The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-03-24


Judges parlor. There was no time for
lntroductions, and Bertha slipped into
back seat by one of the windows. and
then being delivered on 1.-THE Wonders
OF the Mineral Kingdom" She won
dered as the young orator stepped
down, how Ned would acquit himself.
She had never heard her brother de-
liver an essay.
She felt very nervous as he came
forward with his roll of manuscript in
his hand; but she soon saw that he was
master of the situation. He began by
contrasting the sports of boys and girls,
and the occupations in which their nat
ural instincts led them to engage.
1.-The natural inclination of every
girl is toward a diary" he said. "A
boy may keep journal of prominent
events, but what healthy, vigorous
minded specimen of the masculine sex
would indulge in such gush as this. my
friends, which l assure you is a bona
fide copy of a passage in the diary of a
young lady whose name l must hold sa-
cred from the curious. She assures us
on the first page of her book that the
sentiments within transcribed are her
most sacred and innermost thoughts
Listen:
misunderstood! Is there a sadder
word in the vocabulary of the English
language? All, in many a young and
sensitive heart it has rung the death
knell of all happiness, ~.
AS these words fell on Bertha's ears,
she grew deathly pale, then flushed
scarlet. She had no difficulty in recog-
nizing them as her own and she knew
now why Ned had fingered so long in
her room where he had gone for the
paper the night of the coasting party.
What could she do? If she interrupted
him every one would recognize the fact
that it was from her diary that the ex.
tract had been taken. No, she must sit
still and hear it to the end. She tried
to appear unconscious, and even es-
sayed faint laugh, as the words:
when | am lying cold and dead, my
frail hands clasped over my pulseless
heart" evoked torrent of merriment
from those about her. But she was
actually faint from modification. She
saw now how ridiculous the sentiments
she had imagined so and and sublime
really were. In one moment her eyes
were opened to her folly.
As Ned closed his essay there was a
general uprising; perfect furore of
argument, of eXpostulation and denial.
Several of the girls contended that none
of their sex could be guilty of writing
such trash, and Others declared Ned had
VIZ item the extract himself. Bertha was
forced to listen to all sorts of comments
upon her "innermost thoughts" and
rrnnH hn 10
Ned's great amusement, made to give
was asked how she could tolerate a
brother who could so basely SANDER her
sex. ...... 'H
grin increased with every moment, and
she was heartily glad when the meeting
broke up. Ned had fully expected a
regular lecture on the way home; he
had even prepared himself for tears and
bitter eXpostulations. But Bertha was
silent When he spoke she answered
thim'in'monosyllables. andappeared for
once to be in a state of genuine distress.
"See here, Bertha" said Ned, at
last, "perhaps it was mean thing for
me to copy that page out of your diary.
But it was just, what / wanted, and I
coul dn' t;resist the temptation. l know
you re awfully veXed. "
f71" You are mistaken sad Bertha,
! coldly. Il am not veXed," and then,
having reached home, she went up to
her own room without another word.
| Something's burning" said Lena
the next morning, as she came down
stairs to breakfast. "Don't you all
smell the smoker"
at seems to come from Bertha S
room,'' said Mrs. Sumner. "Step up
and see about it, ena."
| Lena did so, and discovered her SIS
ter on her knees before the fire in her
CRATE. and by her side was the blue and
gold cover OF what had been book on
ly few minutes before. "a.
" Bertha" shrieked Lena. "You' re
surely. not burning your beautiful
diaryp' ~ ''a r.
Vg"Yes, / am" said Bertha, very
quietly, as she rose to her feet, land
now let's go down stairs; and you
needn't talk about it, please"
Lena. mystiiied, but obedent, denied
herself the pleasure of talking OF the
| holocaust; but she watched her sistel
very clio ely that day, having grave
doubts of her sanity. She did not know
that ertha dated the finding of hel
senses from the day of the burning OF
her Aunt Hattie beautiful gift. AS the
flames mounted up the chimney hen
heart warmed with new and noble reso
lutions for the uture, and though she
had many a severe struggle before she
overcame the weak and morbid senti
ment which had become almost second
nature to her, she trinmphed at last.
From the ashes of that foolish diary {
new life sprang for her, in which she
never found me orinclination to mourn
over being misunderstood, BIorencC