The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-11-12
MRS. PRINGLE S CONSPIRACY.

There's grandmother, dear-run
and bring her in"
Tiptoe todded out to meet the brisk
stepping, fresh-faced, oldish (not old)
lady who came in at the gate.
Come to spend the day, haven't
you, motherP How nice of you"
Young Mrs. Pringle had never yet
discovered that her husbands mother
was her mOther-in-law' in the popu-
lar acceptatiOn OF the term
"Ies, I've come, Kate; but don't
stop your work; tbs a nice, cool morn
ing for sewing go right on"
So after enscOn ing her visitor in an
easy chair, and supplying her with fan
and footstool, Mrs. Pringle resumed her
basting and fitting, with an occasional
ten minutes or 50 of rapid stitching, the
only interruption to the stream of talk
which seemed in no way to interfere
with the motions of her deft fingers.
"There!' she exclaimed, as noon
drew near. Come here, pet"
She proceeded to try on Master Tip
toe the result of her mornings work,
jaunty thing of tucks and RULES which
hardly reached to the knees of the
chubby morsel 1t was duly pulled
down, jerked around, patted smooth
here, pulled out there and quickly tied
about with sash improvsed from a
strip of lining muslin snatched from the
floor.
Now" with kiss and a shake,
run to grandmother and say: Isn't |
sweet, grandmOtherP"
"Isn't-mamma-- -ganmuzzer?"
came with heroic attempt at very
precise pronunciation.
mo, no; that isn't it." laughed
mamma; but "ganmuzzer' caught the
merry urchin in her arms.
THAT is it, exactly, Tiptoe. l de-
clare, Kate, you are as industrious lit
tie soul as | ever saw! And what
knack you have at such things! and
If Robert don't get on it won't be your
fault"
The kindly woman had never been
blessed with daughter of her own,
and this son S wife of hers was we'll
nigh perfect in her eyes.
But the atfectionate speech failed to
bring an answering smile. A troubled
expression arose to the young woman's
face, and tears slowly gathered in her
eyes. She unbuttoned Tiptoe's slip,
unmindful of his protest against hay
ing on his 'ugly OF dress again, but
compromising matters by tying on the
pink muslin sash over the buff cham
berry. The machine was righted and
closed up, and the cuttings gathered
from the floor before the unhurthening
came which the mother knew would
come.
81 don't know, mother; sometimes |
feel quite discouraged, and really think
1t is not much use for me to try"
why, Kate, dear, what do you
meanP Are things going wrong with
RObert?''
"Oh, no, mother! Nothing, l mean,
for you tO worry over. It's only that |
am anxious about Robert smoking so
much know it is hurting him in more
ways than one.n
His mothers face grew grave
els he smoking more than formerly?"
Yes; I'm sure it is growing on him.
From what | see and what | can guess
at, think he smokes eight or ten cigars
a day. | have known him to smoke a
dozen in day
TOO bad" said his mother, with
sigh. "Of course it must be a great
injury to him in time ii it is not al
ready
And, then, he cannot afford it. l
don't think he realizes at all what
drain it is. know he needs every cent
he can keep in his business, and try
my best to save in every way can, but,
mother, | do get out OF heart some
times when | see that, with all my
pinching and scraping, | cant save as
much in week as he spends on cigars
in a day.
a. see, dear