The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-09-16
AMANDAR.
+" What's in q manner"

TO do no more. L shall heV That young uil
called accordin' to the counsel of my own will,
as Cat'chism says II a man hain't got right
to put a name TO his own child l dom know
who hes.n
"WeIl, well, talk, do talk, Bezy Hills Who
said you shouldn'tl | jest kinder throwed in
an idee, as We may say. / think Scripter names
are seemly for deacons' folks, an eff YOU don't
want no Scripter names round, why, can't
help IT, Folks will be folksy, l s'pose, an
mother she always said twas rule or ruin with
Bezy, when you WANT more'n knee-high to a
grasshopper, an what's bred in the bone III
come out in the flesh I've always heered,
am
The monologue was cut short here by the
slam of the kitchen door as Bezaleel Hills
fed into the shed from the scourge Of tongues.
Widow Walker was his elder sister, weak
", buZZing, fluent, but not unprincipled wom-
an. She had a long nose, fallen-in and yet
wide mouth, a distinct chin, and pair OF weak
gray ewes with red lids, all oyershadOwed by a
severe front of false chestnut hair set in stiff
puffs, making her face look like those triangu-
lar heads which the schoolboy's pencil bestows
upon a cat when he solaces the duh hours Of
his education by means OF slate, meant Tor
far other purposes.
Bezaleei had lost his wife six months ago,
exchanging her for the fat baby now lying in
his sisters lap before the fire. He was silent
man I'm regard TO his affections, though vol
uble enough as to his will and opinions Sister
soul was bound up in the delicate shy creature
who had been his wife only five years, or how
he had labored TO give her such rude comforts
as a country village could afford. 1t had been
the one JOY of his life to see the dark soft eyes
shine when he entered the door and his soil
tary reward TO know that even in the dellrium
of death his voice could quiet her and her last
conscious word was "Dearl"
When he banged the door to-day, Kerry did
not know that his cold eyes were dim with
tears, thinking of Amanda and his own soil
tude. She gave a sigh of obtrusive length and
volume, as who shouldsay, "Such is life, and
slowly squeaking to and fro in the old rocker,
began TO sing to the baby-who threatened to
awake when the door slammed-that excellent
but unpleasant old hymn,
"Broad is the road that leads to DEATH
to the equally unpleasant, if not as excellent,
tune of "Windham.n
As the long-drawn doleful whine Of the ca
dences kept tune TO the slow squeak of the
rocker, the baby, like child of sense, object
ed, and not only woke but set up a scream so
lively and so sharp that the wall of his aunt's
. voice hushed before the fresh life of this in
fantine chorus; she stopped singing, reversed
her charge across her knee, gave him two
smart resounding slaps and tucking him Wig
orously under one arm, proceeded to warm his
supper in the fat silver porringer that was an
heir loom of unknown antiquity and so ap-
pease his temper.
A week after, having relegated him TO the
care of a poor neighbor, paid for the Office
with peck of turnips, she betook herself to
the sewing society, big silk bag on her left
arm, a calash on her head and her Sunday
gown of black bombazine adorned by a vast
tamboured muslin collar, while her chestnut
front looked sterner than ever surmounted by
a structure Of black lace and hard dark purple
satin ribbons.
Five old women about quilt Can the pen
of one give 1.-THE of their conversation re-
cordl Let us attempt but part of it. Mrs.
Green began the tournament.
81 hain't seen We a month o. Sundays, Miss
Walker: where do We keep yerselfp'
"Why, I've ben to hum. 'Tain't real handy
to take to baby-tendin' when We git along in
wears a spell but there don't seem to be no.
body else to take care of Bezy's babe but me.
Bezy's as pernickity as a woman about the
child; he won't femme give ii a speck of moth
in but red cows milk, an he's nigh about
seven months old, an he'd oughter set in
lap to the table an take taste o. vittles along
with us. But Bezy he won't hear to no rea-
son; he claims he knows more about fetchin'
up children than | do, spite Of my hevin' he'd
four on 'em; he speaks about their all dyin'
off an says he wants his'n TO live-a-1yin' in
the face of Providence, as We may say for we
all know folks die by the dispensations of
Providence, an mortal man can't say, why
do We soP to the Lord; but dom know but
what brother Bezy thinks he can; he sets
an sech; says he wishes t Parson Pine
wouldn't say sech let about lection an hell
an DEGREES an more about mercy an lovin'
kindness. Land | want to know how you're
goin' to fetch hardened old sinners like some
We could mention eff We was amin to-an' /
guess we all know who they be without
namin' of 'em-inter the kingdom, eff We
couldn't scare 'em out of their seven senses,
a-shakin' of 'em over the pit, as We may say.
They don't mind nothin' but a real scare, an
they don't mind that no great.
/ wanted he should give the child a real
good Scripter name, sech as mine an his'n is.
1t seems as though it give child kind of a
pious start in this world to call it out o. Scrip
ter; but he's jest as sOtl dom knows you
know twas so, but so it was, he made regular
idle out of Mandy. He almost said his pray
ers to her, do b'lieve. She was a good enough
gal, fort know, but he took on real foolish
about her. The washing was did for her; an
he didn't keep but two COWS, because he
wouldn't let her be overdid."
swell, he can't call the boy after her, SEEM
faint girl, an her t'other name was Smith.
/ guess he wouldn't never yoke Smith an
Hills up together. don't suppose We ever
would guess, nor nobody else neither, but he
does act like all possessed about it: he saws
and when he does say a thing he sticks tot
like shOemaker's waX-that he's a-goin' to call
that poor babe Amandar."
chorus of ordinations again went round
the quilt. Mrs. Green, in the very act of snap
ping the chalked Irvine that marked the quilt
ers' pattern, lifted her head and forgot TO
let go OF the string.
"For mercy's sakes, what do you meanl'
she said, sharply. "Call boy babe Amandyl"
=" No, il amt Amandy, but it's as nigh tot
as We can tHrn your tongue an not say it an
-h
"What upon the face of the yerth do We let
him do it for!" severely inquired Mrs. Green.
heery's ewes opened as far as the secretive
narrow lids would allow.
40 Let himp Hear that want to know eff
ye think any mortal bein' can stop Bezy Hills
from doin' what he's got a mind tol'
"Or any other man." purred Miss Polly,
who had an elderly maiden's contempt for the
sex.
"They amt all jest alike" dryly remarked
Mrs. Green.
A look Of intelligence passed round the
table; it was well known in Hampton that
Mrs. Green was the head of the family, and in
stead of rejoicing in her supremacy as tribute
to her abused sex, and prophecy of hope the
women who should have sympathized shifted
al her; such is human nature.
But what viii folks say when the child is
presented for baptism!" asked the deacon's
wife.
''There tits agin,' - walled Keery. "'Bezy don't
b'leve in infayt baptism; he says the amt no
sech thing told about in the Bible an he don't
b'leve twas ever meant for folks to be bap-
tlzed till they was converted; an he won't
never haveit done to the babe no way, for he's
got conscience about it; an I've talked, an
talked, an talked 10 him, an | might Jest as
well ha' talked TO the side o. White Mounting,
for
I'm send the deacon over to deal with him."
said Mrs. House, TO whom the deacon was the
end Of the law, for which the rest fher sisters
secretly shifted at her. The happy medium Of
q bland indifference was "the thing'' as to
martial relations in Hampton.
HIM." said Miss Polly. 81 don't b'lieve ]