The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-10-23

to wear trousers, so, of course, poor
things, they couldn't play "Grandmam-
my-tippy-toe."
"Hold your hat, Eddie" called out
pretty little Mary Bell, as a bright idea
struck her. Eddie did so, taking his
place in the line with his hat held be-
fore him, like an alms-basin, and the
game proceeded merrily.
Suddenly Eddie disappeared Was it
because the humiliating sense of being
the only boy had grown upon him be-
yond endurance? Oh, no. The fact of
his being the only boy had, this time,
led to far more prosaic result. This
is how it was. Mrs. Bell, in providing
for her young guests, had either forgot
ten, or else did not know, that a small
boy had an appetite vOracious as that of
big ostrich. Therefore, the refresh
ments provided for Eddie were far from
sufficient. He had simply run home
from the party to get 'piece."
be not only got a piece, but he had
no more sense than TO carry it back to
the party with him. A few minutes
after his sudden disappearance, dozen
girls were edited, in double sense, to
behold Eddie himself march through the
gate of the Bell domain, bearing aloft an
enormous slice of bread cut from an
old-fashioned boX-loaf, both the bread
and Eddie's face being literally smeared
with molasses. He bore it alOft because
it required both hands to hold it in apo
sition convenient to his capacious
mouth.
And such a chorus of shrieks of mer-
riment with which he was greeted.
you'll break your toes!' cried one.
"Piggy-wiggyW screamed another.
Dropping his piece, with a muttered
exclamation of rage, Eddie hit the near
est girl, who happened to be his sister
Lucy, and shook the next, who hap
pened to be his sister Jenny, and then
made one bound for the gate and tore
home Thus the party marked an epoch
in his life, leaving its impress for years.
For, as he tore home with his eyes half
blinded by tears of anger and mortilica-
ton, he resolved that, henceforth, he
would be master of these girls, and
show himself their superior. And he
faithfully kept his resolution, as we shall
see.
From that day forward, he became to
his sisters, to use a slang phrase, "a
holy terror" All cringed in his pres
ence, and to them his will was law.
When they were small, they BACKED his
boots, and unquestionably obeyed his
every behest; when they were larger,
they asked his permission regarding the
books which they might read, or the
company that they might keep.
Time passed Edward had graduated
from the village academy, as Lucy had
done the term before him, as Jenny
would do the term after him, Then it
was dccreei that he should study medi-
cine. So, his mamma and sisters reso-
lutely packed his trunk for HIM, and he
went away to the city, soon finding
himself in the fourth story of big
boarding house, with three other. stu
dents. For the first time in his life he
could actually live with real boys-or,
perhaps, these boys would have pre-
ferred being styled young men.
Two of the three other boys were
quite ordinary-tha is, not very hand
some, not very ugly, not very bright,
not very dull. Walter Jones and VIII
Lewis represented the average boy,
from a respectable family in good cir
cumstances, the boy whom you see
every day and never think of remark
ing. But Percy Roy-oh, he was a
character! SO childlike, so simple
minded, so stupidity good natured that
one could scarcely forbear asking, not
"What possessed him to undertake the
study of medicineP" but "How did he
ever have wit enough to learn his alpha
bet?o Percy was tall and ungainly,
with a pink baby-face, and a mop of
white hair, which alone would have
rendered him conspicuous among the
/ trio with brown locks.
Upon the fourth floor of this big
clearinghouse were two small rooms
and one large one. The two small
rooms were occupied by Walter and
VIII respectively, while the two beds in
the large room were taken by Edward
and Percy; the large room with its cen
! ter-table and lounges beng also used as
common study by the four. They
could thus have the whole floor to them
selves, undisturbed by any body.
Edward specially found that not only
was he boy with boys, but also, that
he was boy above boys Not one of
the other three could compete with him
in intellect and strength of character.
And, in recognized sovereignty, he for
a time was happy, But he soon realized
that recognized sovereignty, excellent
as it was, was still unworthy to be COM
pared with actual sovereignty, to which
he had long been accustomed. If his
| sisters were not boys, he could at least
order them to black his boots; but, al
though his present companions
were boys, and insensibly bowed
to his authority, he could not very
well command them to wait upon
him. Percy, to be sure, would ma Ike
an excellent seryant-Percy would do
Just as well as a girl when a subject for
! teasing was desirable; but then Percy
was not vet in Edwards power. Once
in Edward power, however, and Wal
| for and VIII wOuld aid i'm FASTENING the