The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-03-21

I ran the text, and David, IN the corner
! pew cast down his conscious eyes, feel.
4 ing that he himself was the person in.
I dicated. - e
/ 1t was not good for man to be alone
he had suspected this for some months,
and now the Bible confirmed his sus-
picion. He wanted TO be good he
wouldn't be alone any longer-fact; not
if he could help it; and he stole an In
! quisitive glance across the aisle at the
lady of his heretofore hesitating choice.
He did more. Benediction pronounced,
he. sided oyer 10 her, his face glowing
T, ike the perennial carnation in her bon
net, and asked her opinion of the dis
course. Didn't she think that was a
noble text?
Poor Miss Lovisa, taken quite by sur
prise, murmured something about it
being good sound doctrine, but hard TO
live up TO, and hurried across the way
to open her house to her usual Sunday
guests. These were chiefly farmers
wives from different parts of the parish,
who found in her tiny cottage conve-
nient retreat during the noon intermis-
sions. Here they ate their lunch, al
ways remembering to present liberal
offering to their hostess, who in return
poured out for them steaming libation
from the stumpy earthen teapot which
during the morning service stood
upon the kitchen-stove, putting and
blowing as if it had a polypus in its ugly
little pug-nose. These Sabbath dona-
tons were important items toward the
vt - I h,
save this house and its hum
bic furniture, had no assured patri-
mony. 1t is true, she often helped her
neighbors in their sewing or household
labors, but never for wages. 1t would
have pierced her to the heart had these
been offered her. She wanted it dis
tinctly understood that she only went
" TO accommodate. If her friends felt
disposed to give her presents, why, that
altered the case. She accepted them
with an alacrity worthy of Mr.. Dorritt.
As these testimonials usually reached
her on Sunday, it followed that, wher-
ever Miss Lovisa might be during the
week, the Lords Day was sure to find
her in her queer little cottage opposite
the church. Hither came David in the
twilight of the Sabbath of which have
spoken, ambling up the narrow path
with his own peculiar gait, quite like that
of small boy riding the paternal cane.
Lovisa, at the moment regaling herself
With the diluted dregs of the company
tea, spied him above the inclined rim of
the cup, and in her perturbation scalded
her throat with the boiling liquid.
g Good-eVening, LoVisa," said he,
resting his elbows on the sill, as he look
ed in at the open window.
b 4" Good-evening, Mr.. Yopp," return
ed she, pushing the tea equipage out of
sight with one hand while extending
him the other. ..--r- -.--.
A tell-tale crumb of gingerbread in
her palm transferred itself to DaHd's,
and he uneonsciously rolled it between
his thumb and finger as he spun q sec
ond thread of conversation.
ats been tolerably warmish day,
Lovisa" --.. --.---.- --.--
'Tedious warm, )" sighed she, adding,
to cloak her nervousness,
9 it gives me weak, all-gone feeling"
"Just so, Just so,' assented David,
with sympathetic grOan which would
sound too cheerful. COnstitutionally
he took life easier than she. As a rule,
he considered this pretty nice world,
this world of ours, but Lovisa knew to 1
the contrary.
"Does the old gentleman feel the heat
much"' she asked, presently, uneasy
because David made no move to go.
Desperately facti" answered he, !
shucking his chin backward and for
ward to pump out the words, which !
ologged his throat more and more the /
longer he delayed his errand.
An embarrassed pause succeeded, !
during which Lovisa's fingers steered |
restleSsly along the two curving bays of /
hair that encroached right and left up
On the bold bluff of her forehead, and
David anxiously watched their progress. !
Once he half opened his mouth to speak, |
but it sprang together again like his own |
house door in that dog-day weather.
h Lovisa grew each moment more un-.
easy. She was afraid it did not look /
well, Mr.. Yopp's standing at her case
nent in the cleaning; she was equally |
afraid it would not sound well should /
she invite him in; and yet he was her |
could not bid him go.
al suppose grandsir feels your moth
er's death a good deal?" was her next
remark, thrown out as a sort |
Of plank TO bridge over the silence.
- Yes, father misses her, and miss /
her, . said David, crowding the words /
put helter-skelter, lest his lips should |
close upon them. +" Seems s if we
couldn't get along without mother.
And was wondering, Lovisa-that is,
wanted to ask you What say, LoYisa,
amt you willing TO take her place? l
10 wish you would. There's nobody |
would suit father so well"
Nobody would suit his father so well
rs a daughter-in-law, David meant, of
course; but how was Miss Braun to wrest I
his meaning from his words? How was I
;he to suspect that in begging her TO be |
4 mother to him he had honestly in /
ended to ask her to be his wife? She
vas no clairvoyant, but at that moment !
| most indignant woman, with an I'M
yonted flash in her eye. Marry Grand |
;ir Yopp, indeed! How old did they take !
ler to be?
Father III hardly look tor another
partner; his age and infrmities con- !
5idered, you couldn't reasonably expect |
It," pursued David, in a eonsiderate
tone; "and this obliges US to make some
other arrangement. You see it materially |
would, Lovisa."
Whatever she saw, she made no out |
ward manifestation, though her anxious
swain glanced toward her deprecatingly |
to assure himself that she appreciated |
his domestic necessities, and justified |
him in contemplating marriage.
"We've had no end of hOusekeepers,"
he Numbered on, "and none of 'em
gave satisfaction. Now l want some--I
body permanent-somebody that's
and III take an interest. You
know l always set a great deal by you,
Lovisa. Can't | make bargain with /
you?"