Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-07-15

understood her. there - Where she saw u
carpet, for she has been nowhere else. An
il is in perfect keeping, too. When m,
gets 50 that he cannot or will not pay b
debts. his family generally 60 to dashin
Tout, whilst we honest folks, who aeknow
edge cur obligations to pay our debts al
compelled to shift as we can with our ol
clothes and furniture. and the chances ar
that our bankrupt neighbors will look dow
upon us and our appointments with di'
dain.'
you are inciised to be severe, Mrs. Bal
ton.'
No, am not, or am, it is only th
severity of truth, and this circumstance {
the rev carpet is evidence in point. Mr.
Persons had both of her square rooms car
peted before, and her house was the bes
furnished otherwise of aGy in the neighbor
hood. yon most sdalit that yossseA. Mr..
Chapman
d confess never thought so,' refurne
that lady. Both of the carpets in he
square rooms are not worth so much as on
of yours; and they were manufactured il
her family besides. In other respects / d.
not think that her house is as well furnish
ed as your own, whether We take the Abun
dance or the costliness of the furniture a
the criterion. As to the new carpet D
which you speak so confidently. l do no
know what to think about that. Consider
ing the circumstance of her husbands em
/ -. ch \ ID lie,
before--it would be so unlike her.
why, Mrs. Chapmanr interrupted Mrs
Barton, with something like asperiiy in he
manner; zone would think that you suspect
ed me of falsifying in this matter, and thai
you regarded i, as part of your duty, be.
sides, to defend a woman who will certain
ly be the last in the world to reciprocate
your kindness. As regards Mr.. Parsons Pc
cuniary difficulties, 1 had my information
from his own lips; and don't know what
obligation you may be under to defend his
wife's extravaganza, but ! had supposed
that you were not on the best of terms with
her,
Nor am 7. There has been an unfortu-
nate disagreement between Us, in which,
according to my opinion. she did me great
wrong, but ] do not know as that is any
reason why should do her wrong in re-
turn, by accusing her of ex,ravagence SO
:ong as regard her as prudent and eco
nomical housewife
Having thus fairly opened our case, as
the lawyers say. it is fitting that we should
give our characters q more formal iuuoduc-
ton. Mrs. Barton, then, was matron OF
some forty years standing, more or less, who
with many virtues had one glaring fault, of
which, unless we greatly mistake, the
reader has already obtained an inkling.-
Believing that the gift'of speech was not
conferred upon her to be buried IN nap
kin, she improved it with an assuidity that
was truly wonderful, and not unfrequentiy
with a Iooseness that did equal violence to
the ninth commandment and the repose of
the neighborhood. Not that she ever told
a story which she had not either previously
heard or had some pretty plausible reason
for guessing at; but at the same time she
possessed such a faculty for improving
every little matter of neighborhood gossip
that came in her way, by weaving around
it an ingenious web of circumstantial en-
largement, as made her comparatively un-
rivalled in that department. The dispen-
sing genius of female charitable society
never did more towards Disgusting ragged
beggar boy, SO that even bis own father
could not recognize him in his cleanly and
onted apparel, than she would do for
the scantiest grain of local scandal. And
what was equally singular. when she had
once made up her mind as to the details of
a story, nothing could induce her to abate
one jot or title of il till it mad had the run o:
the neighborhood. If you undertook to ques-
ton or confuie it, she would overwhelm
you with an array of corroborating circum-
stances that utterly defed contradiction,
without SO much as giving you an opportu-
nifty to take breath. The current OF her
on such occasions was impetuous
and resistless-a perfect water-sPout of
words, driven by hurricane o. wind
Emily was her mothers child, of COURSE
and though comparatively artless, she had
already exhibited decided inclination to.
wards her mothers intellectual peculiar
tiles. She was young-and who has not
been1 was handsome-which was no fault
Of hers; was blest with a lover-what SEN
sibIe girl of eighteen will think the worse
Of her for that? was engaging, and, better
than all-was engaged. Mr.. Brown, the
proprietor of the store to which she had
just stepped across was young man who
had recently established himself in business
IN the Pis-e, end soi iss staken with her sat
sight, after sundry precautionary maneu-
verings quite allowable in such cases, he
had popped the question to her. and she
had popped back the very answer which
put them both in ectasies. Mrs. Chapman
as the reader has already guessed, was a
woman, too, but she was one OF thou
sand. Conscientious and upright herself,
il was natural that she should'believe others
to be so un less she had good evidence to
the contrary; and, subscribing to the practic-
slutility Of the Scripture rule. Speak evil of
no man. she adopted not only its letter but
its spirit, by thinking evil of none, when
she could help it. 1t was far easier, and
more congenial to her feelings, to speak
we'll than i'll of others, and while you were
enlsrging on one vice to which neighbor
was addicted, she would fish you up dozen
virtues in offset. Would there were more
like her! Mr.. Parsons was mechanic who
had carried on business in the village
dozen years, perhaps. He was proverbisl
for industry, economy, infexible integrity
and practical intelligence. He was just