The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-05-20
-oo5-carvers felt their fingers itch for the

~ IL 81 i5,1TIe- the world. Did you see how
Tc foIIored the Fuglishmen aboUti He could
/ tan, 10 them i'm their own fashion. george Il
1 no ordinary man y ,,,,, .ai5 ono
! adding as Hans on his mare came down the
street Hans is a good fellow. But he will |
never make stir in the world no" ~ -
timers used to be as nimble as ms tongue
| WeUer's tongue, meanwhile, was wa9gLiiSS
rimbly enough at the other side OF the Wen
He was little wirv red-haired, spect2cled itl-
low with A perpetual movement ana sparkle
about him. as if his thoughts We're lallie'
! That's the right s9rt OF tai 40, hahind
| profit! Why should We MNaAs InSs SI-t -
The world here at Walhalla! Plow ana dlg,
| pIow and digl The richest man in New 9Ih
left Germany butchers son, with ms vale y,
! strained on his back; and what Is New 10TH
! to Londonl just give me loOthoiu III Lol.
| don and I'll show you what paheI 81 80, E a.
do. let Hans Becilt laugh as he chooses FoI
Hans Who had come down to the wen, was
listening with a quizZica. twinkle III M eS ii
lie filed his pipe laughed, SAL down ana sitIL
nothing. Everybody knew Hans u NC '"o
most silent man in Nalhalla -. .,
Tie pretty girls gathered shyE closer 70
Heller: and the BOYS thrust their hands III thelr
rockets and stared admiringly up at MN. 1ans
Was their especial friend, but what stout
commonplace creature he was beside TINS
brilliant fellow ,,...,..--,1,,,
| George said. adjusting his spectacles and look
inc vouslv toward bench where a young
Girl lat holding her baby brother. Inc emo
was a solid lump of flesh, but she looked down
at him with the tcndercst ewes in the WQIIu
! ., he gipbt of her drove the blood through Hel-
! } : veins almost as hOtly as the smell OF q
! lCr of liquor would do. 80. if l win, u
! glaze wife from Walhallar' he cried, laugh
J take itedly, looking at her and not caring
| ing e5N whole village saw his look. II
! that ths for the girl / loyen He fancied
e. me bacA ewes had caught the fire from his
/ tina the sn' cred with a sudden flash
! own anu auS so, too; his pipe went out IN
| Ha ,tb Wht. she rose to go home ne TOOK
ms ho wy boy out iii T rlts sounded behind
I lilg Iea Heller's 81 ~ fro,
sue Gt t e vehement nc o,.,,,
| them Liz ss-rnonev-mOHey!
! "Slcce J,ed anxiously down into her face.
H \ a., 10. e good things" she Said' very
| good things. cue was tied as usual be
Hans,s ton the cradle in the Kitchen anu
/ dropped PM IL nd led Christine down 10 lhe
/ then came out a, house
/ garden OF his own u-mOney, to home! surrey
What was LondC He led her slowly past inc
/ she must see thatl >piggeres, past the bee
well-built barn and he chrrrv-trces and seat
/ hives hidden behind t. Te Thought these things
ed her on the porch. l. ans clung as closely Il
| would speak for him. h his mothers breast
! his home rs Phil yonder l. l.
! But Christine looked sulle
! Hans said nothing. SIZED with btch
q man shOuldnOt be sah
en- GARDEN she said sharply. The night al
They sat on the porch steps. Nung low owe
was warm and pure, the moon ! ny fantasti
! the ric fields to the left, throw nOiSeleS
/ shadows that chased each other Lii I. To tn
| ghosts as the wind swayed the gran pierce
! right, beyond the valley, the mountain t DUN
the sky They were all so friendly b. spea
| dumb as himself. If they could only aftC
and say OF how little account money was, -ay
/ all! 1t seemed to Hans as il theywere alN
! Just going TO speak!
