The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-07-10


cise the throng; porters skirry slong,
and guards gessiculate; but the quick,
hooking Italian eye has ample leisure to
scan the laughing negress with her gor-
grous wraps, the tall old gentleman, the
toddling old ladies round as paIIs, the
ambassador in his turban.
Miss Norfolk-Stanley gazed out on
the hurrying throng with that selfish
complacency peculiar to the traveller
who has already secured good seat in q
continental railway carriage. She held
an old-fashioned theory that, deprived
of the escort of nephew Dick, ladies'
carriage was the safest place for herself.
That she was alone in this opinion was
speedily revealed by the fact of every
other woman in the crowd bestowing
her person in the conveyanees adjacent,
rather than submit to the awful possi-
bility of troop of children for hours.
Bijou's mistress was an old traveller !;
experience had made her timid and sus-
picious. She read all the robberies in
English and foreign newspapers, and
1 looked obviously at mankind of the
tourist species. Who were these men 7
Why did they observe her? A ladies'
carriage for her, if you please, and not
one where each man in the corner may
prove an assassin and thief if favor
able opportunity offers. She had learn,
ed the words Helpw and Thieves p
in six Languages for emergencies.
| Two ladies paused at the door of the
carriage. The smiling official, in remem-
brsnce of Miss Nortolk-Stanley's bride,
resisted their efforts to enter, and led
them elsewhere. They were both women
of medium height, in long water proof
cloaks, their heads enveloped in blue
wells, which concealed their faces Miss
Norfolk>Stanley saw long, yellow
hand, with thin fingers peculiarly talon
like, stretched forth to turn the handle
of her carriage door. The hand belonged
to the first woman, and she experienced
8 strange sense of relief when it was
again withdrawn: and the owner passed
on. Why2 Because Bijou could caper
about st liberty If she retained the car
rage alone. She assured herself this
was the sole reason for dreading the
yellow hand, and the shiver which crept
over her at sight OF it.
This danger surmounted, these re-
manned one more to be overcome before
Biiou and his mistress could breathe
freely. The surly guard jumped on the
steps, demanding tickets The surly
guard gave and received no quarter
His expression of countenance was satur-
nine, his gray moustache curled upward
in truly savage manner, and his car
was pressed down over deeply-wrinkled
forehead. He was always in hurry and
his life was rendered burdensome by the
questions OF nervous travellers. He eyed
Miss NOrfolk-Stanley shsrply-sole accu.
pant of the ladies' carriage, sitting with
a leather bag carefully held upright on
her knee.
"You have no dogP' demanded the
surly guard, peering about on the foor
suspiciously.
Certainly not" said Miss Norfolk
Stanley, blushing at the fib which she
uttered in alarm for her pet.
Then the surly guard banged the door,
departed, and the train actually started
at last. Bijou skipped out of his prison,
executed q wild but barkless dance over
the seats, stood on his hind legs with
great apparent enjoyment, ate biscuit,
and was refreshed with water from the
cup of his own tiny travelling flask.
The train wended its way toward the
Alps; one by one snow peaks detached
themselves from the mountain rampant
dividing France and Italy, and stood out
boldly against the blue sky; the atmos-
phere grew keen. Down in the valley
weather-beaten little hamlets were hud-
died together in cluster of steep roofs /;
the river foamed in silvery ripples, the
peasants worked in the blooming fields.
Within the railway carriage Miss Nor
folk-Stanley INDUCED in her own medi.
tstions, and Bijou capered about at
pleasure. The lady made her plans,
with slightly compressed lips. She
would go to Paris, and thence direct to
London. Nephew Dick might well look
to himself
The train paused. Hi, Bi,oul Miss
Norfolk Stanley had scarcely time to
restore her pet to the bag pocket, when
the opposite door few open, and the
surly guard thrust in his head. Her
heart failed her. If the surly guard had
seen Bijou, he had a right to carry the
dog of in triumph to the baggage van,
and impose on herself the ignominy of
a fine. Instead, he explained that two
ladies must be admitted, as the cigar
smoke of their carriage made them i'll
Again that long, yellow hand CROPPED
upward for the door handle, and the
two women in cloaks invaded Miss
Norfolk-Sssnley's territory. She re-
signed herself, with sigh, to the inevi-
table. After all, these ladies were only
tri6e peculiar and foreign.lo king.
mere harmless iellow-creatures, and
lion had already enjoyed two hours of
freedom. Miss Norfoik-Staniey's first
impulse was to throw herself on their
mercy to the extent of releasing her
dog. In travel she had yer vet en-.
countered another woman who did not
assist in smuggling BUou With the
delight in contrsbsnd wsrisre o. any
kind peculiar to the sex. A second
glance at those yelled and mu SEED
figures deferred her. The strangers,
with murmured apology in French for
the intrusion, sank into their places at
the other extremity of the carriage, and
remained as silent as statues. They
carried no bags or parcels OF any kind.
The yellow hand produced a smelling
bottle of cut steel, and pungent odOr
diffused itself gradually as the windows
were closed to exclude the smoke.
Now the tunnels were gained which
form the threshold OF Mount Gents on
the Italian side, and which are immeas>
urably more black and oppressive. at
A rush of steam, shrek of the
locomotive, and the train was engulfed
in the first of the three long tunnels.
The pas burned in a tiny star in the