The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-07-08

I
/ had loved her.
That night when father sat smoking
his pipe under the cherry tree picked
up heart to say:
- Father, l am thinking about going
away to look for work" -. =. I
II.
had nothing to do beside cry when
l shut myself into my little bedroom.
First | tried on fathers best pantaloons.
He had never worn them since mother S
funeral and had forgotten he had any
thing but his old Velveteens. They were
a pretty good lit and SO were his boots.
| would have to make a blouse of an
old flannel dress of mothers, a blue
plaid, and hating to cut into that and
wondering what she would say about
my venture, hindered me a good while.
Well, it was three o clock in the morn
inc when / dressed in my new suit and
tried to see myself in my bit of a look
ing-glass. 1 started back half fright
ened, such 4 big boy | looked to be. l
had cut olfmy hair. That was a dread
fully hard thing to do, but if | had
stopped at that l would have had to
give up going. If you will be-
leve it, father never noticed my red
eyes in the morning nor my short hair,
but then kept on my sun bonnet.
1t was tough long pull on hot day
from our house to The Point" but [
made it before noon. put into a mar
row ravine about a half mile on the
river side from Jerry Clark's grand
mothers and eat my bread and cold
flapjack's sitting in my boat. There l
hid Dancing Polly well under the flags;
nobody would have dreamed the boat
was there. | cut a stick and swung my
little bundle over my shoulder, show
cred myself with road dust and struck
off down the road with n long, swing
ING gait. My greatest fear was that l
should forget to be as deaf and stupid
rs l had decided to be, 50, if you will
believe it, l scratched the back of my
right hand with a thorn-no little
scratch either-to tell me of my ears.
A few rods from the lonely cabin a
log lay by the footpath. There | sat
down, knowing that somebody would
be watching me. pretended to fall in
to a doze, but through the meshes of
my hat l saw the big bouncing girl
come to the door several times and
watch me close. She tried saving
wood but the saw got fast. Then she
began picking up chips, watching me
all the time. .-.
The big girl came out when got
up and went away. She had two water
buckets and she halted at the top of the
path down the bank.
logged along as if not seeing her.
"Hey, therer' she called after me
but i was too deaf to hear. - Hey,
there! Say! Are you looking for work."
Twas half a mind to give up the deaf
ness and hear her but l slowly trudged
on.
'Hey, there?' she shouted again,
with no girl S voice, sending stone aft
er me which struck my hat. turned
round and stood stock still in the path.
As she came up to me 1 motioned that
L was hard of hearing. So she shouted
in a loud voice close to my ear:
." Are you looking for work?" E
said | was, ducking my head for a
bow, and that for all was hard of hear
inc could do as good work as any
body. l had been cook for lumbermen,
and was hoping to get better wages up
in Saginaw.
Saginaw with an oath. It's good
to be deaf sometimes. Such an odd
looking creature she was, but not much
if any taller than Peggy Herrick. She
had short bristling hair, very much
oiled, but still it would not stay parted
in the middle; rough blotched skin,
laughing brown eyes, that made me
less afraid of her than l would have
been-eyes you can trust, some
how Her chin was square and heavy
well enough for a man-and when
she walked her skirts seemed to trouble
her n good deal
She told me Just what l knew she
would. Her grandmother was very
sick, nigh unto death. She must have
somebody to help her-somebody who
could be useful in every way. She would
rather have a man servant. for she some
times had to send by skiff across the
river or over to Buffalo. Could row?
Then | was lust the help she wanted,
and she offered me good wages and
pay in advance.
IN do my best to please you, ma am,
and in a little while you won't mind my
being so deaf" .Ef "a. N
/ followed her back to the shanty, my
heart beating fast enough. She made
me understand that the old lady would
be distressed 10 see the face of stran-