The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-11-07

/ Cant by name, only son Of one OF he
aunt's intimate friends, who has fo
some time made his home with tha
worthy lady, and, thanks TO his unfail
! ing fund of conversation, and the easl
that belongs to a society man, tea pass
es off comfortably in spite of the alb
straction of two, for the aunt is still
sweetly serene. As the time for service
draws near, Juliet says, So think viii
not go out this evening, my head
aches" But Mrs. Gray answers quick
ly. "Why, my dear, you forget YOU
solo," She can't quite understand the
expression of the minister's face; ht
almost looks gratifed at her suggestion,
but her aunt will not hear to it, know
I ing the headache to be subterfuge, SO
she goes away to get ready.
When they leave the door Rex, not in
the least comprehending her looks and
gestures, goes off dutifully with Mrs.
Gray on his arm, leaving Julia as usual
to DIR. Speecham. Several times during
the walk she thinks she will introduce
the topic that is uppermostin both their
minds, but he guides the conversation
so easily and skillfully on other subjects
that she has no opportunity, and, after
all. what can she say? In the sermon
that evening, notes are discarded, and
the speaker breaches a sermon straight
from his heart that electriies and touch
es his hearers as none of his rhetorical,
flowery discourses have ever done; and,
most Of all, does it touch a sober girl on
the platform behind him, who is not all
the restless puzzle that she was in the
morning. She makes up her mind that
she will speak to him about the matter
on the way home; but again the ques-
ton suggests itself, What can she say,
since she has already told him without
being asked that she didn't love him.
She is saved the trouble of answering,
for, after the service, the conversation
is taken up as skillfully and easily as be-
fore, and one or two beginnings in that
direction are nipped in the bud, so that
before she knows it they have reached
the gate and he has hidden her quiet
goodnight and gone home, just the
same as usual.
Juliet walks slowly up to the house
with many and conflicting thoughts, for,
like many another girl, she is at odds
about some things of which she says
little.
She only stops moment in the parlor
to say, " Auntie, guess will go right
up to my room and rest my head. :"
Then she goes on up the broad stair
case, through the long corridor and
into her room, locks the door and sits
down YEARLY in chair to think. Dear
M her thoughts roam like the Wan
dering jew. But in the midst of all
they find one resting place, and, as
thoughts have a way of doing, stick
there like grim death. Then she sets
up an imaginary self on stool of re-
pentance In front of her and apostro-
phizes it as follows: " You little goose!
why don't you love that minister; he is
genuinely good man, and there are
mighty few of them" Then she falls
into a reverie but soon proceeds: "You
ought to be ashamed to care any thing
for Rex Cant; you know he don't care
for you" Here the other self grows in
dignant and speaks up: "What of the
evening you went boating, and the walk
home?" but at this juncture she be-
comes disguised with both selves and
rudely interrupts the dialogue by get
ting up and taking off her wrap and
hat.
Then she lights the gas and sits reso-
lutely down to read, but after reading
one page over some six times without
the least idea of what it means, she toss
es the book into the further corner of
of the room, turns out the gas again,
raises the low French window and steps
out upon the balcony. 1t has been a
delightful afternoon, and she remem-
berS, as if it were long time ago, the
soft sunshine and swaying shadows; but
toward dusk the air had grown Oppres-
sive, and now the moon is put out by
clouds that are gathering and scurrying
across the sky. She drops YEARLY down
in rustic chair, puts her folded arms
on the balustrade, and leaning her cheek
upon them looks ont over the lawn and
The brisk breeze blows over
her face, and lifts her hair, and she
thinks in earnest now; of many an even
ing boating, of walks, and talks, and,
oh, of a thousand things; and under all.
like the current thai bears drifting rose
leaves, flows the fear that this artist who
has grown into all her life so closely
will 90 out into the world and forget
her.
The current of that fear grows strong
er and swifter, until finally she finds
that the breeze, grown TO a gale, is
around the corner OF the house
and in through the open window behind
her with a lonesome sound that she can
not bear; and she rises impatiently and
shuts the window down and herself out
with the night. She has hardly done
this when "A familiar odor greets her
senses, and, presto! the scene changes,
for the odor is Enthusiastically that of a
cigar.
She stands perfectly motionless, and
looks down in an opposite direction
from where she had been looking, and
there, pacing up and down the walk
slowly, is her artist, with that mascu-
line comforter between his lips. There
is an old saying about his satanic males
ty, but she adapts it to the case in hand
as she thinks in her ignorance, and
quotes to herself, 4" Think of angels and
you hear the rustling of their wings"
She hardly dares breathe as she
watches this bright being, probably for
fear of frightening him away. But he
walks up and down without even a
glance at the balcony, and presently
she bTeathes freer; but still she watches
and still he walks, and in the meantime
the clonds are growing heavier. Pres
emily she hears a low rumble of thun-
der, and at the same instant Rex losses
away his cigar, and comes straight ever
to the balcony. Striking tragical at
titude he lifts his face to her and signs
out:
bright angel, thou art as glorious
to this night, bending DER my head, as
is a winged messenger of heaven-but
you had better open the window and 90
within, for there is shower coming
up and you'll get your wings wet. Be
sides, you've been out too long al
ready"
" Thank you, sir; will go in imme-
diately, since you have watched me so
long as to grow tired of me-" and she