The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1847-02-12

y
,, of passengers-but, but"
"None of your butts, 'Squire---ou
with it---ir folks will act SOFA troll
lop.o
"But, Aunt Lizzy, Pm afraid YOU
bring me into the scrape.''
"Pve told you over and over a
gain that nobody never shall know
nothing about it, and your wifi
knows amt leaky."
"My wife wouldn't have he
know what | was going to say 70
the world. Why, Aunt Lizzy, if sh,
should know it %
"Well, don't be afraid, Squire
once for all, I'll take my oath tina
no living critter sha'n't never, a,
long as live, know a lisp of it,"
"Wcll, then--if you must know i
i slept with one of the likelist o.
your church members nearly half the
way up!!"
Aunt Lizzy now drew a long breatl
shut up her snuff box, and put il
IN her pocket, muttering to herself
-"The like!iest of our church mem
bers! | thought it was Susey b,
Likeliest! This comes of being flat
tered-a trollop. Well, one thing
know-'the way of transgressors is
hard;' but hope you'll never tell
nobody ont, Squire; for sartin as
the world, if such a thing should be
known, our church would be scat
tered abroad, like sheep without a
shepherd"
In few moments Aunt Lizzv took
her departure, giving the Squire
another caution and a sly wink, as
she said-"Good bye; let me alone
for a secret"
TWAS not many days before Squire
+. received a very polite note from
Parson g., requesting him to attend
meeting of the church, and many
OF the parish, at the south confer
ence room, in order TO settle some
difficulties with one Of the church
members, who, in order to clear up
her character, required Squire p.
to be present.
The parson, who was very wor-
thy man, knew the frailty of some of
the weak sisters, as Aunt Lizzy call
ed them, and as he was a particular
friend of Squire P's., requested him
to say nothing Of it to his wife. But
the Squire took the hint, and telling
her that there was to be a parish
meeting, requested her to be ready
at two O'Clock, and lie would call
for her.
Accordingly, the hour of meeting
came-the whole village hocked to
the room, which could not hold half
of them. All eyes were alternately
on the Squire and Susey B. Mrs.
P. stared, and Susey B. looked as
though she had been crying for a
fortnight. The parson, with soften
ed tore, and in as delicate manner
as possible, stated the story about
Susey B., which, he observed, was
in everybody's mouth, and of which
he himself believed not woodland
SQUIRE p. being called on to stand
as witness, after painting in lively
colors the evils of SANDER, with
which their village had been infcst-
ed, and particularly the church, call.
ed on Aunt Lizzy, in the presence
OF the meeting and before the church,
to come out and make acknowledge
ments for violating Bible oath!
Aunt Lizzy's apology was, that
she only told Deacon Snipc's wife
on't--and she took an oath that she
wouldn't tell nobody else ont. Dca-
con Snipe's wife had, it appears,
sworn Roger Toothaker's sistcrnev-
or to Technology on't-and so it went
The whole clmch-thcncc
through The village.
The Squire then acknowledged
before the whole meeting, that he
hut, as he told Aunt Lily, slept
with a church member half the way.
up to Boston, and that he believed
her to be one Of the likelicst of their
church members, inasmuch as she
would never hear or retail SANDER.
All eyes were now alternately on
Susey i. and Squire P.'s wife
Aunt Lizzy enjoyed kind ofdiabol-
ical triumph, which the Squire no
sooner perceived than he finished
his sentence by declaring that the
church member to whom he alluded,
WaS MS OWn WiTe!
Aunt Lizzy dlew in her head un-
der huge bonnet, as a turtle does
under his shell, and marched away
INTO one corner of the room, like a
dog that has been killing sheep
The Squire, as usual, burst out into
a fit of laughter, from which his wife,
susey b., and even the parson, could
not refrain from joining-and parson
g. afterwards acknowledged that
Squire p. had given death blow
to scandal in the village, which all
hiS nrp chine cop1l ~ ko,, 49,.