The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-01-16


looking in peoples faces to see if could
trust 'em or no. And this here Mark
Cary-well, there's half a million o
diamonds, great and small, in this here
chist, let alone bonds, and I'd left him |
here with the safe open and nobody else |
in the house and gone off, say to Europe |
or the Sandwich Islands, perfectly easy. |
But, you see-well, there's such thing,
perhaps, as tempting people too far.
Cary got along splendid at first. He
wrote to his wife and me regular all
along the voyage, and when he got to
the Cape he sent photograph that we
might see how he was spruced up. l
could see the old curls was coming back
to his hair, the old fire to his eyes and
the old roundness to his Cheeks and the
little woman was more in love with him
than ever. He went up country and by
and by his letters began to come regular
again, and diamonds. too-small ones,
but one or two good-sized ones, so that
in their sum they might be taken to be
worth full us much money as had put
up for him. One day he sends me real
brilliant two-carat fellow and stimuli
taneous draws on me for &500, saying
he was going to another place in hope
to find diamond worth the venture.
''After that no more from Mark Cary.
More than a year went by, and not q
word did l get from him, nor did his
wife no more than me. The little
woman was well nigh crazy, and as /
had no good news for her didn't tell
her any. l had written in private way
to correspondent Of mine at Natal,
and heard what was afraid of-that
Cary had gone all 10 the bad again
and it cut me deep; but l never let on,
not even to my own wife. No news
eighteen months and more went by,
and not single Rord from Cary. 1
kept out of the little woman's way all /
could, for the sight of her would have
distressed q politician, let alone a stone
wall; but one stormy night she burst in
upon my wife and me as wild as she
could be. General Jack she says,
wringing her hands, but never shedding
tear, and turning on me face !
couldn't look at for the pity of it; Gen
eral jack l can not be the PEN
sioner of your bounty any longer!
You are the best man that ever
lived and I'm the most wretched of wo-
men, but that's no reason why should
keep on imposing upon you So l says
to her: What's upP' for was pretty
sure now she had news of Mark, and
nothing good. Have you heard from
Caryr General Jack, she says, solemn
like, i know my husband is dead /
know that he has been false to you, and
it killed him! It's killing mel was
struck all of heap, Never mind,
little woman, never mindr / was going
on to say, when my wife broke in, How
did you learn all this, Margaret she
asked. In dream, a dreadful, awful
dreamr said the poor creature, and then
she broke down, burst out crying and
couldn't say any more. So we sets to
work to console her best way we could,
but didn't make much Roadway at it.
told her would be cruelty hurt if she
didn't let me keep my promise to Mark,
but her last word was she couldn't
daren't and wouldn't live on me.
"Just then the front door-bell rang,
and when William opened it the rag
gedest buzzard of man broke past
him and came rushing into the sitting
room here where we were. He hadn't
whole stitch nor clean stitch OF
him, that fellow hadn't; his hair was
long and wild, and his beard also; hi
feet bare, and his face would have wOr
the premium over Connecticut hatche
for sharpness. All the same, that little
woman knowed him as soon as h,
stopped at the door, turned white as {
sheet, held her two hands togethe
tight and just sighed between her Sc
teeth, Mark Thought she'd 60 over
but she was too true grit for that II,
never noticed her, nor nothing else 81,
; came straight up to me, and kind o
steadied his staggering feet by holding
, on to the table, and looked me in tn
face and said, cool and calm-like, but II
monstrous thin, reedy voice: Gen
eral Jack, I've been a thief and trai
, tor, sot and a vagabond for more thai
, year; but l have lived long enough t.
make you amends. Here your diamond
take it quickly, for l am dyingM ant
| hO pun q OuhulO Va AdSo ubOuI 90 OlS q
your two fists in my hand, and wen
; over just like he was shot,
, 1.-THE little woman gave one cry
half Joy, half terror, and ha
t him in her arms the mex
5 instant, his head in her lap and sh
: smothering him with kisses, while m
5 wife, cool as statute, turns to Williar
s and says: Have some soup made, an
first thing saw she had the brandy bo
. tie and a spoon and was down on he
knees beside him. He's just starved
death, General, that's all, says shC
. And / wasn't nowhere in that rims
while them women were bringing hil
, round with little doses of beef tea an
. brandy, kisses and pattings, and calm
!. him all the loving names in the dictiol
h airy. By and by he sits up. Where
n itP' says he, and makes me hand that pa
v eel of old rags out of my pocket where I
slipped it in the hurry of the momen
" and unwrap and unwrap until out thel
o shined-but shol there are something
4 you can not described"
d And at this point in his narrative Il