Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-07-10

the public disgrace which was about to
fall upon the head of the audacious Helen
Hetherton.
Lenteith was little country village
with one tavern, one store, one meeting
house and blacksmith shop. Plenty
of rum shops were scattered up and
down the single street where the men (?)
might congregate to talk scandal, and
make remarks about the passers by;
plenty of women, young and old, were
ready to sally forth at any time from the
wooden houses, with their aprons thrown
over their heads, to rehearse some choice
lie which had just been fabricated by
one of their number. If you sneezed on
one of the mountains twenty miles this
side of Lentieth, every one who lived in
the place could swear he heard you be-
fore night. With some few exceptions,
set of prying, malicious, impertiment
liars and busy bodies made up the pop
ulation of the place, and busted them
selves in attending to other persons af-
fairs, and in rearing up another genera
ton exactly as bad, if not worse, than
themselves.
Mrs. Dane and Mrs. Gill, with a few
bosom friends, who tried hard to be their
exact counterparts, and did not bungle
very badly at the business, led off this
precious swarm. They were the first
and formost in all mischief, and as much
to be dreaded as the approach of a pesti-
lence. Every one despised them-every
one hated them-yet almost every one
feared them. Carrie Stanley, and a
clique of her friends, who were the only
refined people in the place, were notable
exceptions to the general rule, and rarely
let chance escape for harrassing,
frightening or shocking them in some
way, by their malicious causticness.
Carries handsome parlors were
crammed to their utmost capacity on the
eventful Thursday night. Every one
present had received a special and secret
invitation-every one knew something
was to be done to Helen Hetherton,
whose crimes were, that she was rich
and attended steadily to her affairs, only
laughing at their frantic attempts at as
sistng her in the underta king-and
every one Was in the qut Utoe, when the
parlor doors were thrown open, and Il
party entered that made them stare with
amaZement.
Foremost walked the worthy minister
OF the village. with his prayer-book in
hand. After him came Carrie, dressed
in white, and looking mischieviously
around, as she leaned upon her husband S
arm; then Il long array Of ladies and gen
tIemen magnifcently dressed, and evi-
IDENTIFY from the city; then Carrie friends
who resided in Lenteith; and last, not
least, the culprit, Helen Hetherton,
dressed in white satin, with orange flow
ers in her hair, and leaning upon the
arm Of gentlemen who was the exact
counterpart of DR.. Stanley in form and
features, air and manner. The wonder
ing villagers stared, rubbed their eyes
and nudged each other-but before they
were half over their wonder, the gayly
dressed crowd had managed to secure
place in the center Of the room, and the
minister, opening his book, began the
works of the solemn and beautiful SER
vice which was to unite two fond and
loving hearts in one.
When once the congratulations were
over, Carrie stepped up to the fair bride,
and clasped bracelet Of jewels upon
her arm. Then turning to the company,
she said, sarcastically:
''Ladies and gentlemen, [ assured you
that if you would come here tonight, [
would give Miss Hetherton something
she would never forget | have done so.
Not only the little trinket [ have just
clasped upon her, but the love of myself
and my husband, the admiration Of these
friends, and the lifelong love and devo-
tion of her husband-the tsoin brother of
DIR. Stanley-who was vile enough to
visit his betrothed wife night before last,
and stay till ten o'clock, as Mrs. Dame
and Mrs. Gill informed me. Ladies and
gentlemen, we all hope that you may be
little more successful the next time
you try to make mischief, and have the
honor to wish you very good evening" !"
She bowed coldly, took her husbands
arm, and led the way, followed by the
bridal party, who watched the crest-fal-
len villagers with amused faces as they
passed out.
''Sold sold Most abominab!y sold!"
That was the murmur that began to
circulate around the crowded rooms, and
out they rushed, burning with shame
and rage, while the bridal party were
sitting merrily over splendid supper in
the rooms above
1t is as much as your life is worth to
allude to Helen Hetherton's wedding in
Lenteith, or to give Mrs. Dame the
slightest hint about being boiled IN oil i!