Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1855-01-05
BRoOKVLLE FRANKLIN COUNTY INDIANA FRIDAY JANUARY 1855

been innocent; some had seen her GO
ing 10 the Hall at strange times and
seasons, s,-for in truth, she often did
90 there, Johnathan, and Sarah Stack
Of course. were her dearest friends on
earth; and so il came to pass, that,
through the blessing Of the crock, hon
est Roger was believed 10 live on the
golden wages of his daughters shamei
Oh coarse and hcartless imputation ]
Oh bitter price TO pay for secresy and
wonderful good fortune In vain the
wretched father stormed, and swore,
and knocked down more than one foul
spoken fellow that had breathed
against dear Grace. None but credi-
ted the lie. and many cnvious wretch
es actually gloried in the scandal |
grieve 10 say that women,-divers
venerable virgins, ,-rejoiced that this
pert hussy was at last found out; she
was too pretty TO be good, TO pious to
be pure now ut length they were re-
venged upon her beauty; now they
had their triumph over one that was
righteous over much. For other peo-
pie they would urge the reasonable
question, how else came Roger by the
cash? and getting no answer, or worse
than none, prevaricating mystifying
mere put-oif,--they had hardly an al-
tentative in common exercise of judg-
ment; therefore, "Shame on her."
said the neighbors, "and bitterest
shame on him: and the gaffers and
prand-dames shook their heads vir-
tuously.
Yet worse; there was another sug-
gestion, by no means contradictory,
though simultaneous /; what had be-
come Of Tom ? ay,-that bold young
fellow, Thomas Acton, Ben Burke's
friend; why was he away 20 long.
hiding out Of the country they won
dered.
The suspected Damon and Pythias
had gone a country of TO a certain fens,
and were. during this important week,
engaged in n long process of ensnar-
ing ducks.
Old Gaffer White had muttered
something 10 Gossip Heartley, which
Dick the Tanner overheard, wherein
Tom Acton and a gun, and Burke,
and BURGLARY, and throats cut, and
bags Of gold were CONSPICUOUS ingre-
dients; so that Roger Acton's own
dear Tom, that eagle-eyed and hand
some better image Of himself, stood
accused, before his quailing. fathers
face. of robbery and murder.
Both, both darli ngs, dead Annie's
little orphaned pets, thus striken by
one stone TO infamy Grace, secuted
as hussey, an outcast, a bad girl, a
wanton, blessed ANGEL Thomas,
generous boy, keenly looked for, in
bis near return, to be seized by rude
hands, manacled, and dragged away,
and tried on suspicion as felon-for
what THAT crock of gold. Yet Rog-
or heard Il all-knew II all-writhed
at il oil, as IL scorpions were lashing
him; but still ho held on grimly, keep,
ing that bad secret. Should he blab
il out. and so be poor again. and lose
the crock Z?
That our laborer's changed estate
influenced his bodily health, under
this accumulated misery and desper-
ate excitement, began TO be made
manifest to all. The sturdy husband
man was transformed into tremu-
lous drunkard /; the contented Gotta
ger, into a querulous hypochondriac /;
the calm religious patient Christian,
into tumultuous blasphemer; could
all this be; and even Rogers iron
frame stand up anainst the battle p
No, the strength Of Samson has been
shom. The crock has poured bless
ing on its finders very skin, us when
the devil covered Job with boils.