The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-05-31

TN tDdt WAS u OthCty
thought! She loved him, yet he must
not think she would weakly cling to
man who did not care for her, who
would not also cleave to her through
every storm and trouble. She clasped
Jacks lutte sleeping form TO her heart,
and paused a moment before replying.
She did not choose that he should find
her voice trembling.
Very well, but supposed you had
more independence and pride than to
allow your wife to 90 back to those who
would insult you.
Dick, whose head seemed to be on fire
and his heart like ice at this their first
quarrel, arose abruptly and left the /
house. 1t was late when he returned .
and the subject was not renewed. Han /
nah found he had prepared his own
breakfast and gone away much earlier /
than usual the next morning.
1t was late when she awoke from a
troubled sleep. All that day she went
over in her mind their brief married /,
life. Poor Dick had worked very hard
but they had labored under great dis
advantages, beginning life with almost
nothing. Then she remembered how
he looked that day when the horses ran
away with the mower and he had saved
her life. She feared she had been wrong
in not frankly showing Dennison's let
ter to him, then tearing it to pieces be-
fore him and reassuring him of her de-
votion, of her scorn of any proposal to
leave him. Thus she reproached her
self, full of tender contrition.
Late that afternoon, her work over,
the room in order, she dressed herself
In a dark merino that Dick had always
liked to see her in. 1t was her one
good dress and her eyes sparkled with
quite the olden luster as she thought
how kind she would be to Dick when he
came in. After all love was enough
she thought, and if they but worked on
together with hope and courage, fortune
could not fail to come, some day.
Papa will be here soon now" she
said gaily to Jack, taking him 10 her
arms to the door and looking up the
long stretch of road towards the woods
and the planning mill.
A man was running towards the
house. 1t was Neal Peterson, one of
the workmen, not Dick. He came up
breathessly.
..Oh, Mrs. Barry they sent me to tell
your He paused. A rough. kindly
Norwegian, he dreaded to tell the I'M
conscious woman, his sad message.
She waited-all the blood ebbing back
to her heart.
"Your husband, Mrs. Barry He
went down into the new well they are
digging 1t caved in''---
lis he deadpn she half whispered
awe can not tell The men are dig
0ingi 1t was very deep!'
'Then there is yet hope" she said.
At once she fastened on with Neal, the
baby in her arms. The men were still
digging where the we'll had crumbled
in, the perspiration standing out upon
each forehead as they labored
"Can he live or breathe under all
that earthP" slre asked, with pallid lips.
of man standing near. He did not
answer, but turned away at the sight OF
her agoniZed face, muttering an evasion.
She remained there watching them,
looking like a statue of despair, uncon-
scious of everything but the utter horror
OF the calamity.
The sun went down. From the great
woods came the melancholy boot of the
, owl. The workmen paused! There was
brief consultation. Then one of them
came to her.
"Have you found himP" she whis-
pered.
"Have you found his poor dead body!
, Oh let me go to him.
"No. ma am, it, not that" said the
man, "but they do say as how the wei
: was almost two hundred feet. dug GU
J already, and there amt shadow o
hope for him bein' alive, and we see
if1c Cot,,rlo,y nirrht
, thought we would rest and then dis
| again Monday morning"
7 Hannah was reused at last from he
stupor.
'Yet it might be that the breath still
r fingered" The sentence came to he
= mind.
3 mo, beg you to go on. 1 will re
turn to the house. have little none,
, that | have saved; you can divide i
: among you, but do not leave TIN
1 work
| She then went back to the house, tool
l the little hoard saved for the mortgage
e and carried it out to the men. The.
were idle sitting in groups.
4 "Ma'am, you will need the none.
5 for the child and yourself"
q "Never mind, only commence you
a work again" she said, and they begal
, again to work vigorously. Hall al
1 hour passed in silence. Again the.
Jagged.
i at is no use, ma am, he is buried al
e ready, dead, hours ago; it caves il
e almost as fast as we work, the soil is
!, loose here"
d Hannah seized a spade. "Let m
p work with you," she cried. "Someth n
tells me that my husband lives, Tax
Q every cent of the money, and when
h is gone you can stop, but | will wor
: on"
Then, as though in reply to her.