The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-10-15
TIE DAME AND TIE CRITIC

Two. waiting souls, Just freed from heshly
gulsc,
Knel, suppiaut. at the gates Of Paradise;
He, arrogant. imperious, bold Of micn:
She; meek, yet fearless, patient and serene.
and as, to him, the time seemed long to wait
Before the final opening of the gate,
He fell at length to taiking:
"Whie good St Peter arches for the key,
Pray tell me-if { ak be no oIeuse-
Your name and station, how you came and
whence;
What YOU accomplished in the world below"
lie vas critic reader you must know,
We'll skilled to censure little given to praise,
The man had spent the substance OF his days
In idle ease, while yet his Caustic pen
Beab Jrcd better, because buster, mem
- am old Margaret the dame replied;
"My home was in a hut the sea beside:
I've lived a calm and uncventtul life,
BY crime unsued and unve ed by strife;
But as for aught that have done, or been,
These blessed gates OF Paradise to win,
but tell me now"
The curious critic questioned, why and how
Indeed, scarce can tell"
Replied the dame, "since what at last befen
Seems strange to me and dim. ! can recall
One dreadful night: beyond the great sea-wall
Built up to keep the bristling tide at bay
The towns-folk, young and old, had gone to
play
And sport upon the ice, to skate and feast
And dance to pleasant luteS. The crowd in
creased
With every moment; large and round and red
saw the moon rise, looking from my beds
For was feeble sicky, worn and old
Nay, well-nigh helpless, if the truth we're told.
But. as said, l saw the red moon rise
A bali of fire from out the eastern skies,
And marked, alonI the marge, strange, white
cloud
Slow-spreadng, like a spectral, CHASTITY
And, as / gazed, behold, its center grew
Black black MS ink. Oh horror! then l
For had seen the fearful omen twice,
In my long, lonesome life beside the shore
Its import, and the errand that it bore
To the doomed people skating on the ice.
81 knew that terror, tempest, flood and wreck
Waited like demons on its awful beck;
That ere an hour had passed, the frightened
deep
Its icy bonds would break and overlap
The wall in frightful floods Was it too late
To save the people from impending fate.
Alas alas! what hand, unless twerc mine.
Could give them warning, knowing not the
ooh, impotcnt! great Heaven but give me
power
To save my people in this awful houry
cried aloud, in sOrest agony.
The dear Lord heard; He heard and answered
me;
strange strength came to me in every limb,
My mortal weakness seemed a sick-bed within
/ rose, | ran hurried to the door,
l rent the air with shrill and frantic cries
Good friends! good neighbors! hear me, l
Yon cloud; yon cloud! oh hasten! make for
shOrel
Came floating back to me. My voice was
drowned
Amid the merry-making and the sound
OF tinkling lutte and viol. Once again
Twice, thrice, called. Oh! was it all in vain,
"Suddenly a thought,
A daring purpose ut was Heaven that wrought
And sent the nSpiratiOnl! l would fire
My hut, my home, and haply thus the dire
A. dread calamity fOrcstall. / knew
The people were too good, too kind and true,
To guess what plight was mine and fail to
come
Straight to the rescue. So, with trembling,
And eager haste, lit the scanty straw
That filled my frugal bed. oh, Joy! saw
The quick flames kudle-saw them rise and
heard the startled peoples sudden cries,
And, cropping blindly to my open door,
Beheld them hurrying wildly to the shore
Beheld them reach, ut length, the great sea-
wall,
And knew, thank Heaven, that had saved
them all!
"Then came rushing, roaring, deafening
A thunderous crash. as if the solid ground
Were breaking up; then, silence, chaos, night.
know no more; the tumult aud the fright
Were too much for weakly, helpless thing
Like me, and so death ; kind and pitving wing
lowered above and brought me safely here,
To ind pcrchance, home of light and cheer
In place of that lost. But this know
IT'S all of Gods sweet grace, If it be sO.'
With that, the gates of Heaven opened wide,
And straight an angel to the good dame side
Gliced with noiseless speed. He had been sent
To lead her in; but 10. as on they went,
a single straw, which had escape the fire
When at the first she lit her funeral pyre,
Fell AT the woman's feet and rs the two
Looked down upon II, suddenly it grew
Into n spray of brightest, puTcSt gold,
With lovely leaves and blossoms manifold.
"Fair pledge and symbol of II good deed
wrought"
The angel, STOPPING, cried; land hast thou
aught,
Thyself, q critic-aupht like this 10 show
In proof of service done to man below?
Then learn thy doom"--but here the danes
kind soul
Was moved to tender pity; "Give him dole
OF the large grace vOuchsafed b. Heaven TO
me-
She hravely pleaded of the angel; "Sec!
His brother wrought me in my sOrest need,
Bricks for my hut; shall not this kindly deed
Atone for hiWP lyon hear" the angel cried;
"Another's work, forsooth, must be applied
To cover YOUR Iife-ack! Nay, nay, not so!
And yet, this respite | would fain beStOw:
Remain outside these walls; day of grace
Is granted YOU IT, happily, in this place,
Where yet late repentance may avail,
You see your sinful folly and bewail
Your error, and, by dint of earnest quest,
Accomplish SOmcthlng-nOt, perhaps the hest,
But something, SOmctbinG-it may he that You,
Saved as by fire. at length may enter, too
And hnd home within this blissful gate"
The proud and hapless critic heard his fate:
THAT clumsy little speech l could have
wrought
Much more effectively myself" ne thought;
But from expressing it in words refraincd,
And that-tor him, at least-was something
gained!
-Scribner'S MOrthlu