The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-09-06

see. 1t was the kind that SO often comes
with red hair, and lOvelier color never
was in a blossom than bloomed in
MINES cheek when she cried out,
"Tve got to fight # out Somewhere,
aunty; let him mind his own business,
and III mind minei'i-
My heart fairly warmed to the girl as
she sat opposite to me at the table,
crunching slice after slice of toast be-
tween her white teeth, and devouring
the dainties one by one. The little wild
ow had been SO finicky, and had such
a poor appetite myself, that things came
and went upon the table, and were
warmed up and fused over till body
/ got tired of seeing them. Then she was
my own flesh and blood, and had the
Schoonmaker nose, little high with
Mime, and freckled over the ridge bit,
but she was bonny, blithe, fresh-look-
ing creature, so different from the
wretched little woman that had Just
gone away.
couldn't bear the thoughts of her
spirits and health being broken by that
dreadful Mr.. Steele.
I'm ten you, Mime" said, as she
dried the dishes for me, "what we'll do.
You shall stay at home with me and
help about the shop; there's bonnets
now and then to trim, and lots of little
knicknacks in worsted-work to be
made"
"Now, aunty," said Mime, ga buffa-
10 would be less clumsy at trimming a
bonnet than L would, and as for worst
ed-wOrk-' HTT# .rf.
az suppose So" 1 said, for | could
see she was determined to teach.
The next morning she went to school,
and for month or so every thing went
right, and l didn't hear a word of COM
plant from her. She made fun enough
of the school-master, and said he didn't
know how to manage the boys, and
made himself more trouble than was
necessary; that coaxing word of hers
went farther than dozen slashes with
that rod of his; but every one had their
own way, and it was none of her busi-
ness. She was getting along splendid
ly, and the smaller children were quite
delighted with way she had of pictur-
ing out things on blackboard. Mime
was quite ready with her pencil, and
had made us laugh, Sam Riley and me,
many a time by scrawling off funny con-
ceits on paper. Sam Riley began to
drop in at night, and | noticed he was
quite taken with Mime. Sam was we'll
TODD, and, outside of his line of stages,
owned fine house down on the main
road. Sam didn't mind being hit off
himself once in while-him and his
horses and passengers and all; he used
to sit back in his chair and laugh till the
tears rolled down his cheeks, and look
over at me, winking and blinking, and
whispering, under his breath, what a
wonderful woman she was.
"She's as fresh and handsome as a
rose,'' he would say when Mime was
out of the room; "and what health She
got, and what spirits!"
| could see how things were going.
Dear! dear! used to sit and picture it
ali out to myself, and think how nice it
would be to have Mime settled near
me for life. So when she came home
one afternoon from school, with bright
spot burning on either cheek, an angry
flame in her eyes, and said to me that
war had begun between her and Mr..
Steele, l didn't so much mind, for l
thought the sooner she got discouraged
the better Sam was well on to thirty,
and though Mines skin made her look
younger than she was, there wasn't so
much difference as you'd think between
their ages.
"He's forbidden my illustrations on
the blackboard, aunty," said Mime
and though L didn't know one bit of
board from another, l could see by the
way she felt about it that it was great
spite to Mime. ''He calls them PERM
cious snd exciting to the imagination,
and injurious to more practical require
ments," said Jemima. And | couldn't
quite get the hang of his objections, for
every word of the school-master's was
as long as the moral law, but could tel
it was some imposition of his, Giles a
narrow-minded idiot, and 1 shall tel
him so if he persists in this notion, y
said Mime -"..
"If he persists, | said, "you'd bet
ter give it up. He's so set in his way,
there's no use crossing him."
81 won't let him cross me-" said
Mime, and she didn't. She went on
with her pictures on the blackboard fol
a full week or more, till one night there
was a rap at the sitting-room door, and
it gave me quite a turn to see the long
bony figure of the schoOl-master stand
ing on the threshold.
Mime started up, hot color leaping
into her face, and stood there confront
ing him like young Jezebel. .
The man looked pale enough himself
sinking into the chair / set for him as i
he was quite worn and spent like, anG
he seemed beat out in some way; fol
though he fixed his eyes savagely or
Mime, there was something in 'em tina
looked tired and hunted.
al have come here to demonstrate
with your niece, madam" he said t.
me, " though I've found it of very LITTLE
use and profit heretofore; but howeve,
capable and efficient she may be, anC
however judicious it may seem to retain
her services, her spirit of insubordina
ton is toe dangerous an example TO TIL
neutrality-suspicious. and headstrongtem
permanent of youth. She must cOntin
herself strictly to the rules that govern
the method of instruction. The trus