The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-04-24

4 Dut III is lille C1ty unplcdodAe plSCo Il
the house. and its neighborho0d to tie
bright little sitting room ! have made
has never troubled me.
"One chilly, rainy night less than q
week ago, and ssser wrote you to CONG,
l sat reading By the bright hesrth-fre
of my sitting roam until nearly twelve
o'clock. Patty was asleep in G little
room leading fre 10 it, which is directly
beneath nay chamber, and the otEer two
servants, housszaail and man, were
asleep in their rooms in another part OF
the house. tek Patty not to sit up /;
get when it grew midnight the solitude
of the great house weighed on me little,
&nd l felt 10th to go up to my chamber.
Finally wrapped myself in my dress-
iRggown and lay Town on couch before
the hearth, knowipg that the great wood
fse would keep the room warm till
morning. l had laiz there but moment,
] think, when 1 heard voice in the
roam say, Look Kinder the hearth in
the parlor.' 1t was so distinct voice
that the room seemed to echo with it.
[ dGr't know why L did as l did do; /
should have thought would have been
afraid but spraRg up, caught light
from the table, crossed the hall and
opened the door Of the parlor"
"Poor little Q leen-el You had oysr-
ezerted yourself, and your brain had
grown excited and unsettled"
"But, Guy, 1 kneH down in that
dark room by the hearth and passed my
hands over the smooth tiles. Almost
instantly ] found thst oae was loose. 1t
was small, and | pried it open with
h&irpin. Here beneath lay a small,
yellow, folded paper. I stared at it a
moment, than took it out, and seeing, as
1 expected, that it was covered with
writing, l only stopped to look once
more around the silent black parlor, then
hurried back to my sitting room.
ooh, Guy, it was no coincidence, my
finding paper in that place The
paper is of the utmest importance. You
may see that for yourself. Here it is,
and rising, Queenie took it from one of
the corner cabinets secured to the wal,
and placed it in Guys hand. A bit of
coarse yellow parchment, the chirogra-
ply quaint, the ink faded; but it was
the written confession of one Gilbert st.
Edgar that the estate of Deadwood had
been wrongfully obtained, and that he
had wrongfully defrauded the rightful
line of inheritance and he furthermore
besought and instructed the finders of
the paper, which he declared hidden
under the hearth of the tile parlor for
preservation few days before his death,
to restore the ill,gptten estate of Dead |
wood to its rightful inheritors. Guy
Biondels scholarly face g-ew grave and
a trife paler as he read. Anticipating
what it BODIED for him, ne made strong |
effort for selfpreservation.
"Queenie, dear Queenie, you surely |
don't mean that you are going to give
up DsadwoOd and all our hopes for this !
little scrap of paper ?"
"Deadwood is not mine, Guy"
"Oh, Queenie, don't plunge yourself
into after poverty and separste US for |
this unsubstantial idea "
81 will not, if it is un4ubstantial, |
Guy. hope it may prove so. Let us
both hope so, and be happy, at least !
until we find out" said the girl, making
an effort to stave off her own discour-
agement. She was full of pity, too, for
the pain of the heart ali hers in its
freshness and strength. Yet nothing
overcame the power OF that honest !
blood which had come with the strong
blue eyes. She held firm day after day, |
only replying to Guys pleadings:
"De&dwood must be mine, Guy. If
it is not mine do not want it. 1t |
would never be home else"
At last Mr.. Quill, who had been sent
for, came.
Queenie withheld the story of her
dream, as Guy called it, but inquired,
as quietly as possible, as to the existence
of Gilbert St Edgar.
ooh, yes, my dear, Your great great |
uncle. l never saw him, Of course, but |
my father remembers him"
81 have a reason for wishing TO see |
his penmanship, MI. Quill ,''said Queenie. |
" Do you think there is any in exist
ence 2"
"Oh, yes; I know there is. My un>
Gle, who was friend o his, left guam
tity Of old letters and papers; among
them are written bills of this same Gil,
bert st. Edgar. I'll look when 1 60
home and send you a specimen of the
old mans chirOgraphy. Very interest
ing, these old relics, Miss St. Edgar"
And Mr.. Quill partook of a delicious
tea and rode back to town, never dream
ing of the strained and anxious young
hearts he had left behind him.
Two days later, inclosed in facetious
note inquiriug when the wedding was to
be, arrived from Mr.. Quill bit of yellow
paper signed Gilbert st. Edgar.
With the color ebbing from cheek and
lips, Queenie and Guy compared it to
the parchment, taken from the tile par
lor; for it was identical end the same |
penmanship. There could be no doubt. !
"And now, Queenie?"
"Now all hoce is at an end at least |
for long years Guy. But we may get |
rich bye-and bye, and then y
Tried beyond endurance he flung the
slender hand from his own. The next
instant he turned with a bitter cry OF
remorse, and snstched the girl from the
floor. She had tainted.
He never gave way after that No
more anger or reproaches. He realized |
that Queenie, too, had suffered, and tried
to comfort and sustain her.
The sad days went by. Queenie hid |
the dainty wedding garments even from
ner own eyes.
At length one evening-the last even
ing-a carriage whirled up the drive
The occupant, drenched with rain, sprang |
into the house and room.
excuse my wet coat-rain right in
nv face all the way. Oh, hang p elm