The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-07-29

distasteful in this maternal solicitude,
having for years parted the thrusts and
Gatherings of anxious mothers in behalf
of their portionless daughters, the more
so as it furthered his own happiness
and rendered him more and more COM
Portable as time went by.
Now that the hot summer was gone,
and the stormy winds of winter began
to blow, the old brick lodgings were
not so gloomy. The obliquely visioned
ancestor had been taken from the wall;
the horse-hair furniture covered with a
gay chintz; the rusty CRATE was rubbed
into a rubicund brightness, and therein
the Goals blazed generously. There
was no stint in the maternal blessings
shOwered upon this ledger, and Mr..
McGraw, for the first time, appreciated
his dealings with a commercial woman,
who was willing to spend money when
there was considerable to be made by
it. This excellent woman even en-
| deavOred to put an air of smartness into
Maggie's wardrobe, and garnished her
cloak with crimson trimming. Maggie
wore the cloak, but her face was sadly
out of keeping with the brave garment.
| She had grown so much more subdued,
and so much older in her manner and
appearance, that Mr. McGraw felt more
aud more at ease in her society, and of
the two he began to appear the brightest,
and wore an air of briskness and vigor
that went far to make up for his mature
years. His lawyers declared that never,
in the whole course of their experience,
had they seen man possessed with
such admirable philosophy.
AT least five thousand pounds swept
away with this unlucky sailor and Mr..
McGraw never murmurs about it, said
one of the legal gentlemen.
"Adversity seems to soften him. re-
piled the other. ''He hasn't cursed any
body or anything for six MONTHS
"Still he don't seem crushed or old
ened by the blow"
"On the contrary, he gets younger
every day"
Which was really fact. Happiness
was an extraordinary renovatOr to Mr..
McGraw and the neighbOrs declared
kindly that he and Maggie looked very
well together, 20, a man is always
Young if he's got means,' they added.
As the months went by, it began to
be generally conceded by all concerned
that Mr.. McGraw was paying atten-
ton to Maggie and she was treated
with that rare consideration that her
good luck demanded.
The only creature that seemed utter
| " ignorant of the situation was poor
Maggie herself, who had never for mo-
ment forgotten her dead sailor, or ceased
reviving his memory to Mr.. McGraw,
who seemed the only one that could fully
sympathize with her and console her.
Prodded on by the encouraging hints
and illusions of the girls mother,
Mr.. McGraw had endeavOred to infuse
into his manner something of the bear
ing of lover, but Maggie invariably
received these advances with the gentle
| gratitude that had become part of her
nature, and Mr.. McIraw instinctively
! shrank from anything that might shock
her delicacy, or estrange her from him.
He resolved to bide his time, winning
| gradually all of her heart that was left
! from the possession of the dead sailor,
accustoming her to the practice of aSsO-
eating their lives together, teaching her
| to lean upon him, and seek from him
what happiness she could call her own,
Then when some happy moment ar
rived in which he could win her to share
her life with him, he would trust to his
OWE exertions to win her love. Life
was weary burden in the old boarding.
house, compared to the luxury he could
offer her. Then he could see that he
was making himself necessary to her.
One morning, as they stood upon the
long pier and looked out to sea, he said
to the girl clinging to his arm, "Shall
you be sorry, my dear, to see me one
of these days sailing away from you in
a ship like that one over yonder, never
perhaps to look upon your sweet face
again?"
She said no word, but chung to his
arm, and two big tears rolled out of her
eyes. He took courage then to put his
arm about her-not but that it had often
been there before, but that was in a
fatherly sort of way.
Would you be afraid. Maggie, to
cross the sea with me?' he said.
. Afraidr' she replied; :" l could new
er be afraid of the sea-
There was an unpleasant infection
in these words that was closely connect
ed with the dead sailor, and Mr.. McGraw
essayed still another inquiry. - Don t
you love me a little, Maggie?" he said.
Il love you better than anybody
n01U," she said.
He longed to ask her if her love was
anything of the nature of the ardent
passion she had once held for the sailor
! Malloy, but of course he refrained, and
indeed was well content with his pres
ent happiness. MIR. McGraw felt certain
! of the future. There seemed no obsta-
Gle to his happiness and that very day
he resolved to get his affairs in shape so
that he could leave the country at mo-
ment' notice. He stopped and kissed
Maggie goodbye and started off blithely
to see MS lawyers.
.. Don't be long" she called from the
window. :" shall wait here till you
come back"
. God bless the childr' said poor Mr.
McGraw. There certainly now is
nothing to hinder our Happiness
The lawyers were out and the office
was in care of the boy. On low chair
by the door a man sat, with his head
resting upon his hands and his hands
resting upon his knees. His whole ap-
pearance was of that slipshod nature
that it seemed as if he might fall to
pieces at any moment. His frame, of
Herculean dimensions, was the more
pitiable that the flesh had shrunken
from his bones and the features of his
face were harsh and fOrbidding in their
prominence. His clothes were faded