The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-02-09
A. CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE.

lou are sure you have forgotten
nothing, Kitty"
u think not, Jane" making a thor
ough examination of the contents OF her
handbag. Il have my trunk receipt,
and my keys, and my ticket, and shoe
hook, and black and white pins, and
my purse for small change, and a pocket
comb. And, o yes!"-investigating
more freely" the small mirror, and
three-four extra handkerchiefs, and
my bottle of heliotrope. l really can't
remember anything that l have for
gotten" meditatively, '' except perhaps
it might be the coupon for the sleeper
and John is getting that
1t is the afternoon of damp, doleful
September day. The place is, unroman-
tically enough. the Chicago depot. The
speakers. Jane Spencer and her sister,
Miss Kitty Warner, who has been visit
ing Western friends and is about to take
the next Eastern train for home. To
say that Mrs. Spencer is in a state bor
dering upon distraction is simply to gild
refined gold. Originally simple, un-
suspecting countrywoman, who has
been introduced rather late in life to the
evils of a great city as exemplfied in
certain experiences with burglarious
serving men and maids, and q daily diet
upon the pot-pourri of crimes served up
by the press, o nine hundred-miie jour
ney for her young, pretty and unpro-
tected sister seems to her mind an un-
dertaking fraught with the most terrify-
ing dangers. And many and solemn
are the warnings which she bestows
upon Miss Kitty anent the perils to be
avoided and the precautions to be taken
until she reaches New York.
~ am so sorry that our train starts
before yours is duel" she exclaims, fret
fully, with tears in her eyes. IF it
We're not for Aunt Eunice's telegram,
John and l might have staid over till
tomorrow, so as as to have seen you
fairly off. And the nervous little wom-
an shakes out fresh handkerchief and
brushes a rising tear from her left eye
just as her husband comes up with the
depressing intelligence that the plan of
the sleeper on the Pennsylvania Rail
road will not be visible for twenty-eight
minutes yet-iust a quarter of an hour
after their train is to leave.
This last calsmitous piece of news has
aparalyzing effect upon Mrs. Spencer;
and she looks on in distressed silence
while her husband gives Kitty few
parting Instructions, as together they
pore over railway guide.
II have novel somewhere for you
to read on your journey, Kit" John
says, presently; and reaching over to his
light overcoat. which is thrown care
lessly across the back of the nearest
;settee, he produces dun-colored volume
from one of its capacious pockets And,
O luckless John! in his explorations he
brings to light something else. Two
letters, which he produces with tremb-
ling hand, and delivers to their re-
spective owners, his wife and his sister
in-law.
Whereupon the spell of silence that
has been laid upon Mistress Jane is
broken, and she exclaims, in a voice OF
reproachful tone; "Well, Jonathan
Spencer. | actually don't believe that
You could remember the day that you
were bornr'
mo matter, Jenny. At any rate
never shall forget the day that l was
married." retorts her amiable spouse,
with righteousness that under the cir
cumstances is odious, for a skillfu
cross-examination discloses the fact thai
the wretch has carried these letters in his
pocket for at least three days.
But before the long-sutfering Jane
has time to properly rebuke him passen
gers for the Southern train are warned
that time is up So Miss Kitty, hastily
thrustino into her bag the letter which
a glance tells her is from her brother
Edgar, descends the steps with her rela
tives, and chats with them upon thu
platform as cheerfully as James misgiv
ings will permit until the last gons
strikes, and they enter the train Just a
lane is in the midst of recounting tall
Mat she read in some newspaper abou
q lady whose pocket was picked by
MISUNDERSTANDING man who polite
" helped her off the cars.
"Now remember, Kitty DEAR" sh