The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-02-11


spoke. "But really, it's quite danger
Gus having such things about. OF
what possible use is 4 broken lamp
chimney? Bridget" to maid, who
just then came in, "please throw away
this broken glass tomorrow. 1t is of
no use, aud some one will hurt them
selves badly ifit stays here"
"Yes'm."
"What a queer habit that was OF
aunty's to keep everything, whether
it was of any use or not" said. Amy,
meditativelY, when Bridget, after
lighting the gas, had left the room. at
makes it stranger still that ber will
should be missing. l told you, (dldn't
EI?) that Ben Allen is almost sure that
his father mentioned, about five years
ago, that he had just been-dFawing up
a will for aunty. That was the year
after we came here to live. OH if on
ly old Mr. Allen hadn't died. Don't
You remember, too, how aunty spent
DAYS last spring in looking over pa pers
and tying them into bundles, and sort
ing and labelling? 1t seemed as if she
had presentiment of what was going
to happen, and she wanted to put al
in order.
'What became of the papers she
threw aside asked May, with a sud
den thought.
81 don't know. Tae rag man took
them, l presume"
"WeI, there's no use in dwelling
longer on what::might have BEEN said
May, sagaciously. "What is, is ali vi
have to trust to, which means that you
and have just seven hundred veal
to live on, with aunty's old things tC
help us along at first. And VIC must
be brave and see what we can make
out of it"
"Without even the jar to help us, y
added Amy, bitterly. That would
have been something; so, naturally, il
is broken"
81 an dreadfully sorry about the
jar" confessed May "but don't look
SO tragical, dear Amy. Aunty usec
to say that accidents sometimes turned
out blos ings in disguise; and perhaps
this will, though confess l don't
quite see how"
She little guessed how truly she
spoke; and neither did Amy, as she
shrugged pair of incredulous shouI-
dsrs and muttered: Optimism Nom
sense :"
Mays optimism, if that it wY which
gave its serene coloring to her hopeful
nature, sustained a severe shock when,
going to the cupboard, five days latter,
for the fragments of the jar, they prov
ed to be missing, Bridget was interro-
gated, with this result.
"Shure, We SAID they wuz all TO be
throwed away"
Yes, the broken lamps hi nneyz
but not"
"And how wuz l to know? They
wuz all broke alike so in wild them
to the dust bar'l."
"Do you mean that you put that
parcel of broken china that was done
up in paper into the dust barrel ?"
II didn't know you wanted any OF
it saved. l just cleared out all the
broken things"
ooh? Bridget! Budget" ~ despair
lngly. Then, with sudden hope
"Where is the barrel ?''
"Sure, it was emptied the day befors
Yesterday. That's the regular time.
It's very sorry am, Miss"
"Do you know " no empties it ?" in
quired May.
It's cart that comes along. A
man drives it. l don't remember his
name beyant that it's Mike. Twice f
week it comes. He'll not be here again
till Saturday"
81 wonder if Ben couldn't find out
who the man is and where lie emptie'
his cart ~ suggested Amy.
Benz" Ben Allen? Perhaps he
could. We will ask him, if he happens
to drop in
Ben was rather given to dropping
in" in those days. He was deeply il
love with Amy Iselin, if truth must
be told. but prudence and honor hao
so far sealed his lips on the subject
H. young lawyer, fighting for Practicc
among a crowd of, eager competitors
he could barely calculate on subsist
ence for himself. To ask a girl tc
marry him, with no better hope tc
offer than an intermiuable engage
ment, was wrong and unfair, he con
sidered. 1t was tying Amy. bloom
and freshness to the rack of wearing
suspense, spelling the better chances
she was sure to have, he told himsel
with a groan; so he held back the
words which he would fain have ut
tered, and restricted himself to th'
role Of friend. But perhaps Ben die
not play this role SO successfully as h'
fancied. Certainly, Amy had OF lat'
taken a great trick of blushing wher
Ben's name was mentioned: and hel
hazel eyes met his with shy con
sciousness, which said more than they
meant. 1t was hard enough to holC
an honorable silence while the girl III
loved was struggling with perplcxitie
and worries, which he could neithe
relieve nor share, and more than ono,
Ben had muttered vrathfully to him
self: "Confound old Miss Iselin
, What did she mean By pretending II
be so fond of those girls, and then 90
ing off and leaving them without
penny-not even mention i'll he
will? | wish knew the rights of tn
, thing. If she had done as she ought,
, perhaps /" And he tugged at hi
moustaehe wrathfully. But ill-treat
ing his zoustache did Ben no good
nor did it serve to throw the least lgh
, on the vexed question Of Miss Iselin'
lost will.
The question of the city cartmau va