The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-10-07

no recognition? Evidently there was
some mystery. | was the victim whose
sad end was being plotted.
Inever went to sleep after that with
out stufling cotton in my ears, and al.
ways in most wretched frame of
mind. was a martyr of my disinter-
estedness. was being robbed of my
sweet sleep. Life became a burden TO
me. The old lady was either laboring
under some hallucination or | was
crazy. There was only one thing which
|made me suffer all these torments, and
/ thatEas the belief that was hero in
the eyes of the granddaughter. | cam
not Soy that she ever directly expressed
gherself, but looking at her at times
When | met her in the street, rs / adj
dressed few words to her, thought [
recognized an expression on her face
wi5ich told me of her sympathy. i~s
These nocturnal visits at last proved
on my spirits. | went to bed now with
my clothes on. had bought a second
hand revolver. had become reckless.
| am quite sure that had l met a smaii.
boy of about the size of Oliver Twist at
night in the old lady's garden l should
have shot at him. ia
The rapping would cease for q night
or two and then commence again. l
felt that this business must come to a
stop. My employers, leading grocers,
had noticed my sleepiness during bust
ness hours and had complained about it.
One night this spring YEARLY 1
climbed the garden fence, pistol in
hand-for it had become mechanical
process now-and | dropped into o.
washtub of water, placed with devilish
ingenuity on a three-legged stool. As.
l fell over my pistol went off. The
neighborhood was aroused at last, bat
l distinctly heard in the bathroom that
overlook ed the old lady's garden peals
OF laughter, and a young woman ap-
peared at the window who was appar-,
rently enjoying the scene.
Ii this brutal conduct on the part of
that girl were not sufficient, think of
the lmpertip epeeu OF a young man who
called next day on me at our place of
business. AS have said, am a clerk,
in the Wholesale grocery line, and drug
gists'g clerks are always stuck up Great
ures.s That young sprig twirled stick
in one hand and in the other he had O
card. Z am to suppose his name was
written on it. s'See here,' said he,
making his stick whiz through the air
within afew inches Of my nose. q See
here. oleomargarine, Goldfish, prunes,
pickles and glucose, you have been fool
ing around grandmother place long
enough. and youare aprecious ass, and
Mary Jane-thats my cousin, lady l
am going to marry--has had quite
enough of your nonsense. What prime
! proprietary idiot. with a revenue stamp
on it, you must be not to know that the
old lady has got robber on the brain bad
when she's awake. but when she's
asleep of nights, bless her, she snores
away like humming top. A Chinese
cracker under her ear wouldn't as much
as faze her. Now, the old woman never
had any use for your hammer, but 1
guess from what Mary Jane has told
me she has been pounding around with
it quite promiscuously. Now, see here,
here is your hammer, and do you take
it before | make you swallow it, handle,
claw and all, Just as if it were glass of
cream soda, and the very next time
hear you have ventured to cross that
fence, or to put that big foot ofyours in
| my grandmother house. l will Just
thrash you dizzy; and just listen to some
good advice-change your boarding
house, figs, even if you have to 60 back
on your landlady." ~. Y. Times. ..I.i
.". ----.->-,t p...
-ll. Health Item. M .oi
|