The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-05-09

so get excused on the squar. But JUS
now we must wade i'm
. "Oh yes, wade ini'n said Horton
derisively. "Do you know the frs
thing we've got to doP Why, write Il
that gal, and tell her that her father wa
A. old liar, and that her mother
been dead a year, and that now he
dead too, and that the - old fool
property won't bring $500, and tina
we're goin' to give her $4,000 for char
ity, and adopt her, and if she's loving
sort of a gal, and high-spirited gal
she'll like it, and like us all the better
Oh yesl" he continued with sardoniC
shrillness, "it's easy enough to do al
that, of course. Wade in! Yesi Wade
in-drop right out of the ford into deer
water over yer head the first thing"
The men looked aghast at each other
and there was another ominous silence
Couldn't We let it on easy suggested
the Colonel, despairingly, ''sorter begin
to-day with the mother, and next month
when she's feelin' better and more able
to bear it, kinder light gently down on
her with the decease of her father, and
so on ontil, in the course of year or so,
she'll take the charity business quite
peacefal?'
But Joe Fleet dismissed the idea
fiercely. "Ef she's get any pluck she'll
take it in a lump. You 90 to work
driftin' into her feelin's like that instead
o. sinking your shaft straight down, and
you'll hev her crazy here on your hands
in a week."
The latter idea was so awful as to
compel another gloomy silence for its
/ stern contemplation. Couldn't We
drop ii on her all in a lump-money,
deceased parents, ct cettery," suggested
Capt. Rats, with vague and imbecile
good humor, "kinder brisk and bust
ness-like.' -
"It's gall" said the Colonel, shak-
ing his head, "over IA"
"Hold on and give Cap'n Rats a
show" interrupted Fleet. EFF there's
man ez can do it it's him. Didn't he
edit the Record up at Murphy's? Wade
in and give US a specimen.
The suggestion met with unanimous
favor. Capt. Rats, not entirely dis
pleased with this confidence in his
rhetorical skill, slid angularly into a
chair with an almost audible creaking
of his joints, dipped a pen in the ink
and then put it in his mouth. Then
softly Withdrawing it and waving it be-
fore him, as if tracing an imaginary
epistle in space, he began:
I'm the midst of life we are in death,
and not KNOWN what day may bring
forth, we beg to inform you-NO," re-
flected the Captain slowly, feeling some
unfavorable criticism in the air; "No,
that won't do. Let's see! All! 'The
death of your mother, followed by the
illness of your father, resulting in his
decease, and the entire loss-''
CANT them bricks follerin' each
other rather closeP" suggested the Col
onel, family. The Captain stopped,
rubbed his long chin thoughtfully, and
looked at the others. 1t was evident
that this was the prevailing impression.
"Well, yes; was rather thinkin' so
myself" he assented, vaguely.
"And its bein' gal, don't you want
to heave in here and thar a little senti-
lReut," said Horton, "and sOrter touch
her up gentlyP They say when you
make 'em cry easy, they kinder like it,
and get over it quicker
"Jess so, :" returned Capt. Rats, cheer
fully, 81 was thinkin' that very thing,
only iist now | was sorter samplin' it;
shown We what could be done. A good
way" he added, now completely lost in
the destinations of condoling compost
tion-''a very good, takin' sort of way,
is to tell it, and yet seem not to tell it;
to kinder ring in a cold deck of informa-
ton, and never let her see ye shuttle the
keerds. Suthin' like this, We know:
'HonOred Miss: Enclosed please find
draft for $1,000; same would have been
sent before but for Wells-Fargo's Office
being closed the day of your fathers fu-
neral. The weather here is fine, but
we suppose is fur different with you in
the East, as your deceased mother often
remarked to the writer. Business is
dull, and ores are running light, most
o. the claims on the North Fork sharing
the fate of your late fathers property
Ye see," continued Capt. Rats, with the
glow of successful authorship mantling
his cheek, s'that kind of letter mout be
written so that by the time she got
through with it, it would seem as if she'd
knew it all before, and she couldn't get
nary soul to sympathize with her, and
help her take ON The feeling of the
majority was so strongly in favor of the
last composition that they all turned i'm
patiently to the only dissenter-Joe
Fleet. But at this moment a knock on
the door checked further discussion.
1t was Jack Foster, expressman-
alert, vigilant, familiar, and fateful-
holding letter.
" For John Meritoe," said the Sier-
ran Mercury, crisply. "As we don't
have no offs nor agent at his present
address, we deliver at his last residence.
He tossed the letter on the table, wink
ed, and was gone.
1t was for the dead mantle great
first cause of their perplexity. For a
few moments it lay there undisturbed,
while the men looked at each other in
silence. Then Capt. Rats, with de-
cision and independence new to him,
took it up. others 20 one, boys, hez
better right to it than we has," he said,
81 propose that we open it here afore
each other and read it.
GAS to opening it, l second the mo-
ton, said Joe Fleets voice, +" but We'll
see who it's from before we read it,
added that honorable man.
The letter was opened. 1t was signed
+" Fanny Meritoe."
"The girl herself, >" said Fleet prompt
ly; read it."
With hesitating voice, that at last
seemed to almost simulate what might
have been the hesitating youthful ac-
cents of the writer, Capt. Rats began.
How shall describe it? 1t was SIM
pie, it was girlish, it was afectionate, it
was real. Against its candid frankness
and simplicity, poor Rats's previous
rhetoric assumed the appearance of the
most monstrous duplieity and deceitful
sophistry. TWAS evident that the writer
had seen but little OF her real father, and
that the rather commonplace, homely,
often somewhat despicable figure known
TO the men who now listened to her
warnings was not the ideal parent of
her dreams. At last Capt. Rats finish
ed There was a SLIGHT huskiness in the