But Christine did not look at sky, or noun,
aims or sleeping valley. She looked at the
| gravel al her feet, and gave it a little kick.
mo doubt George Heller will succeed. |
1 hope he will, tOo!' she said, yehemeuty. ." ia |
| man has the real stuff i'm hun let him show 1t |
to the world I'll go home now, Mr.. Becht.' |
That evening Hans violin was silent. lie /
used to play until late in the night; but he was |
! sharpening his long unused knives, with pale |
face He too was beginning Flight into !
! Egypt.
| During the next two weeks a tremendous |
whiting went on in Walhaa. Some Old fell |
lows, who had never cut anything but paper |
| knives and match boxes, were fired with the |
| universal frenzy. Why should not Stein, the |
| cObber, or Fritz, the butcher, chip his way TO |
wealth, fame and London: There is not |
| butcher or cobber of us all who does not Sc
| cretv believe himself a genius equal to the /
beSt-barred down by circumstance. George |
Heller kept his work secret, but he was nightly |
| stirred BY it in soul and body. Twice, IN a |
| rage. he broke the panel into bits, and came |
out pale and covered with perspratiOn; he !
l walked about muttering to himself like one IN |
q dream: he went to Godfrey STEMS inn and |
drank wine and brandy, and then more brandy, |
| and forgot to Dav Genius Is apt 20 leave the
lesser virtues in the lurch. He kicked the
dogs out of the way, cursed the children, ana
was insolent to his old father who still fed and
clothed him.
He's no better than a VOLTS whelp!n said
Al, TO- oil
win!" Now if anybody knewth world, 1t was
Godfrey Stein.
Nobody thought Hans Bccht would win but
his old mother. She was sure of it. She sat
beside him with her knitting, talking ali the
time WHY did he not give himself more time!
The rice-held must be flooded! Let the rice
90 this year. He spent three hours in the cot
ton this morning. And what with fOdderng
the stock. and rubbing down even the pigs
| -. What were cotton and pigs to TINS
chance! 1t would come but once lifetime.
{ Meanwhile, Hans, when free from pigs and
rice and cotton, sat by the window and cut,
cut and whistled softly. The door Of the
; kitchen stood open, and the chickens came
! picking their way on to the white moor. A
swift stream Of water ran through the mlllet
field and across the garden, shining in the sun.
The red rhOdOdeudrons nodded over it, and
the rowan bushes scarlet with berries. Be
vond the millet field, there was rampant OF
, rolling hills, brOuZed with the early frost; but
here biazed the crimson leaves Of the shOnieho.
and there acucumber tree thrust its open gold
: en- fruit. studded with scarlet seeds, through
the dull back ground Beyond this rising
S ground were the peaks, indistinct as gray
shadows, holding up the sky.
a Sometimes Mother Becht caught Hans with
his knife idle looking at these far off heights,
r or at the mnnOws Glancing through the brook
/ near at hand. There was a great pleasure IN
his eyes.
+ :. You are a fool to throw away your time"
e she cried. " Can YOU cut that red weed or the
sky into your wood! YoucouId not even paint
; them
D thought Hans.
r Stick to your work. work counts The
4 things that count in the world are those which
; push you up among your neighbors.'
Hans began to cut a tip to JOseph's nose.
S - The things which count in the world"
;. he uueried to himself. He did his thinking
; very slowly. His blind father sat outside in
a the sun: he came in every hour or two TO hear
d how the work was going on, and then went to
n Schopf's shop to report. His wife told him
t that there was no doubt that Hans would sue
e coed.
e = Joseph is good. and Mary is very fine, - she
G said But the mule is Incompatible. If you
d could only see the mule. When Hans goes to
It London do YOU think he will take us at once,
:. or send for us in the spring! | think it would
be safer to cross the ocean in the spring. But
e it will not matter to cabu-passengers no steer
h age for US, then, father! He will be taking
three of US"
50 "Eh. How's that? Three?n
p Christine She said. with a significant
chuCLle. 80. she'll be glad enough TO take our
/ Hans. then, She's had TO work hec fl gers
II to the bone. She knows the weight OF q full
d Hans is welcome to bring her home whether
T. he wins or not" said Father Becht. He earns