The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-04-21

Babbett and Nate and myself and April
Fools Day all in. a bunch. ~..
But nest nloIping. III CHIT away after
ptsakfssa .easI ahd okd HafNyAis-
low was sitting on post by his front
gate fnd saT me coming, and sang:
"Aptii Pools Days gone and past,
And you're the greatest fool ut lastW
Nayels afenoet tdesn't mean any
harm. and there's nothing he isn't will
ing to do for you, but he seems to have
q knack Of saying just the wrong thing
to everybody - ' "' nU"
6HNoW, if he had thought a Whole year,
he couldn't have thought of anything
more hateful to say than that. 1t
seemed as il he said icon purpose, but
knew he didn't. So when he asked
where Twas going andsaid he would 90
to, didn't care, only-i told him he
could not go in with me.
g. don't want to 90 in said Nate.
al wouldn't dass. Tel you what Ted,
it's pretty bad thingsto,make game of
a minister! Don't YOU remember those
week that called the prophet names,and
about the bears, you know, that came
and ate them upP Oh wouldn't be
you for a heapl"0 ~
Well, at last we gotto Miss ParlSer's,
though we stopped and played with all
the dogs, and did everythingto make
the way seem longer. - 8
Nate hid behind the syringa-bush.
T door was open and Miss Maria was
sweeping the front entry with a green
veil tied over her head. at first she did
not know was there, and she sent a
whole cloud of dust flying out the door,
and l sneezed andthen she looked atm
She stopped sweeping and said:
"Don't come in; your boots are snowy
and muddy. What do you want?"
81 want to see the minister" said I,
and must go in because it's private
business -
Private business!r said Miss Maria.
"You! Wipe your feet on that!''
She threw mat made of corn-husks
out on the step, and when had rubbed
my boots on that, l hadto rub them on
a braided rug inside the, door, and last
of all on drawn rug with green roses
on it, Just outside of the minister S
study.
She took me by the collar with one
hand and opened the door with the
lister exactly as if she d caught me steal
ing. In "a EA.
Here's the doctors boy wants tc
see YOU" said she, "on private bust.
And she laughed and shifted and
banged the door. And 1 spoke right
up without thinking and said:
"My mother says | must apologize
for sending you that bundle, but for my
part / don't see why l should apologize
to minister more than to anybody
else. l don't see as they're any better
than other good people"
did really. 1 said just those very
words to the minister. And he didn't
preach me sermon as you nigh
think. He Just looked at me a minute
and then threw back his head anC
laughed, and said he: i.1 I...
swell, Ted, Ldon' teither, more's thu
pity. Heaven knows we ought to be
butt don't think we are.ns So.
Then he told me to tell my mothe
that no apology was needed; that thu
bundle was only joke and he neve
thought of Winding it. Then he grew
sort of solemn again, and said he:
eff should know of your lying, Ted
. or cheating. or stealing, or tormentin,
weak creatures or children, these ar
the things | should mind, Ted; now re
, member that" b..aJ oh h5.a2
Then he jumped up and poked tn
fire, and looked at his watch.
, EAT two O'clock" Ted" said he, q"
am going over to the Port to visit tn
school-ship that came in last night.
: you and that boy want to CO. too, II
! call for you at half-past one"
Then he shook hands with me just a
if ! was a grown-up man.
= Nate came out from behind the sy
| ringa-bush. la"
"What did the minister say, Ted?'
t said he; ''were you scaredp"
3 NO said /, II wasn't scared at a
after got in there. Hessaid it was a
| right; he didn't seem to mind it BIZ
| and if you, or any other fellow, dares
, say that the minister isn't a good, squar
man, of the best kind, Pll throw 20
e into the mud-puddle before you can sa
Jack Robinsonr'-ELed1aOr Putnam, 1
f Youths Companion ya.gE
G a1a I.8.H -
| l-s..s-. su God in Nature rH
J, | = .ooo.4 -o:o~4;Eo Dr,fo,