The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-05-27

into her hand the evening before, and
that she had crumpled up, hardly glanc-
ing at it, and had then taken with her
in the morning, thinking she would read
il in the wood.
What did he write her such letters for?
Why did he want to love her? Why
did he urge it again and again? She
was only child; she had Just begun to
taste the sweetness oflife. Why couldn't
he let her alone for little while, till she
had looked on her surroundings and
seen what the world was; had had a
little freedom and pleasure any rate
till she needed him?
Till she needed him, the next thought
came. All, Heaven! did she not need
him now? And a storm of tears an
swered for her. 80, if he did love me,
if he really did love me he would know
what L am suffering; he would come and
help me and save me. 1t would break
his heart to see mer' she sObbed. - 1t
would break mine to see him So" And
then all at once she paused in her cry
ing and exclaiming. and opened her
trimming brown eyes wide to the sun
shine. What! Would it really break
her heart to see Mr.. Wilston suffering
so? Would she care? Did she-could
She. 0, if she never saw him again
at all Was it possible that, after all,
she really, really Was it possible
that she-she loved Mr.. Wilston?
And if he never knew!-if he never
knew! How good he had been to her!
how patient with her! what anoble fell
low he was! how tenderly, how passion
ately his eyes had followed heri If he
was ugly-well, she had never thought
so. Now that she should not see his
face again it seemed beautiful to her.
1t was the first face she should look for
when they both woke at last in the life
beyond this. And what forward and
perverse child she had been! What had
he ever seen in her to love? But he did
he did love her. And she Rugged her
little hands over her heart, suddenly con-
scious that the fact was precious.
Well, if she must die, she must. But
here was a mercy in the act of death.
1t had been given her to love. Itseemed
as if the Angel of Death had touched
her heart with the living fire. This
great Joy, this great rapture, had buoy
ed her heart over the abyss. There
was a first moment for everything, and
the first moment of her awakening
love, of her recognition of her love,
had been like a winged spirit soaring
over death, the seraph springing from
the grave. My love is my SOUL" she
cried, F" and my dying sets it free"
And now if he never knew! But he
should know. Some day they would
find her, and the letter in her hand.
And she refolded that letter, took her
pencil-case and addressed it to Mr..
Wilston, and wrote with her trembling
fingers underneath: Il never knew l
loved you. You must forgive me.
But do-indeed l do. l am going to
die presently. If l had lived, would
have tried to be good wife to you"
And she signed herself his Angel and
Law back in her nest half content.
She lay there little while, looking
up at the blue of the sky rising from
the red and purple of the rocks, with
the white flashes of wings across it, her
mind 50 made up to the inevitable that
she had hardly any fear; and she began
softly singing a hymn to herself. eff
mans love is so precious" she was
thinking, "what must Gods love be?'
In the midst of this tranquil moment,
however, she was reused by a singular
vibration running through the stout
vine ropes of her cradle, and quite an
other line of thought as instantaneous
ly suggested itself She had been fully
for this fainting, painless
passing away, high up in air, almost in
the blue sky itself; but falling on the
Jagged rocks and boiling water all
that was horrible, and she felt her heart
-- a ..-....
All, yes, certainly the vine ropes were
shaking too. Were they loosening?-
were they falling? o, what was this?
And some great Tapping object was fly
inc over her with a scream--an eagle
started from its perch-and a rope was
it, a great moose, and then a
hand and arm had suddenly closed
round her from behind, and a voice was
ourtly telling her to g obey and spring
backward" And Mr.. Wilston was
drawing her out of the nest of the
vines. and she was standing.
in his grasp, on the shelf of
rockwhere he leaned, with a rope round
his waist made fast to tree abOve-a
shelf of rock she thought, with a swift
pulse of chagrin, that had been there all
The time, in a crevice round the corner
Of the cliff, and leading a narrow way
up to the sod and the sapling above. if
she had only had the sense to turn her
head and look for it.
Mr.. Wilston did not speak word. |
He was white Is ashes, and she thought |
she could hear his heart beat. Still /
holding her and his rope he crept slow
" up the narrow shelf; then he set her |
Town before him, united his rope and |
slowly coiled it away, looking at her all !
he time, with her dOwncast eye and !
,eddening face half hidden under all the /
bright brown blowing hair.
Now, if you please" he said, grave |
y, at last, 81 will take that letter which |
saw you had addressed to me-"
"A letter addressed toyour she said, |
looking up then, spark of the old |.
spirit half cclipsing that new light which |
had dawned in her face.
Angel, how much longer"
Longer! | wish you would tell me-" !
She said, chow long | have been here
already, and whether it is to-day or to-
morrow, and what"
How much longer" he cried again,
- do YOU want to torment me? | could |
claim you as my property by all the
avs of salvage" he said, stepping to-
ward her: but it isn't necessary, for |
[ read the letter as you held it in your
hand before | threw the rope over you. |
You signed yourself my Angel, You !
said YOU would be 4 good wife TO me-"
"Well-I-will," said little Angeli- ,
"a. And her face grew so rosy red that
,hn ha1 70 hide Ii whpfhnr she Wnnlh |