The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-03-13

| eldest sisteT. who never married, and
never spoke 70 him after he married me
though I 60 not remember it against
her now. I have always thought of
huth as being superior woTnAn-a very
superior woman. have heard your
father say that she spoke four languages
in her young days, and that abe was a
great belle then"
This brought out contempJuous
" Humphl" from the girls. This was
the letter which proved the turning
point in my life:
"SIsTKR IN LAW: hear you are blessed
\ with three daughters. | am childless,
| bedrdden old woman with no one to care
| for me. ! need some strong, active young
| person daily and hourly. Send me niece.
| She shall be paid for her trouble. / sup
pose you consider them all psrsgons; but
| betuty Is not indispensable. Honesty and
gooI morals are. Let me know at once.
Your OFT servant, RUTH RUsHToN,
"Of the 'Pines,' Kent"
What an insultl" said Edith. Hor-
rible old womanl After all these years
of neglect, she would now make maid
servant of us. shall not CO."
Then Caroline delivered the address at
the beginning of my story.
Poor nanny picked the wadding
from the back of the stuffed chair like
bird pecking at barley; all the time q
cloud creeping over her pale face.
"No; of course you'll neither o. you
60, after this letter; but it seems like
flying in the face of Providence to
refuse It is not ike going out to
service, you know, after ali. The CONF
ing winter viii be very hard on me, and
/ can't see my way out very clearly.
There's Agnes-we might let her go;
although should miss her sadly. And
she has not decent gown to go in. Her
next quarter win rot be duo for long
time yet"
What does it matterf" said at
last, my heart flied with bitterness.
al should not be expected to dress
greatly am ready to ge just as am"
ooh, 1 dare say" said Caro-, in high
disdain. Playing Cinderella is quite
in your line; BUT there's to be no god
mother or prince in the story. You're
going to drudge and slave for a bideOus
old tyrant, and wear her ridiculous inery
for pay. But anything for an excuse to
leave the drudgery here to Edith and l,
you ungrateful thing!"
I've done it all nay life unoomplain-
ingly," I plucked up spirit to say, con-
fident it would not help my case, how
ever.
"Don't quarrel now, just before sepa-
rating" ssid poor mammy, almost
sterrly.
And so it was settled that I should
leave home; the letter was posted to my
hard aunt, who WAS to losk for me Tues
day fortnight, some little time being
allowed for my preparations. These
were ridiculously simple, Ny few things
were to be gotten up" as the clear
stmcheTs say, and ! turned chsugeable
silk gown OF mammy's the sBufy side out,
and could have wept at the thought Of
how I should LOOK ia it. This and my
old black, and one or two prints, we're
what lacked in my mesu little trunk,
with many soDs and tears et bidding
farewell to my poor nanny, who cried
20 bitterly, her thin srms wound about
my neck, a. IL all her poor heart lett her
by misfortune was bursting in twain.
GOOD by, nanny darling, / shall
write often, and if there are any earn
ings they shall come to you"
"One would think that Agnes were
on the eve of starting to America"
sneered Edith, shaking my hand coldly,
and giving me dabby kiss on my tear
stained cheek.
Oh, never knew what a dear little
dun-celored hone it was, until | had
turned my bsck upon it in the chill Sep
TENDER rain.
A grsy>haired servitor, in gray stock
ings and rusty small clothes. met me at
the station, with an ancient affair on
four wheels, drawn by an animal not at
all unlike the solemn old man, who said
his name was Dark, and whom shocked
unuttersbly by calling him Mr.. Dark.
1 had plenty of time tor reflection as
we left the highway, turning up through
an avenue of psternsl hemlocks, to the
no less fOrbidding house, with quantity
Of wings and windows, rambling porch,
and one or two statues on the terraces
all soggy with rain, and Uttered over with
dropings from the pines, whose funeral
branches had for many years kept the
sunshine from that gloomy portal
A staid, elderly woman, In a respect
able silk gown, met me at the door with |
the intelligence that my aunt was quite
put out at having the tea kept waiting |
a quarter of an hour, which l accepted |
as sn omen OF a bad beginning.
she was already sitting at the head of
the table in the dining room-s gsunt !
apartment, with high ceiling, heavy
mahogany furniture; with tall silver
candIesticks,
A pallid old woman, with snow-white
hair, and burning black eyes, with all |