The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-05-03


ing were rehearsed minutely-the sur
prise, the wonder of recognition, the
doubts, and fears OF. possible aversion
and then, where the shadow was deepest
beneath the trees, Herbert Wilson stoop-
ed to whisper, with his lips touching
Minerals cheek, Glove you.'' All,
GE- n.LJANE's sroRYI akF
Jane passed along the street alone.
She was half minded to take walk by
herself thea. decided to, spend an hour
on the, balcony instead, The street CON
sisted of a row of lodging-houses OPP
posite the rear of several hotels. These
houses reSembled ornamental paper
boxes, and were exactly alike, even to a
range of tiny gardens adorned with a
green arbor, wherein the first floor
lodger might partake Of morning coffee.
Jane passed man and a woman on the
pavement. The man was bare-headed,
and smoking cigar; the woman
maid-seryant escaped from duty-was
chatting coquettishly, Jane opened the
yellow gate and walked up the gravel
path. The house door stood wide open,
as uslial.g Jane paused to peer into the
landlady's room, where that affable but
unWieldy person usually lurked, ready
to exchange a pleasant word The land
lady was not there. A dim light burned
in one corner of the hail.. and Jane
assembled the winding stair. The first
floor, where our travellers occupied one
suite of rooms, was very dark. Jane
fumbled for the key on the nail where it
was placed blythe servant, and found
it still in the, lock instead. Mentally
reprehending such carelessness, she en-
tered the room, and CROPPED for the
match-bex. Jane was the type of woman
who always knows where the matches
were last placed; her fingers therefore
sought instinctively a certain small table,
and came in contact with a human head
James heart gave one thump, and seem
ed to stand still. She expected to be
seized and perhaps strangled the next
moment in the almost palpable dark
ness. aFt.-t 17TH-r--es --vulzr-F -. "a
~Who is there ?'' she finally managed
to artieulate, and stepped back with an
irrepressibly quick movement, which up
set standard, and sent, down a shower
of glass, croekery, and jingling spoons
with a crash. The conviction that Miner
va would have tainted kept Jane from
doing so herself,
There was no answer. save a soft rus
Ting sound and a long respiration, half
sigh and half groan. Jane never knew
precisely how she gained the door again,
but when faint ray from the hall re-
vealed candle and the matches, She
conquered her first cowardly impulse to
run, and determined to investigate. mat
1terssa vJane's whole after-lifewas des-
tined to be illuminated bythat match.
Good heavens! she was in the large
bedroom instead of the salon. Where
were her large trunk and Minerals
basket of flowers ?@,The first object on
which the light of the candle fell was a
pair of masculine boots, and the next a
black coat suspended with a weird and
limp aspect as of a ghost about to en-
brace her. Jane opened her lips to
scream, and clutched the candle eonvul-
sively.- What had become of the head?
Awful silence, and the candle made a
feeble ray without penetrating obscure
ty. Wondering if she were asleep or in
possession of her seven senses, Jane
peered about her. Something cold
touched her foot. The upset stand Law
amidst ruin of china bowl, tea-cup,
phial, and water earafe, and the fluids
were staeaming across the floor. She
had overturned the stand only how had
il been placed there at allg The head
was over yonder, and belonged to7a
shape stretched on the bed. Jane's
teeth chartered, and her brain began to
whirl - Egea A1lGEss-1TlR
Somebody had taken possession OF
their rooms, wearing boots and a black
coat. Stay, the atmosphere was per
meated with medicine, possibly from the
broken bottle on the carpet. Had the
stout landlady basely turned them. out,
bag and baggage, on the arrival of an in
valid? Fear impelled Jane-to fly and
learn the truth so perplexing in its mys-
terry, and an equally fascinating horror
held her motionleSs, staring at the in
truder. The swift change of circum-
stances was overpowering to Jane. She
was stnpefed, bewildered; realities be-
came suddenly swallowed up in a
dream, a fearful nightmare. The head
reposed on the pillow so quietly that the
stiffness becameawful. What if it was
that OF corpse? The thought nerved
her to most desperate valor. She had
read stories about such things many a
time, voices in the street impaired ad-
ditional courage she advanced cautious
| ~, with the candle held before her. and
inspected the occupant of the couch.
The hair on the pillow was gray, as
was the beard on the cheek. The in.
tuder was either. insensible or in the
lethsrgy ola druggedL Sleep
"Why, it's the Rev. Mr.. Powerton!' -
exclaimed Jane, in excessive astonish.
ment.
faune nt14Tnr Easu1Enk
The lovers strolled home at twelve
O'Clock, and there were many last word:
to be whispered at the gate. The house
was dark, and the doorsrill open
j. Poor Zane must have gone 10 bed, >
said Minerva, with a degree of con