The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-09-23

tie little children, and that every one
who wished to come was welcome to
the church, A. Bean was much amazed
The minister made prayer, with his
hand upon Alexandra's head, and
kissed her when she went away. And
by these ceremonies A. Bean was as
sured that her new name would stick
After that, rain or shine. the two were
to be seen every Sunday in one of the
shadowy corners of the quaint meeting
house.
The two rooms grew narrow. "She
must have room by herself" A. Bean
explained to the tailor upstairs. "And
we must eat in a decent place Not
bein' a family man, perhaps you can't
understand it. The hair and the hatch
ell and the potatoes under the table amt
appetizin' to her." The tailor moved
away, and with Miss Haddock's help the
room over the shop was transformed
into a young lady's bedroom. Though
she amt but ten, she'll grow to it,
said A. Bean, rubbing his wisps of hands
together. Fix it for a young lady, an
then it will be proper" White curtains
were hung at the windows, a brilliant
red and green ingram carpet was laid
on the floor, and a big mahogany
bureau, bought at a bargain ct Isaac's
secondhand store. stood between the
windows. The dainty bedstead of pol
ished brass was bought by,A Bean him
self. It's just like herr he explained
to Miss Haddock, Upright, an shiny,
an SLIM" And Alexandra had grown
bright and slim and wonderfully clever;
for she now not only cared for herself
but for the shop, and helped A. Bean
in all his work. When she was, nearly
twelve years old, they were one day sur
prised by call from DR.. Stearns.
A. Bean was very much huttered, and
ran from his wig-counter to his lace
counter in a bewildered way. This
here edge" he said. laying out some of
his choicest laces, "does take my eve
more n anything in the pile / s'pose
you come for lace, as wigs don't seem
to have no place on heads as has such
hair as yourn. l sold DIR. Camp wig
two year ago, sort of yaller red his
hair is, an mighty hard to match"
81 came to talk to you about your
little girl, said the Doctor, feeling q
twinge of conscience at the surprise his
visit Occasioned. "Have you ever sent
her to SCHOOL,"
"No, but she an me together have
learned to read, an write, an spell
some, along of Miss Haddock. When
had she better begin?"
"SheV ought to have been in school
for the past two or three years." ex-
planned the Doctor.
Alexandra was sent to the primary
school the next day, but when the little
scholars laughed at her reading, she
snatched up her hat and ran home. and
nothing would induce her to return.
But the Doctor had so impressed A.
Bean with the necessity of an education
for SET, that all other devices falling,
he sent her away to girls boarding
school kept by gentle-mannered
Five years had passed, full of self
denial and hard work to A. Bean. 1t
was the last day of June, and that night
by the owl-train Alexandra would come
home. She had progressed so rapidly
that he had readily assented to her de-
sire to fit herself for teaching. 1t was
not what he had anticipated at first; but
she had grown so tall and beautiful he
did not like to think of her bending
over wig-blocks, and making switches.
''Sef's human bein', though she hap
pens to be a female, an an orphan, as
was took ill.," he soliloquized after he
| had read her letter. "Twouldn't be
! healthy Tor nobody to set up an tell me
what 1 should or shouldn't do, much
more so, if they said, got to- Life has
to be worked out anyways, there ain t
no short cut. I'll let her work it out
her own way.h
1t had rained all day, and the wind
blew so hard the curious tree by the
| back door had broken off short at the
root. A. Bean, though he had great
aversion to seeing the moon over his
left shoulder, and dreaming of fish,
prided himself on his lack of supersti-
ton. But the destruction of the tree
affected his spirits, and by night he
had worked himself into a fever of
nervousness. He started out, deter
mined to take long walk before the
train was due. Unconsciously he
crossed the river, and followed the road
that led mile south along its bank to
the railway bridge, which was provided
with a narrow way on each side of it
for foot-passengers. 1t was also draw
bridge. A. Bean was walking along
mechanically, when he felt the bridge
move. Like all short-sighted people
his sense of feeling was acute. The
movement was slight, it was a gentle
swaying as if the bridge were lett to it.
self and the current. He heard the
owl-train whistling at the little station
a mile and half away. He ran shout
ing to the middle of the bridge. No one
was there. 80 Lord he shrieked.
"On'y to know how to fix this here
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