The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-08-11


mitted and ushered into a spacious
drawing-room, where a woman in dead
black turned to meet him, with look
of apprehension in her haggard eyes.
"You have come for my baby" she
said, in quick, startled way.
II have come to make inquiry re-
garding my wife. / have reason to
suppose that she would call here after
arriving at New Orleans. She-and L
owe a debt of gratitude to one who was
member of this family, one Rose
Mignon Almont, lately nurse in Ha-
vana. Perhaps you do not know that
she was in attendance upon my wife
when she died, that she saved Mrs. Oil
plants life at the expense of her own,
it may be, though the doctors seem to
have had no hope of her from the first.
If you are her sister"
A change had gone over the woman's
face. Awed and shrinking, she had
stood listening to his eager explana-
tons, but now as he half-paused she
looked at him sadly, and spoke:
"You did not receive the letter then
which l left with the Consul, Mr.. Oil
phantp There was a mistake made; it
was the nurse who lived, and l am she.
Heaven knows, l would rather have
died, but Death passed me by and took
your wife. 1t is very hard for me to
deal you such blow as l must do in
telling you this. did not mean that
you should be deceived, and thought /
had guarded against that by leaving a
letter of explanation with the Consul to
be delivered on your return"
81 did not see him." said Power, too
bewildered yet to half-realize the truth
81 do not understand. Why should
you wish to deceive anybodyp"
The woman drew in her breath with
half-sob. ''Oh, my baby, my baby!"
she murmured to herself. Then aloud:
''Mr. lOliphant, you do not seem to
know me as Mignon Almont Perhaps
you will understand better when you
know that l am Mrs. France, and that
Dana is my child-mine-an more lost
to me than if she had died. Oh, know
| gave her up willingly, but it was
harder for me than any one knew. l
would not have troubled you if your
wife had lived, but when she died l
could not leave my baby to fall into
other hands. Her father would never
have asked that. 1t seemed such an
easy,wayt to reclaim her when they made
the mistake of believing me Mrs.
Olphant. She was dead and buried,
remember, before | knew, and it seemed
no great harm to wear the name for a
little time, after word came of the acct
dent which was OBTAINING YOU"
There was an indescribable pathos in
her low, broken voice, in the great,
mournful eyes. Power, who had never
seen Mrs. France, had a sudden con-
viction that she had been a much
wronged woman; but over other
thoughts came the sudden, desolating
sense of his own great loss.
He felt dizzy and confused the shad-
owy room grew DINNER, his head fell
back, and with terrified cry Mignon
rushed to his side. His wound had
burst out bleeding afresh and Mr.. Oil
plant had tainted.
A long season of prostration followed,
and through it Mignon was his unweary-
ing nurse. The summer passed; the
bright, clear weather of the Southern
winter came, and still he fingered in
the house on Esplanade street, not yet
restored to full health and vigor.
Dana's little feet battered in and out
OF his room, her lisping tongue called him
papa, and as Mignon saw how fond he
was of the child bitter pang pierced to
her heart. Some day he would go
away and want to take her baby with
him; she was as sure of it then as she
would be when the time came. The
mother-nature rebelled. She had given
hon. hn
her up again.
Power left them in December for a
trip to Cuba, and while there, simple
tablet marked with the name of Rose
Mignon Almont was replaced by a
marble shaft-''Sacred to the memory
of Rose, dearly beloved wife of Power
Oliphant, aged nineteen"
He did not seek out any of his former
friends. Those business acquaintance
with whom he was brought into contact
knew nothing whatever of his private
life. His object was to effect transfer
of his services to some other place; to
remain in Cuba now he felt to be impos-
sible; and after some discussion, he was
appointed by the company he served to
place in Spain. Pending the final ar
rangements relating to this change, he
went upon cruise among the smaller
islands. Touching at Kingston on his
return, he was surprised to lind himself
accosted by familiar voice, to see
Tredegar Almont before him holding
out friendly hand
"This world isn't big enough to run
away from ones friends in, find,'
said the ex-gambler, resignedly. Mig
non might as well have waited for you
in New Orleans"
''Is she here?" asked Power, eagerly
GA nd Gttln nnIan AID N