The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-06-27


tiously. ~t saE
e "Dick, listen to me''-authoritafivt
l. ". 81 shall sleep at Nttrse Catterby'
d tonight, and II you meet me there, l.
d have something to help you.n ~
l. my darlingl" cried Dick; but re
a PEELED this later exhibition of affection
d ''Pnt me in the cars, my friend I'r
4 hungry, you know, and tired to death
e you know, but there's no time to lose
r In my feminine fertility of resource
: felt myself Infinitely superior TO thi
5 helpless, good hearted lump of Dick
l and nodded my head to him gaylS a
parting, without thought OF failure.
| And this was the suggestion whicl
) came to me under the smile of the Ma
donna. In my room at Aunt Margery'
there hung a grand old-fashioned time
keeper with a gold coin attached to it
heavy chain, and big seal wherein
glowed a ruby. Secretly l regarded
this as my own, for it had once been my
mothers, an heirloom of the family
the source of endless disputes, as had
heard, between the grasping elder sister
and the younger. My mother was of a
high spirit, and finally, in a fit of utter
WEAKNESS and vexation, flung the watch,
with all its glittering appendages, at her
sisters feet. Aunt Margery had never
returned it-that was not her way--but
it had never been wound up since that
day $50 old Cesar said), and long after
my mothers death it hung silent and
shining in the room devoted to my use
perhaps superstitious Offering to the
vexed spirit of the departed. / had de-
termined to go back without being seen,
if possible, and get this watch, appro-
priating it, as L felt sure my mother
would approve, to aid myself and my
! friend in our sore need.
The ride seemed d long one; the road
wound about in manner | had never
observed before, with persistent dodg-
ing OF the end, that gave me ample time
for revolving ways and means for ear
rying out my scheme, till finally the
moon shone out on the last evolution
and, leaving the cars, trudged on afoOt
until the sentinel poplars guarding Aunt
Margery's gate with their long black
shadows came in view.
1t was with beating heart, nOtwith-
standing my bravery, that | took the Key
of the side door from my pocket. and
entered the familiar domicile at night
fall like shadow. .....-..ts.,
1t was easy enough to obtain access to
the inner part of the house from here,
for most of the doors were carelessly
latched, and l was not likely TO meet
any servant at this time in the evening.
| remembered certain wide window
sill in the hall, CROPPING toward which |
sat down to rest myself, with curious
ly scared and hunted feeling, which had
not entered into my calculations when L
planned this audacious expedition
Then, removing my shoes, / slipped
softly through the long, deserted pas
sageway to my own room. The door
opened with treacherous creak that
seemed bent to betray me. Itappeared
an age before | was fairly within.
This was my own pretty, pleasant lit
tie room, the shelter where | had so
often betaken myself from Aunt Mar
gery's rasping voice and incessant fault
finding where | had dreamed day
dreams and reveled in nightly visions
This cherished and familiar little nook
had chilled to me in one days
absence. 1t had given posses /
sion to a horde of shadows that,
hooking and gesticulating, fitted |
to and fro in the uncertain light. Per-
haps the breeze blown branches of the !
elm outside played me this trick; but |
it confused me strangely, and rendered /
my search for the watch a long one, till I
it seemed as if some tricksome elf had |
filched it to distress me. At length, |
however, my hands touched and grasp
ed the treasure; the heavy chain glided |
with snaky GOODNESS through my fingers,
and | thrilled from head to foot with a
new and strange sensation. For at that
very moment heard the door shut with |
snap. This noise in itself was not !
startling; no one was likely to hear it |
save myself; but it announced thatI was |
trapper, prisoner, shared in my own |
net; for the door closed with spring, :
and had left the key on the outside.
put my two hands to my head and
thought desperately for moment. There
was no possible egress, now except |
through Aunt Margery's room, with |
which mine was connected by narrow !
passage. How could l hope to
pass through without waking her? For
just one instant | felt like despair. How
was | to help Dick now3 1t must be
done, however. I gathered up my
courage; l remembered the indignitieS
l had borne, the needs of my friend, the
absolute rightfulness of what 1 was do
ing, and, strong in resolution, glided
across the hall-silently,, slowly, lest
the gh0st of q football should rouse the
vigilant . sleepers within. There
was something dreadful in this,
after all. This strange advent among
familiar things that look on the intruder
with sinister eyes is not desirable ex-
perience. True, was on a mission of
but this fact failed TO support /
me as stood poised on my aunt's door
sill. A weak minded doubtfulness-
creeping in for moment paralyzed my
activity. This bauble had been in Aunt
possession for years. Was
it mine? was it hers? The sacred
rights of property" l had heard talked
of so often were my mothers sacred,
or my aunt'sP All! what would be-
come of all the property in the world if
divided? Would then Dick
go out starving and houseless from Aunt |,
Margery's surplus of luxuryP Danger !.
Gus speculations, but brief Never
should desert Dick in his time of need
Stepping on tiptoe in my unshod feet, I !
to convoy my beating heart as
far as possible from the high, old-fash-
toned bedstead. 1t almost seemed Aunt
Margery might hear in her sleep. The
low night lamp sent thin thread of
light acress the floor; it rested on the
heavy drapery festooned to the ceiling,
which gave this couch an awful dignity
in my old childish days. And there,
just opposite it, / stood transfixed.
There lay Aunt Margery, with eyes wide
open, looking out at me. | returned
the gaze steadily, frozenly. know not
how long we might have regarded each
other thus, but the parrot, in its cover
ed cage within, croaked uneasily. Aunt
turned sleerily on her pillow.
"You are late, jenny said she,
guerulously. "What kept YOU so,
ohildPp Hand methe camphor yonder;
nv head Enthusiastically. u w t4