The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-05-22

them at her service, swung her for hours
+ in the hammock which hung in the
J orchard, and listened with patient
heartfelt sympathy to her longings for
her blue-eyed boy.
Blessed if it amt too bad 7" said he
one day (they were sitting beneath the
catalpa trees), as the little widow pressed
her lace handkerchief to her ewes to drv
the tears that sprung to them lust after
she had remarked that the twittering of
the dear little birds was 80 like a. bsbv's
voice" darned if it amt Couldn't
you git him away from the folks 2 Pears
to me l couldn't refuse you anything
when you clasp your hands and looS at
me with teSrs in your eyes,"
"Oh, captain" sobbed the sorrowing
mother, there are very few people in
the world like you, very few. You are
one in thousand-yes, five thousand.
But never had chance to appeal to
them personally. / was very i'll when
when they took my darling away, and
letters, and letters, with no matter how
much feeling we write them, are so
cold"
Why don't you try personally
then 2" asked the captain, swinging her
dainty parasol about, to the imminent
danger of the carefully carved handle.
she blushed, cast down her yellow-broyn
eyes, raised them again, looked him in
the face like child resolved to tell the
truth, however painful it may be, and
said: / have no money wherewith to
pay my passage to England. Under
stand me, ] would willingly, most will
lingly, be a steerage passenger, a stew
ardess, anything-snything to bring me
near my child. But coming to them |
save as beftted the wife of their son and
brother, my husbands proud family
would certainly disown me, and I should |
be alone in a strange land, more heart
sick than ever"
q Well, if the want of moneys ALL"
cried her honest lover, "that's EASILY /
settled. Pll give you the money to 20
in hang-up style, and"
But here he stopped in amazement,
for Mrs. Montgomery Montague had
risen from her seat and drawn her small
figure to its fullest height. :" SiI, do not
Insult me-" she said, with trembling lips.
" Insult you" cried the captain,
springing to his feet-"insult you, nv
dear woman Inever dreamed of such
thing"
"But you offended me--money," she
stsmmered.
"And was about offering you my
hand and heart-that's the way thew put
it in love stories, don't they viii you
marry me, Lillian and then, if you
choose, we'll 60 together for the boy"
Generous man I' said the widow, a
tear stealing down her pretty cheek.
" But don't you see".-that that would
never do? l could never plead for my
child as the wife of Captain Hottop.
1t must be as the widow of Montgomery
Montague"
blessed if you amt right" exclaimed
the captain, looking at her admiring Y.
" Well, promise to marry me when you
return. Do Lillian. No one could love
you better than l."
When return ?"
" Yes, for surely my promised wife can
accept part of the fortune that will be
all hers when she is really my wife, with
out anybody. Darn it, nobody need
know. viii you, Lillian ?''
I" | will, )" she said.
" VIII what, my precious ?'' he asked,
smiling.
Everything" she answered; and
turned and fed like bsshful girl, after
he had clasped her in his arms and given ,
her kiss in true sailor fashion.
And by the very next steamer Mrs. 9
Montague started for Eng :
land, with valuable solitaire diamond !
ring glittering on her pretty
hand, check for $500 in her silver y
portmonnaie, and many useful and or !
namental farewell gifts from the ladies :
Of the SpOoner household. The ladies .
felt all their old interest in her revive, .
now that she had gone away indeed, "a o
Mrs. Dusenberry informed the eighty y
year old grandfather of the youth who 5
famed her on the afternoon of Mrs.
Montsgue's arrival She was much
too lovely, and made me quite jealous of
you, you false man."
And Miss Isabella Spooner hung her
picture of young Montg merry, " that
5abelet fair" in the parlor, and wreathed
it with daisies. /" Heaven grant that
we may see the darling himself soon pr +
she said, with piteOus emphasis.
But they never did. For couple of Il
weeks after the widows departure, Well o.
ington Octoper burst in upon them all e
AZ they were playing croquet on the g
avn, scattering the balls i'll all direc- Il
.iods. Il
"Sold, by graciousl" shouted he. :
"What ?' asked Miss Spooner, drop. Is
ping her mallet. A million tierces of J!
ard and twice as many pigs, suppose" " "
nurmured Mrs. Dusenberry, leaning in I
IN unconscious manner against the :.
boulder of her partner L
I" She's a fraud Yes-s," continued the * *
,ork merchant. =
"Who?" they all cried this time. 3
Z" The widow, Mrs. Montgomery Mon
ague, that is, Mrs. Maria J. Thompson.
Yes-s."
"Maria J.-Jsne, l suppose. A sweet e
lame," said Mrs. Dusenberry. n
"a fraud, sir What do you mean, &
ir? What do you mean !" beloved T
Captain Hottop, as though through a 81
jpeaking trumpet, flush overspresding j:
lis weather bronzed face. b
Just what / say, captain. Yes-s," b
the pork merchant. sit ought G
% be the first of April-it ought-for. v
oy jingo, there never was such a sell {
The only truth she told was when she said q
The was a widow. So abe is. Yes-s. The
widow of Jack Thompson. celebrated i
nince and pumpkin pie maker in Chicago g
met bis brother on the street to-day. t
He's a pork merchant. And she never p
lad any children" J