The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-05-30

estimating the distance to the nearest |
doctor and the rate of messenger
boy locomotion. He assuaged his
grief by brisk computation of the pal
try years remaining of his own allotted !
time, and, after a careful consultation
of his Bourbon, christened their infant
daughter Mantissa, at period when she
was too young to protest against the
indignlty to her womanhood.
John Macy was not thinking about
any of these things, as he knit his brow
that morning over his accounts In
deed, he was accustomed to confne his
medtations to the present and the inn
mediate future. Having discovered the
trick that hadbeen PLAYED upon him, the
next thing in order was to catch the
thief. He observed the actions of his
private secretary and clerk, as they en-
tered the room and went about their
respective yocations. The crime lay
between the two, and whichever proved
to be the guilty party could be certain
ofreceiving small quarter.
The two young men presented a
striking contrast in appearance. Frank
Hoyt, the clerk, was a manufactured
and somewhat stupid fellow, punctilious
in his manner and habits, and the sole
support of widowed mother. H,Macy
cherished respect for any law without
the pale OF, his fayorite science, it was
the law of precedent 1t would be en-
tirely unprecedented in the annals of
real life or romance for the homely, un-
calmly, steady going employee to turn
out the villain. Ned Markham, there,
with his handsome face, pleasant blue
eyes and careless ways, was really ma
terial from which to construct the typical
rogue. AS if to confirm his Judgment,
an old recollection arose., The lads
father. old Major Markham man who
had all his life commanded universal
trust and respect, had been found one
day making off with a bundle of bonds
snatched from compartment in a
I friend safe The shock of detection
had been too much for the Major, a
stroke of paralysis had checked his
rambling explanations, and he never
spoke again.
The missing quantity was found, In
his mind Macy promptly formulated a
neat little algebraic equation, condi-
toned upon certain primary CAPABILITIES
of values, which ran as follows:
Good looks plus the knowledge thereof equal
vanity; HN..
Hereditary influence plus temptation equal
craft.
Following rule of universal expert
ence and reasoning back from the
premises, on the automatic principle
that things that are equal to the same
thing are equal to each other, his conf
dental secretary was villain and a
rascal. He watched the young men
closely all that day. Hoyt plodded
through his duties as usual, and greeted
his employer with the Stolid repose of a
man whose mind and conscience are al
rest On the other hand, a singular
hesitation was perceptible in Markham {
manner. He looked up apprehensively
whenever he was addressed, and seemed
several times on the point of making
some important communication, bu
shrank back with an unaccustomed
reticence when Macy, with a grave anC
serious air, endeavored to encourage his
} confidence.
A bright thought occurred to MACY
as he turned his latch-key in the doc
) that night In the solution of Difficult
| problem he always held that two heads
. were better than one, as the very differ
| ence in their structure led them to adop
I different tactics 1t had been the dear
) est wish of his heart to make hi
| daughter a proselyte to his science, bu
= she had hitherto displayed lamentabl
| Indifference to the subject.
l "Tissa, he had dropped the frs
) syllable of her name in Difference t,
her girlish prejudices against loga
rithms.
Eyes, father?" She was doing tn
, honors of the table very.prettily, as sh
5 sat opposite him in dark blue gown
r with bunch of tea roses at her throat
II have made painful discovery to
day; | have a thief in my Office"
: Thief The girl came near drop
f ping the little japanese teapot in he
V agitation, but he failed to observe tn
= sudden pallor that overspread her face
Y ut lies between the two boys, m
0 dear, he SAID, calmly.
But of course your suspicious ca
e point to only one" the girl cried, max
: ing desperate effort to initiate hi
a placidity OF manner, and ignominiou:
= ly failing.
/ MIR. Macy paused with an olive b.
h tween his fingers, and eyed his daugf
Is ter with open admiration. Really tn
}. was encouraging. He had not expecte
d such sagacity from one so young. An
9 how coolly she uttered the words. II
5, had half suspected her of predilectio
h for Markham. With such quick re;
|. soning powers at eighteen, what migl
l. she not prove at forty. But he al
e swered her with gravity and caution
t, She should form an unbiased iudgmen
n al own, my dear, that my suspicion
t, have turned in one directions; but
<. shall place the case in your hands fC
d the present | want the help of yol
d opinion. You are frequently throw
J. into the Young mems society. ObserN