The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-09-13
APPLES.
How Madame Became an American

How Madame Became an American.
Madame sat in the sunny window
sewing. The needle twinkled in her
rapid fingers, and the scarlet stuff she
stitched, glittering in the sunlight, shed
a reflected luster on her black hair, her
tintless face, the bits of coral in her
well set ears. A high window this, into
which the sunlight streaming illumines
the sitter-very high-the topmost in
the rambling, jambling, wheezy old
tenement Madame prefers to be on
the top story, she says. One is there
away from the dust and noise of the
street Also, it costs less. Also, she
will tell you gayly, she can see the tops
of the sails, and the sun-lit masts of the
ships that come and 90 at the wharves,
toward which this dingy street looks
down. The ships bring wealth and
plenty to somebody. Some of them
come from France. All, beautiful
France! 1t is ike being poet, or hay
ing fine imagination, TO own window
one can see the world out Of.
Should any one pity madame or Of
ficiously offer her sympathy, she will
shrug her shoulders magnificently,
spread out her hands, and say, "What
will you?" glaucing toward her window
as though the world were at her feet.
Has she not her sunshine, her sewing
and her little Fifine, who fits up and
down the ladder-like stairs ike butter
fly? Fifne has black eyes and dancing
smile. Fiine is madame's poem, her
princess; she does not know poverty
They had been poor in Paris, but Filine
had never gone hungry; they had want
ed many things in Paris, but Fifine had
always her gay frilled dresses and her
tiny polished slippers. Was not her fa-
Their a Professor? was not her mother a
lady? Should they, then, associate on
equal terms with that degraded and de-
grading thing calledpoverty? Nay, in
deed! it might own the house, but il
should not sit at the board. 1t was pov-
crtv that had driven this family, thought.
lesslv thoughtful, to America. Prof
Pierre would come here and teach the
people French. 1t was Il wide country
roomy country, and the people need
ededucation. Prof. Pierre set sail anC
died on the passage.
All, but he was a scholar." say:
madame, signing. If he have live
(madamc's English is not quite so per
feet As her French), "we shall by thi;
time have the little najs1a c4qupctrc
the pretty place in the country, and tn,
little school, and the garden which W.
have talk and dream of so much in Par
is. For there is of room in America
All, so much of room!m So saw
madame, looking down on the crowd
ed. dingy street and the swarming tene
ments.
She looks up, smiling, from her work
rs light footstep comes flying aloni
the ladder-like stair. $50 come tn
algels!' says madame, devoutly, 4
Fifne dances in. She has her tin
apron full of red apples, which tumbl
out and roll upon the floor. The SUI
shine, cleaning on madame's searl'
sewing, seems TO recognize the rip
round fruit, and glows anew as hayn
met it elsewhere in sweet, tamllla
orchards and on sunny slopes OF IA
away hills.
"All for you, maman," cries Fiiin'
looking down on the treasure. can
oh, maman, he viii give me a ride
the great wagon out to the beautif'
country and the little old mother"
Madame's cheeks flush. her ey,
scintillate with an angry light. "Wh;
Is it you say, Fifne? And who gave yo
these?"
But the child only answered breatl
lessly and confusedly. The appl