The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-01-13


for what was Justly his due, and would,
of course, have been willingly paid for
his most valuable services in q time OF
such need. The loss would throw
him back year. perhaps more, in his
pursuit OF learning. But he was made
of the stuff which occasionally sends n
boy from the prairie or the log cabin to
the White House--more of them to high
p aces in civil and military life, and,
perhaps, better, sends boys all over the
length and breadth of the land to fill
worthy p aces as eXemplars of all that
is noble and honorable in Amer can
manhood.
Arrived at home he made terms for
the complete putting in order of the
wagon. This, with his horse hire, used
up little more than he had made ut
the fair before the accident occurred.
"Halloo, here-Jim? You're Jim
Brand, amt your
Yes" said Jim, thus hailed by
Farmland who drove up to his moth
er's gate and spied him at work in the
garden.
"Well, here them lie turned away
as Jim took a bulky letter from his
hand.
ANY answer?' shouted Jim.
"Guess not. Not as | was told Of"
Jim carried it in the house and sat by
his mother as he opened it. This was
nearly month after his venture at the
fair. tf ........ .I.
Several sheets of paper, headed each
with the device of steam-power and
business-like lettering were covered on
one side with boyish-looking hand
writing. From among these fell
small piece of paper Jim had never
seen many like it, but his hand shook
as, first looking at it, he passed it to his
mother.
This was the letter:
"DEAR OLD FELLOW: Father wanted to
write to you just as soon as he could think
straight about anything but begged him to
wait Ill could do it, so that why you haven't
heard from us before. Father expected to see
you again at the fair but couldn't find you.
Other people wanted you, too They said you
diin,t go tor your pay for helping folks. Why
didn't you! You were goose. Fathers had
quite time finding out how to address you,
but the Merrivales told him
I've been brought home, but the doctors
think FL have TO lie still long time yet.
don't like it at all, but mother says it's sure to
be all right somehow or it wouldn't be so. NV
mothers that sort. I'm glad she IS. tn NIX
that sort is the best to have when you re in
trouble and when you re out of trouble, too.
But what want to tell YOU most Of all is
that the Co. - that means, you know, ali the
folks of the machine works, think you did the
right up and down square thing by them and
by everybody else that day of the explosion.
| So they send you this two hundred dollars just
to make sur you didn't lose anything 10y it,,
and father hopes its enough, and he says you
! behaved admirably, and if you ever want a
friend you re to come to him, and lots more of
BY the time this letter reaches you you'll
md my bicycle wa ting for you at the railroad
| station, so you d better go and get it, Father
was going to send You one himself but -
now you needn't mind about it at all, for
don't believe it's going to be so at all but some
| of the doctors think perhaps won't ever ride
| bicycle any more and [ IN fond of mine and
don't want any other boy should have 1t but
| you.
and then I'll see you. Mother says shell nov
| er be satisfied till she secs Jms mother to tell
| her how you stood by us that time cant
| write any more now. You write to me and | II
| writ again. HARVEY GLENN"
81 o! Bother it, mother" said Jim
with great assumption of indifference,
"they must be the queerest folks-mak-
ing such fuss over what you've done
when you haven done anything at all!'
But "Jim's mother was crying as
she kissed him and thought of the moth
er whose boy might never again ride a
bicycle, and Jim went out into a corne
of the garden AMI looked very hard at
nothing for long time.
Less than n year a'terward jim, fly
ing swi tly along with a mind intent
upon knotty Latin construction. was
scarcely aware of being overtaken and
! passed by something which then ran
! into the side of the road, where bicy-
Gle fell into the grass and its rider sud
denly confronted him. In his over
whelming establishment Jim entirely
lost control of his own vehicle, and
went down in the dust with it Pckin
himself up, hardly knowing whether
his eyes did not deceive him, his hands
were warmly grasped, and two happier
boy-faces never, surely. looked into each
other.
Harvey
"Jimr'
Jim stopped to gather his books in
the little silence which followed.
"Pegging at them yet?' said Harvey.
YES. pushing away-but it's slow
work"
"Ah, but mother says you're a chap
that's sure to 90 skitng straight up to
the very TOP NOTCH don't mean, you
know, that she says just those words,
but" his face grew grave at the
memory of the circumstances under
which he had last seen Jim, ''she says
when folks push with their heads and
heartsboth they're sure to win--and
she says you re that sort. "-Sydl1eJ