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

Be careful of your tickets and money,
and''-here the ears are fairly in motion
write as soon rs you reach New
York. And, oh Kitty! Beware of drum
mersr' And with theatrical wave of
her gray-kidded nand. Mrs. Spencer
draws in her head and disappears from
her sisters view.
In spite of herself Miss Kitty feels
rather lonely as she returns to her scat
in the waiting-room, and seeks consola-
ton in her brothers letter 1t bears
date nearly week back. and is about
as illegible as an unusually careless
legal hand and an execrable Colorado
can make it. But Kitty is thoroughly
familiar with her brothers scrawls; and
by skipping word here, and guessing
one there, her mind eventually grasps
the drift OF the welcome. entertaining
home news and airy gossip with which
the screed abounds. The concluding
paragraph reads like this:
II received letter from my friend Hasel-
den, last evening, in which he tells me that he
is to DO in Chicago this week and part of next.
II you write me what day you intend coming
up to town win wire him, your address, and
have him call on you. He Is looking after
some legal interest OF his fathers, who, per
haps you know already, Is manufacturing
n.
and rs rich as a Jcweer in his own right.
rob, dearv interpolstes Kitty. Ed is so full
of what Disraeli calls the horribility Of com
hitting puns"VJ | would tell you all about
him, but am In "A tremendous hurry now, rs
there are a couple OF bores in the outer office
waiting for consultation. and my pen stub
bOrnly refuses to write any more. Try to en-
Joy yourself, sis, and whenever you grow
tired of the wild, wild West, come home to,
yours fratcrnaIly. EDGAR.
With little pout and smile at the
villainous puns which her brother has
thoughtfully underlined GAS though /
should fail to recognize them, in
deedn') Kitty returns the missive to
its broad, soap-colored envelope, and
raises her eyes just in time to meet n
surprised and steady look from gen
tleman who has just come up the stairs
from the street. In reality it is not an
impertinent stare; only such a look as
q man might give who fancies he rec
ognizes an acquaintance yet doubts the
testimony of his own eyes as he meets
nothing but look of repeliing blank
ness in the others answering regard.
! James drummer! He is appearing
rather early upon the scene" are the
/ thoughts that flash through Kitty $
mind as she looks frigid, unutterable
, things through and beyond the new
conner, who passes on to the next seat
and disposes of his portmanteau and
overcoat, pausing in his proceedings to
glance occasionally with puzzled look
at the pretty girl opposite. But Miss
Kate has already sought refuge in
Johns gift, and is absorbedly following
the fortunes of Howells' heroine through
the opening chapter. So the puzzled
I tlox, N fy/,
| his pocket and lets himself become alb
sorbed in its contents also.
By and by Kitty becomes aware that
the ticket-office is open, and with a
wariness born of James warnings she
arranges her traps in a compact pile,
and, clinging valiantly to her handbag,
gets into line and patiently awaits her
turn at interviewing the ticket-seller.
This is matter of considerable delay,
since some one in advance inaugurates
a mild but lengthy dispute with that
Official regarding the claim to n section
that has been telephoned for, or some
thing of that sort. And when Kitty
gets back to her place she finds that
certain Polish emigrants have come in,
and virtually evicted her; and that, oh
horrors! her belongings have been un-
tremendously transferred to the settee
occupied by that impertinent drummer
And-do her eyes deceive herp no; he
is actually reading her book! She can
not see the title, but it is the same dun.
colored volume, with the regulation
gilt frieze and publishers monogram
She could identify it ii she saw it IN Al
rica, she is sure. Impudence!' she
calculates, mentally, as she drops angri
ly into her seat, and waits for him tC
return her book. But this he evidently
does not intend to do; and, resolved OF
her part not to ask for it, the annoyed
young lady feigns to be unaware of the
dark eyes that so frequently desert the
pages of the borrowed novel to bestow
a long, steady and still puzzled lool
upon the face of their neighbor. III
certainly does look debonnair anC
well bred, she admits, reluctantly, anC
she is stealing a second glance at him
when suddenly:
pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago
train is now ready. Passengers for Phila
delphia, New York and the East al
aboard! intones the train-agent, a
though it were a cathedral, and he wer
rendering Gregorian chant. And i'm
mediately there Is a stampede for thu
| stairs.
Kitty picks up her shawl-5ag AM
buster, and basket of fruit, with deliber
ate slowness. He shall have a chanc
to return that book unasked if he wishe
to, she determines. But evidently tn
gentleman has no such intention. He
too, is gathering up his traps, pausin,
to put the fatetul book in his overcoat
pocket To Kitty's long-tried patienc
this move is the last straw.
Il beg your pardon. sir" she says
coldly, ''but will You be SO good as t
, return my book"
The gentleman turns in establishment
] - ras,a, b;s hot