling about, I"
said Max. He called her a goose the
second morning after they went to
housekeeping"
"Can you make bread?"
OF all things, the process of bread
making was the most bewildering to
Milly. She tried TO answer, gasped,
and looked with appeal to her mother.
Solemnly as before, the mother an
swered-
"She has never learned to make
bread"
That's another thing the Oils quar-
relied about-heavy Bread" said Max.
"They didn't speak to each other for
week that time"
"Dear mel" exclaimed Cass, turn
ing scared look upon Milly.
The fathers next question was, "Can
you cook beefsteak?"
"Don't you think could, mammal"
Milly asked, piteously. "Don't you
just lay it on the gridiron?"
The mother answered as though de-
livering the saddest words of tongue or
pen: - You couldn't do it, dear. You'd
be sure to burn or smoke it"
Again Max introduced "reminiscences
of the Oils. Joe had dashed burned
steak, platter and all, into the alley,
and advised his wife to go off and die.
She said she would, and bought some
kind of poison.
"Dear mel" said Cass, again.
"Do you understand cake-baking?"
the father continued. 81 perceive that
you are ignorant of this Indispensable
art. My dear childl"-the fathers
tone was pathetically anxious.
"Mrs. Dill's failure in this rendered
her husband so wretched that he con-
sented for his mother-in-law to come
in and take charge of his home"
"Can you fry oysters?"
Milly did not answer.
"Can you roast turkey!"
Again there was no reply.
"Can you prepare a lobster saladF'
Dead silence reigned in the room.
"Can you make jellyP Can you
iron a shirt? Please state what you can
do"
Milly looked so ashamed and worried
that all the manliness and knightliness
in Cass were provoked.
/" Say, please stop Fostering Milly
'Tisn't her fault that we got engaged.
implored her with al my eloquence to
accept me-"
Milly looked at Cass with admiring
gratitude, and this inspired him to fur
Their generosity.
''Fact is, threatened to shoot my
self if she wouldn't wear the ring"
"You'd better take it back, Cass. We
don't know enough to be-to leave our
parents"
Milly handed him the ring.
Gall right" said Cass. "Say, Max,
I've got to go to the train to meet my
mother. You leave the ring at Tinker
mans when you 60 to the Post-otfice
please. l took it with the privilege o
returning it. 1 must hurry up. Good
evening""
The following week, Milly, by hel
own request, was sent away to board
ing-school, and Cass isn't married yet
-YoaGtk's Companion.