The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-12-16

to listen TO gossip rather than wait till !
tell you -
1" But you didn'ttelime, and I've been
home n week"
Al had forgotten all about it till you
reminded me. said Becky. -,
at such an every day affair for you
TO drive with Sam Eustis (which in
credulity so stung Becky that she would
not condescend toexplain that she had
carried some needle-work up to Squire
Eustis' which she had been doing for his
wife, and that as she left to walk home
Sam was just starting off with his smart
chaise and new dapple- grays, and the
Squire had said flake Miss Becky
home, Sam, and show her their PAGES"
and how she had been ashamed to re-
fuse the kindness, although preferripg
to walk a thousand times; and how,
once in the chaise, Sam had been the
pink OF courtesy, and had begged her
to drive over with him Ito Parson
| = aory s. three mics out of her way,
, that Lucy Amory may see that you
don't disdain my company. For you
see," said Sam, who was not as black
as he was painted, or as many liked to
suppose, "Lucy can make me what she
] will; without her ] shall be nothing and
/ nobody; but they've told her all kinds
of wild things about me; they've told
her she might as well jump into the
river as marry such scapegrace. And
perhaps if made her o little, jealous 4
you know there's no harm in that, is
there? All fair. in love; and, perhaps,
if the old folks see me driving about
with Miss Becky Thorpeq my, stock may
go up, and l may be saved from the
burning as, Parson ,Amory' Ssays."
And Becky had cohsented; how
could she refuse to do a service for
such true lover? So slight a thing,
too! She had often traversed the same
broad since on foot, on her Backgrounds
of toll and mercy SAM Eustis chad
married Lucy Amory years ago, and
was the foremost man in the county to-
day. Strange how that friendly drive
had interfered with Miss Becky pros
poets; how the simple fact of carrying
home Mrs. Eustis' needlework should
Ehave determined her fate, and devoted
her to aslife Of hardship and the "Old
Ladies' Home" at the end! Talk Of
trihes! Poor Miss Beckyl she remem
bered that once or twice the opportu
| nifty had offered when she might have
made it.ip wlthsL larry; ibut pride, or 6
sort of fine reserve, had locked her lips
: Larry. ought. to know that she wa:
! above silly vibrations. Once, when they
met at Lucy Amory's wedding, wher
they all went out into the orchard while
the bride planted young tree, and the
b. guests looked for four eaved clovers
she had found Observation-Disclosures by &C
cident or design she could not tell--or
- the grass beside Larry; their fingers
met over the same lucky clover, thei
eyes metabove it and for an instan
she had it on her tongues end to con
TESS all about the drive and its result
, to put pride in her pocket, but just thel
Nell Amory called to Larry.
"Oh a horrid spider-on my arm
Larry! Kill him quick--do! Oh -ol
-oh! j shall del shall faint" Ant
that was the end of it.
The old orchard, with its fragran
ounce bushes, its gnarled apple-trees
, its four-leaved clovers, was thing o
: the past; cotton mill roared and thun
: dered there all day long, where tn
, birds built and the trees bourgeone,
! thirty odd years ago, 1t no longer bios
somed, except in Miss Becky's memory
, She had turned her thoughts to rasint
7 plants, when she was LETT to her own re
T sources, but one cruel winters nigh
!, killed all her slips and the capital wa
lacking by which she might renew he
, stock. Since then she had gone out 70
:, daily sewing, had watched with tn
! sick, had been in demand for tempo
= rary housekeeper whenever tired ma
iron wished an outing; but latterly, he
: eyes no longer served her for fine work
= and sewing machines had been intro
l duced; she was not so alert in the sic
. room as of yore; she moved more slow
ly, and her housekeeping talent was n
: longer in request: added to this, tn
bank where her little earnings had bee
! growing. one day failed and left he
u high and dry. Some of her friends ha
travelled to pastures new some ha
!. married away, some had ignored or fol-
;, gotten'her. AS for Larry Rogers, h
= had been away from Plymouth thi
= many a year. Somebody had sent hir
y abroad the year after Lucy Amory'
J marriage to develop his musical genius
= He had grown into a famous violir
: list, playing all over the country t
. crowded houses, before the finest peopl
II in the land. 1t was a beautifulromanc
!, to Miss Becky to read in the Plymout
y y Record about tour gifted townsman;
y she seemed to hear the echo of his vic
. lin when the wind swept through tn
Q pine boughs. She had no bite
Q thoughts; she did not blame him b,
3 cause she sat in the shadow, becaus
| 70 hal h.