The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-01-06

sllli piping away so cOInpldcSntll, Hdu
absolutely bewildered him. If there
was one thing he prided himself on more
than anOther-one gift, natural or 9TH
erwise, which he felt sure of possessing
it was his dancing. Was the brown
eyed damsel out of her mind or was she
simply an ill-bred little thing, who did
not know a good dancer from a bad
one? Whichever was the case he lost
no time in getting rid of her, and still
mute with amazement and disgust took
refuge among a group of men at the
door.
"You here, Turner?'' said one of
them. Il hardly recognized you at
first, YOU look so yellow and thin"
i" Do |. indeedP" said Dick, shortly,
and wondering what he was doomed to
hear next.
"Ishould rather think you did" was
the friendly answer. q just said to
Smith here as you came up that between
your sallow skin and that bald spot on
your head you were beginning to look
like an old man before your time. Why
don't you take to country life and early
| hours and freshen up bit"
+" Why don't YOU mind your own aft
fairs and kindly leave me to attend to
mine?'' retorted Dick, now thoroughly
aroused, and without waiting for anoth-
er word he veered around and left the
group, who one and all seemed pro-
| foundly astonished at his ill-temper.
| BY this time he began to feel little
uncertain who to approach next. Hav-
ING been told already that he was stupid,
ugly and bad dancer, what was there
left for him to hear. He certainly had
never met so many disagreeable people
! in his life and he had serious thoughts
of beating a permanent retreat, when
| he caught sight of blonde head half
! hidden behind the aZaleas in the con-
servatory. 1t was Florence Redifer,
whom he had never expected to meet
tonight and whom two hours ago he
would have Indignantly avoided. But
for some reason his contempt for her
hattery and falseness had beenstrangely
modified in so short time, and he felt
a positive yearning to listen again to
| her pretty nothings and to see her blue
eyes uplifted with that tender glance OF
admiring trustfulness to his. II must
have cost her great deal of time and
patience to cultivate that glance up to
its present perfection, and it was I'M
| kind, after all, to sneer at the result of
such honest and enduring toll.
The next minute he was by her side.
She did look very pretty; her fair hair
tumbled in some mysterious fashion on
the top of her shapely little head; her
| bright face lit up with smiles and her
white silk cleaning under the colored
lamps with soft and shifting radiance
that pleased Dicks cultivated eye. He
was not one of those to whom wom-
ans gown is matter of indifference.
81 came in here for little air." she
said; 1.-THE rooms are so terribly hot
and the whole affair is very stupid.
Don't you think sop
at has been worse than stupid for
me-" he answered, laughing. Il have
been insulted wherever | went. First,
Mrs. Grey told me | was often very
stupid; then Miss Vincent, do you know
her? She is dancing now with Tom
Stern"
81 don't know her; but never mind!
What did she say to you"
"She told me that was awkward
and a bad dancer and minated that L
could never thoroughly learn"
Florence Redifer burst into laugh
as clear and merry as silver bells. but
YOU know, Mr. Turner" she said,
"your best friends do not claim for you
that you dance we'll"
Dick gasped and then recovered; he
was getting hardened now. Il always
battered myself | did," he said boldly.
| She looked at him in some surprise.
"Of course don't mean to say" she
explained, THAT one cannot get around
with you at all, but only that you are
not very graceful or sure-fOoted. There
are plenty of men here who dance worse
Mr.. Simpson, for instance"
al should hope So" said Dick, as
Simpson, a little weak-eyed man, who
held his fair partner as if he feared she
was packed with dynamite and was IN
danger every minute of exploding,
moved laboriously past the door. '' If
that is the best you can say for me,
Miss Florence, / shall never have the
audacity to ask You to dance again, )"
and with heavy heart he left the con-
servatory, now fully satisfied he had
had enough of Mrs. Grey's ball.
He took glass of champagne in the
supper room, where its quality was be-
ing freely discussed by the young men
who fingered there and went back to
pay his parting respects to his hostess.
There were still plenty of people about,
but chill seemed to have fallen on
them, the dancers were few and every
body looked bored or discontinued.
Mrs. GREY was saying the last words to
a party of guests who were about taking
their departure.
"Such pity it should have been a
failure" he heard one of them whisper
in tone of sympathy. "And after all
the expense YOU have gone tor
Il am sure, then, it must have been
the fault of my guests" returned Mrs.
Grey, "for l did my part as well as l
could. Why. Mr.. Turner, are you go
ing so soon? l wonder if you, too,
found my party a stupid oneg"
She looked so harassed that Dick for
got the grudge he owed her, and would
| gladly have declared her ball both
brilliant and delightful, but the words
he wished to say stuck in his throat-he
absolutely could not give them utter
ance. An awful impulse was upon him
and to his own secret horror and dis
maybe heard himself assuring her the
painful truth that it was the most dismal
affair he had ever witnessed in his life.
Then overwhelmed with shame at his
involuntary rudeness hee turned away
and his eyes fell upon the crimson roses
still blooming freshly over the door
way.
What an idiot he must have been!
There in plain English letters were
the three. words, q Palace of Truth"
As he looked and read the magic flute
pealed. forth so loudly and so shrill a