The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-09-09

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We'll, declare !'' ,f4 ~
The s, exclamation popped out like shot,
and dl then the lady pursed her lips and shut
her Ter mouth =, ut uncommonly tight, and folded her
hands, and turned up her eyes till the white
eyeballs glared, aud went through the entire
pantomime of exaggerated astonshment,
wonder and horror combined. And so silence
fell broken only by the slight .rustling of
paper. 81. 5g ~. s. 5a
Ea Itwas'the letter shaking in Deacon Man
ning's hand, as, peering anxiousiy through
his spectacles, he read it a second and third
time. The Deacon was a little, timid. mousse
like-man, with thin hair, feeble blue ewes.
pallid face, and attenuated frame. He was a
sickly man, and his wife complained, some
times, of having to play the part of nurse to
his often infrmities'' good deal more than
was convenient. He seemed to living under
protest, as in Difference to necessity, though
against the lady's wishes. It, was so long
since he had dared to I" call his soul his own,n ~
that he, and many of his neighbors, had be-
gun to entertain faint doubts as TO whether he
possessed one at all.
Mrs. Manning had no such doubts. it is to
be presumed, since she often spoke with pious
resignation of the time when she should be
bereaved widow, and the Deacon happy in
Heaven
The Deacon had been hapt ier on earth
than he was at present. But it was in his
first wife's time-the wife of his YOUTH
Since the present Mrs. Manning reigned over
his household he had been gradually sinking
into a Ionentity-so that If he did not great
y enjoy life, he neither greatly suffered, ex-
cept from such physical ills as his frail health
brought upon him. @
1t was fortunate that this could be so ey-
en- Herbert Manning, the Deacon's only son.
had long admitted this, and fonnd in itm his,
only consolation after long series of annoy
ing and irritating events had made him almost
a stranger beneath the roof that had sheltered
his infancy. g
91 The Beacon had not always been what he
now was In his younger days he had pos
sessed courage. both moral and physical, and
had displayed both on occasion. Fut like
many another nfatuatedold monarch, he had
tossed his sceptre into the lap of youth and
beauty; the fair hands had clasped the bau-
Bile close, and he had never been able to re-
gain it. asa "7la '@1i - lssa,. sssd
He had never. been quite himself from the
hour that made Mrs. Hepsibah Lnpin his
wife, and installed her. with her three chill
drsn and the awful memory of her deceased
doctor, in his quiet household. 10 .iae'fee'asJ
Deacon Manning was only farmer, where
as the departed Lupin had been profession
al man. The lady thought she had made,
descent in the social scale, and essayed to
make up for it by added dignity. She scorncd
the insinuations of certain base parties, who
averred that she had been easily won to ex
change the aneagre poverty of her widowed
household for the oyerfowing aff1uence of the
great farm house. To show that luxury was
familiar to her, she administered affairs in her
new home right royalty, and affected to feel
contempt forsthe homely ways and spplian-
ces of the household. ,s, .--.--.
s Nevertheless, she had an eye to the main
chance for though she installed her own
dariings into her home as if of right, she soon
complained that big boy like Herbert, who
had by that time reached his fourteenth year,
was quite old enough to earn his own living,
in part, at least And since the boy showed
no inclination for the pursuits of agriculture,
she gave the Deacon no peace until he had
found place for his son in store where he
was to have his board, and an insignificant
sum of money, in payment for his services. =
=, Thus while yet a mere child, the heir of
the Deacon's fne estate was thrust out of his
pleasant home to make room for aliens, who
devoured his substance. 8 A~
As long as the Deacon was permitted to
keep his own purse the boy did net suffer. for
it is rather good than otherwise for boys to
rough it in carly life. and learn to struggle
along the way to fortune. But the good man