The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1863-11-13

like a decent woman And the door
was shut in her face.
Maria Pendergrass was bewildered,
confoundel, and doubly outraged by
this violent assault upon her person
exceeding, as it did, a thousand fold,
in her estimation, the wrong already
inflicted through the person of her
daughter There was scarcely any
wicked thing she would not have felt
inclined to do, by way Of retaliation,
on the spur of the moment, had the
opportunity been presented. One
temptation was TO throw stones and
break her neighbor's windows! An
other was TO Kill pet lamb that hap
pened to I've lying on the grass plot
before the door, and another was to
trample on flower bed in which some
choice and valued plants were just
beginning to unfold their tender leaves
in the genial sunshine.
But she RETAINED not in consc.
qucnce Of o prcpondcrance Of right
sentiments, but because such acts
would too feebly express her great
indignatioR
Tho fercer the tempest, the sooner
it is over. Violent passions quickly
exhaust themselves. BY the time
Mrs. Pendergrass reached home, the
thermometer Of her feelings had lost
many degrees. The range was fur
below fever heat.
We cannot say that she felt particu-
larly well satisfied with her own per
fOrmances in the rather serious come
dy at Mrs. Johnson's, which had
reached so sudden q termination. --
She had studied her part thoroughly,
but on the stage forgot even the open
ing passages, and blundered in conse-
Quence most terribly. lnstend OF
helping matters any she had made
them ten times worse, by presenting
herself IS an assailamt, instead Of one
demanding explanation aud redress.
'rm glad didn't break her win
dows, nor kill her pet lamb, nor tram
pie on her dover bed'
Mrs. Pendergrass said this to her.
self quite sobcrly, rs she sat alone in
her room. less than half an hour after
that fruitess Indignation visit.
"Now haven't / gone and made a
fool OF myself?" she added, with de.
sense Of what she had said
md done, which had presented itself
with mortifyinr distinntness. "What
must Ruthy Ann Johnson think of
me; She'll tell her husband, ofcourse.
1ul he's fiery, hot-hcalcd little
whtfet, and viii be after Pcndergrass
.or explanations I'm mad at myself
Why didn't I talk TO her right? 1
had it all laid out: every word was in
It's place. Tn . fool Maria Pen
iergrass, you fre a fool There ~
Very meekly did Maria Pender-
rra-s bear this selfdenmciatiou
.hou-h had anybody else dared TO OK.
press 4 similar estimate OF her char
lctcr, she would have given very
different exhibition Of her quality
Il wish Miss Perkins had staynl at
homo, and minded her own business e.
Ah that is the reward your tut.
ding njsrhiefmsl1cr usually receives
IN the end, even from those who with
ever open ears invite the tale Of evil.
I've heard it said that she will
stretch the truth, and It's likely not
che has done 30 in this case. What
II Mrs. Johnson has never said any
thing of the kind? Or, what if Miss
Perkins denies having told mc?"
These were sober consi lerations.
i've put my foot into it, aud no
~ Rather coarse conpari-
son, Mrs. PeHdcrgrass, but forcible
and true. People who make indigua-
tion visits generally DO that thing
Your experience is quite up to the
average of such experiences.
Mrs, Pendergrass colld not sum
mon sufficient courage to speak with
her husband about the exciting events
which had occurred, She meant to do
so in order to prepare his mind for n
return indignation visit from Mr.
Johnson, which she was very certain
would be made before the evening
closed. Momcntarily, from the time
he came home mt sundown, until ten
o clock relieved her .of her anxious
suspense, was she in expectation Of
this visit from johnson.
The next morning found Mrs. Pen
dergrass in rather q sober state. She
could not look back on the events of
the preceding day with any feeling of
self-approyal. Her behavior at Mrs.
Johnson was certainly of an extra
ordinary character, as was also the
treatment she had received. Every
passing hour she looked for some
message from Mrs Johnson, or for the
visit Of a friendly neighbor to inquire
about the strange stories that were
buz2ing through the village. But the
entire morning passed without her
seeing Il living soul except her own
family.
As for Mrs, Ruthy Ann johnson,
the subsistence of her disturbed feel.
ings, was almost as sudden as the eX-
element, which had extinguished in
a moment, every fraction of self con
troll. When she grssped the arm of
Mrs. Pendergrass and pushed her vio-
lently from the house, she was angry
beyond measure. When she turned
back from the shut door, and sat
down by the basket of stockings, from
which she had started away on being
so roughly assailed by her neighbor
the whirlwind of passion was over
nd ho,,,i,,1r In, l. odd ii,.n,, L. a.. L. -. i .