The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-09-30

him from a distance. He was coming
along in his shirt-sleeves, his uniform
on his saber and accompanied by sin
gle second. We went to meet him. He
approached. holding his cap full OF
black cherries. Our seconds placed us
at twelve PAGES. 1t was my turn to fire
first, but passion and hatred had such
hold of me that feared lest my hand
might not be steady and in order to
gain time to calm myself yielded my
privilege to him. He refused. 1t was
agreed that we should draw lots. 1t fell
to his lot to fire first. He fired and
pierced my cap. 1t was my turn. AT
last had his life in my hands. ] looked
at him greedily, endeaYoring to find
on his features at least a shadow OF
emotion. No, he was under my pistol
picking the ripest cherries out of his
cap and blowing the stones out of his
mouth. His sangfroid made me furious.
What shall l gain, l said to myself,
by robbing him of his life when he
makes so little of itP' A terrible thought
crossed my brain. | knocked my pis-
toll. 1T seems said, that you are not
in a mood to die at the present moment.
You prefer to breakfast. As you please,
| have no desire to disturb YOU DO
not concern yourself about my affairs,
he replied, and be good enough to fire.
However. as you please; you have still
your shot to fire and l shall always be
at your service withdrew with my
seconds, to whom l said that for the
moment l had no desire to shoot, and
so the matter ended. l resigned and
retired to this village. Since that mo-
ment not day has passed but have
thought of my vengeance. Now my
hour has come"
Silvio drew from his pocket the letter
which he had received that morning and
gave it to me to read. Some one, evil
IDENTIFY his lawyer, wrote to say that the
person in question was soon to be mar
ried to young and beautiful lady.
"You can guess who the person il"
said Silvio. 90 am going to Moscow.
We shall see if he will look upon death
in the midst of wedding with as much
GOODNESS as he did before a pound of
cherries"
With these words he flung his cap on
to the shelf and began to stride up and
down the room like tiger in his cage.
| listened to him motionless and tor
mented by a thousand contrary senti-
ments.
A servant entered and announced
that the horses were ready. Silvio
pressed my hand. He mounted little
carriage, on which there were two cases,
one containing his pistols, the other his
baggage. We said adieu once more
and the horses started.
A few years passed and family affairs
compelled me to exile myself in a mis-
cradle little village in the district of
-. Busy with my own interests l
did not cease to sigh when thought of
the noisy, careless life that had
hitherto led. What found most pain
full was TO accustom myself to pass the
spring and winter evenings in complete
solitude. Until dinner-time contrived
to kill the time in one way and another.
But as soon as it began to grow dark |
did not know what to do.
At distance of four verstS was fine
property belonging to the Countess
B, but her steward alone was there;
the Countess had only lived at the
chateau once in the first year of her
marriage, and then she had only stayed
a month. One day in the second spring
of my hermit's life 1 learned that the
Countess and her husband would pass
the summer at the chateau. They ar
rived, indeed, in the month of June.
The arrival of rich neighbor marks an
epoch in the life of country folks. For
my part was dying with Impotence to
see the Countess, and the first Sunday
after her arrival | went to pay my re-
spects as being her closest neighbor and
her most humble servant. A lackey
conducted me to the cabinet of the
Count, which was furnished with the
most consummate luxury. The door
opened and | saw enter a handsome
young man of thirty-two years of age,
who received me in the most frank and
manner. We were Just settling
down into easy conversation when the
Countess appeared. She was really a
beauty. The Count introduced me. L
wished to assume an easy air, but the
more | tried the more awkward and
l became. Ny hosts, to
give me time to recover myself, began
to talk to each other to show me that
they treated me already as a neighbor
and without ceremony. l walked about
the room, looking at the books and
pictures. / am no connoisseur, but l
stopped before view of Switzerland,
not so much because [ was struck by
the merits of the picture, but because it
was pierced by two bullets which had
evidently been fired through the same
hole, one after the other.
THAT was fine shot," l said, turn
ing toward the Count.
YES" said he, "a strange shot in
deed. Are you an adept with the pis-
tol, sir?"
"To a certain degree" replied, de-
lighted to find some topic of converse
lion within my powers. AT thirty
PAGES 1 could hit card, of course with
pistols that l knew"
"Indeed?" said the Countess, with
IN air of great interest, land you, my
dear, could you hit a card at thirty
)aceS!i
"We will see," said the Count. elm
ny time 1 was not a bad shot, but l
nave not touched a pistol for four
7ears."
Then, Count" l said, 81 dare bet
you would miss at twenty PAGES. Pts
ol shooting requires constant practice.
know it by experience. The best
hot l ever knew used to shoot every
lay, at least three shots before dinner
lie never missed, any more than he
missed taking his glass of cognac be-
ore the SOUP"
land how did he do itP" asked the
Count.
How? He would see fly on the
yall-you smile. COuntessp / swear