The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-08-28

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kill myself in a way that will leave no
possibility of hiding my suicide, as liv-
ing friends might do if they could; and
for the qualification of their proper curl
osity, rs well as TO provide thinkers with
a subject for nice reasoning, write this
honest account.
am 50 years old, and for half my
life have been the only physician in
Dunnville. My professional labor has
been arduous, and not very remunera-
tive. | am by nature kindly and gen
erous. | have given my services freely
to the poor, and have been a lax credi-
tor to those who were able to pay.
Three wears ago my entire savings were
represented by the small house in which
nv mother and | lived and a few hun
dred dollars in savings bank. l be-
Gan to realize that | would soon be an
old man, and that / ought to accumulate
property against the time when l could
not work. i tried TO be more eXactlng
in money matters, but soon found that
| had commenced too late. l refused to
90 out at night in the rain at the call OF
"A Dauper: but the messenger stared at
me in blank amaZement, and l went. L
asked a wealthy man to pay me what he
owed me: but he whined about bad
business, and | said no more. Nobody
knows better than physician how sud-
denly man may be incapacited for Ia
Dor, and the more | thought about the
helpless plight in which | would be left
by such a misfortune the more | dread
ed it. This feeling was not all selfish,
for there was my aged mother, wholly
dependent upon me.
One day | received this letter:
NEW YORK, April ,, 1879.
! DEAR BRoTHER-I write to you on behalf
! of our cousin, Alice Shumway. (She Is
now Mrs. Wayte, as you doubtless know. }
/ Alice is i'm poor health, and her husband Is
out West on business. Her physician has
! advised her to spend the summer in some
quiet country-place, where she can have
good medical care. | thought of you at
once, and now beg you to take her into your
house for few months. Please answer I'M
mediately.
Yours truly, HENRY SUBWAY.
| remembered Alice very well, partly
because her fathers will connected me
with her in an odd manner. He died
when she was a mere child, and be-
queathed to Alice $4,000, under cOndi-
tons. He had already chosen hus-
band for her in James Wayte, the son OF
an old crony, and he intended, through
/ his will, to enforce that choice. Ac-
cording to the provisions of the will,
/ Alice was to have the income of the
$4,000 until she was u years old, and
if on her 21st birthday she was not the
wife of James Wayte, the money was al
to 90 to me. If she died before her 2lst
birthday, the money was to be divided
among the surviving heirs; but if SHIT
lived longer without obeying his matri
monial command, she was to do so pen
niless, the only release for her being the
death of Wayte, or his refusal to wee
her. The obdurate man talked over hi
plan with me many times, and had th'
will carefully drawn by skillful lawyers
Neither he nor | believed it was possibl,
that Alice would disobey. Therefor
nv interest in the estate was not sui
ficient to raise an avaricious hope, no.
to agitate me when | heard of her mar
riage to James Wayte.
My answer to my brothers letter wa
that Alice could come, and that sh'
would be made comfortable in on
somewhat lonesome corner of the world
She arrived few days later. She nae
been, as | recollected, blooming
healthy, vivacious girl. All that wa
wofully changed, leaving her wan, deli
cate and detected. We gave her tn,
best room in the house, and were kim
; to her. [ have an uncommOnly sympa
thetic nature, Notwithstanding the con
traTy opinion that some of the reader
of the statement may hold, and the fad
/ inc beauty of the invalid was a pitifu
= sight. Consumption had made nue.
progress in taking her to the grave be
fore she came under any care, and tn
best that could do was to give her
little strength to fight hOpelessly agains
the relentless disease.
Nv mother was too old to be compan
| ionable with our guest, and the countr
Girl who performed the duties of a nurs
: was hardly congenial spirit, so it wa
! a matter of course that Alice and L fe
into the relation of familiar friends ratf
5 er than of physician and patient. Sh
, rode with me every fair day at first, an
it was on one of our rides that her f.
: theirs will became the topic of conversa
: ton. | iokingly accused her of cheat
$ ing me out of fortune by marrying /
$ obedience to her fathers injunction. Sh
\ grew instantly so serious that looked /
e her, suppose, with inquiry expresse
t in my face.
e Il wish, Doctor" she said, as neal
+ " as | can recOllect her words, q that
had not been SO obedient. If had di
e obeyed, | might now be well, in bod
and mind. would like to tell you a
: about it, Doctor, because it is hard
bear trouble silently, you know; and
t am sure you will help me with YOU
: sympathy
It | pulled her shawl closer around hi
: neck. for it was nightfall, and the hOr:
: was going at pace that made breez
4 of the still air. She turned grateful eye
e on me for this slight attention.
e "You take such good care OF me,
she said, ''that am sure you would |
5 careful of my secret. L was only
t wears old when was told of the cOnd
l. ton in my fathers will-that l mu
q marry James Wayte or be disinherlte'
n There were nine years to come and :
o before the alternative would be force
It upon me, and | childishly put off sci
Gus thoughts about it. 1t was not unit
|. was 16 that really began to cOnsid'
, the question. was told that You we
1t generous man-that you had new
" dreamed of profiting by my father
q will-that Won would not take my i
d heritance from me. Well, while | vi
If making up my mind to trust you, Jam
IS WAITE came from college, dashin
l. capitating fellow of %, and | fell 81
r. cerely in love with him. / mo longer I
c,ra.+ed the requirement. of the will.