Litchfield enquirer., 1860-12-27
puss was busy converting it into Gordian

puss was busy converting it into Gordia1 , knots. And just then came double rap at thu door-sso loud, sudden and self assured tha Hetty started up with a little shriek, ant set her foot on puss' tail, who in turn gav'
 voice to her amazement and displeasure. The combined noise. aroused Mrs. Thomas and, starting into an erect position, she rub bed her eyes, settled her cap-border, and ex claimed,-
 "Bless my soul, Hetty, what was that Somebody at the door? Who can be com ing here at this time of night?" "It's not late, mother-only little pas eight I'll go and see who it is," says Het ty demurely, taking the candle from th table. ... "No. Here, you wind up my ball snt sweep up the hearth, while I go to the door, says the old lady, whose feet were strug , gling in the perplexiug meshes of the unrav , eed yarn, Drat that catP
 And all this time JosiaE was standing ol one foot cut on the cold porch with his hand in his ovcrcoat pockets, wondering if Hett. had fallen asleep, and every now and thel giving the door smart rap by way of va riety. In her hurry. Mrs. Thomas forgot to talk the candle, and, as she stepped out into thu : little front entry, the stting-room door slam med after her. She had her hand on tht handle of the hall door at the moment, ane opening it, she suddenly found herself in thu embrace of stout pair of arms; whisker ed face in close proximity to her own; and before she could think about the stranyenes of her situation, she received 8 prolonged kiss, hearty smack--full upon her vlrtuou matron lips.
 70, murder! 'Taint Obadiah neither!'
 She had by this time divested herself O the impression that is was her usually sober spouse, who must have come home in an un usually exalted condition thus to indulge in such an unwanted expression of affection.
 "Gct out! Get out, say! Who are you, anyhow? Murdcr! thieves! Hetty come here! Here's man kissing mo like mad!"
 But the intruder had by this time discov ed his mistak ke--it did not need the indignant pummeling and scratching of the old lady's vigorous fists to cause him to relinquisa his hold and fly as if pursued by some indignant ghost.
 Hetty, nearly choking with smothered laughter, in spite of her trepiditlon, now came to the rescue.
 II never was so frightened in all my life! The mean scamp! Who could it be! Hetty have you any idea?"
 But that beautiful daughter was, to all appearances, innocent as sucking doye.-- She sootheG the old lady by representing that it might have been cue Of the neighbors, who, having drank too much, had mistaken the ouse and the housewife. She searched the entry for the missing spectac.es, dropped in the scufc; re-arrangcd the rumped cap border; wound up the tangled yarn; stirred the fre-aIl in the most amiable manner pos sible-aud at length had the satisfaction of seeing her mother subsde into her chair and her accustomed tranquility.
 Mrs. Thompson was fully awake now She had new idea in her head and instead of setting herself for another nap, she pur- sued the train of thought and her knitting, both at the same time, with wonderful ra- pidity. At length, stopping and looking keen at Hetty--
 II suppose it's queer idea of mine, Het- ty, but l'yc notion that man was 'Siah Hawley."
 My! but if Hctty's face did not fire up then! You might have lit candle by it. These incipient symptoms did not escape the wary inquistor.
 "'Pears so to me- Cause those big whis- kers were so much like his'n, and the awk- ward way he gripped me with his great pawsW
 Hstty was wonderfully busy. She bent over her work and drew the needle through 80 quickly that the thread snapped, and then she was so much engaged in threading her needle again she didn't have the time to an swer
 II don't believe that kiss was meant fvr me after all. Wonder who it was intended for; and wonder if you don't know some thing about it, Hetty?"
 "Me! motber"
 "Ycs, you, Hetty. You was mighty anxious to get me and pap of to aunt Ruth's this evening; but noticed you were slicked up extraordinary, for all you wern't going. Now, Hetty, I'm gettin' old; know it; but I haven't quite lost my eye-sight, yet. Eve heard something about this between you and Siah Hawley. What are you playin' pos sum fur2 Out with it, say!"
 Our little schemer, thus abjured, made a clean breast of the matter; much relieved to find that mother hadn't nutbin agip him, and would give father talk about it, and bring him round"
 "Rut Hetty, want you to tell 'Siah I'd rather he'd not make such mistake agir I don't like the feel of his whiskers about my face; l don't approve of promiscuous kissing"
 "Siah never heard the last of that bun f der. Old Squire Thomas used to delight 1T rehearsiug the story whenever all the parties , interested happened to be present. H.
 would shake his fat sides at Josiah's dis comfture and his wife's tart replies, and Het ty would join him, and both would laugt until the tears ran down their cheeks. , "Neyer mind, 'Siah," Mrs. Thomas would
 say consolingly. "Let him laugh. He't have been only too glad to have been in you place twenty years ago. He had hard worl to get kiss from me then. And hope i 7 will be lesson to you and Hetty agin tn 2 |impolicy of concealment and underhand doin k of all sorts."
 MURDER AND LYNCHING IN TKxAs.-Ther } were two families and Wilborn-re t siding some time ago in Nacogdoches county r Texas, between whom bitter feud existed.- Not long since the Mooneys moved to Concord ? Horf1;n 1,ountv ond had hean hut a faw dave i