The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1867-11-08
OHIO, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1867.
as represented / should despair OF

as represented / should despair OF
securing her-serviees -
4 Miss Peters soothed me by the as
j surance that she didn't believe but
Mehetabel would cone for while
, any how, just to Accommodate, and
with this hope l left my kind neigh
! bor and betook myself to the "leath-
/ er- colored house behind the laylock
bushes" 1t was quite unlike the
habitation to which l had usually
been directed, and had so TO speak,
a cultivated air. A well-bred lady
in a widows cap met me at the door
|, and invited me to enter I inquired
for Miss Mehetabel, and my hostess
going to call her did not again re-
i turn.
While left alone had time to look
about me and observe the appoint
ments of the room, which were in
harmony with the taste and refine
ment SO evident in the grounds -
The books scattered over the center
table were such as one sees in any
family of culture; the engravings
and paintings on the walls, though
somewhat cheaply framed, had been
admirably selected; there was even
a piano in the room, with abundance
of the best sheet music. l found
myself so well entertained by some
Istereoscopic views that had nearly
) forgotten my errand when Miss Will
cox entered. l can hardly say l was
surprised to see a graceful, well
ldressed young lady, for her surround
lings had prepared me to expect it ;
tbut certainly had not looked for
j such queenliness of manner. I NUT.
tered an inward protest against Miss
Peters who had directed me to this
piece of elegance, and another against
my thoughtiess Caddy who allowed
me to leave the house with such q
}, shabby coat. During the reign oi
Elizabeth / had scarcely given q
Thought to my outside apparel, for
that excellent woman had a general
Oversight of my gear and it now oc-
cured to me as a new idea that l was
allowing myself to fall to wreck and
ruin. l felt an inclination to seize
my hat and run, but, summoning all
NV manhood, resolved to brave it
it out and make myself as agreeable
as possible.
! Miss Wilcox, with true politeness,
soon set me at ease. and in the course
of half an hour l was conversing with
her as unrestrainedly as if we were
old acquaintances and l had come
for social call. She had known my
late wife, she said, had seen her
graduate with high honors at the
Academy: Herself mere child. she
had been brought out { several small
TROUBLES by Miss Vennebal's kind
ness, and remember ed her with graft
tude as a peace maker. Yes, it was
so characteristic of Elizabeth to be-
| friend the little ones. AT length /
asked Miss Wilcox to play for me,
and found her music as charming ss
her conversation. In short, / own
ell to myself that / had not spent so
delightful an evening for years.
The time came when / must re
luctantly take my leave, yet all this
while l had not once remembered
my errand When | did ihink ,aa q il,
80 MAS wtsaA -" SsItng at tuc ehfooe'
1t would surely be felicity to have
an accomplished creature to preside
over my house, if only "for a while,
lust to accommodate" as my neigh
} Dor had expressed it; but how could
ask such favor2 reviewed Miss
Peters words; "Mehetabel hadn'
been used to living out much" Sc
it seemed she had occasionally done
} SO. There was no accounting for the
democracy in small country places
!. Those white hands not only made
the bread at home, but did it, on oc
casion in the houses of others. Prob
ably Miss Mehetsbel, with all her re
r finement, had in her composition
!, tincture of the strongminded. AnC
why asked myself, should not la
, DIV do kitchen work tor distracted
! families as well as write poetry foI
thankless edisorsp ? 1t is the minC
: that dlgnifles the employment, SAC
well thy part, there all the homo
, lies"
r Fortifying myself with these re
. dections, l began with the meekues
of Tom Pinch to describe the desola
, ton and anarchy of my home.
. told Miss Wilcox had alYsyG sup
, posed children we're as easily trained
! as pea vines, and not liable to SEM
, out tendrIls in any perverse or incon
!, yenient directions, but 1 found my
self utterly mistaken. Now +" "ther,
was no king in Israel, and ever,
child did that which was right IN hi
; own eyes" g Er'
: She seemed sorry for me. wen
on to describe the incompetent ser
wants We had had, and the state o
; complete despair at which had ar
: rived. Presently I observed she wa
smiling, not derisively, but becaus,
the details which / related we're IRE
sistibly amusing. 4
Encouraged BY her manifest sym
: pathy, will you believe I was MAJ
t enough to ask Miss Wilcox to com
! and do my house work? Woe t
the insane impulse which prompted
me! Woe to the malicious Miss Pc
e tcrs who had sent me hither on pur
d pose to make game Of me, and at tn
a same time to humiliate the higb-bre,
J, " Mittie."
}; "My dear young LADY," said
clearing my throat with snow o
i l-Inever" resolution, ait Is true ! hav
seen you but a short time, yet yo
l. already seem like an old acquaini
U ance; and even before I came her
: this evening / knew You by reputa
q ton" "a -
d Here hesitated. Miss Wilco
; was evidently wondering what
meant to say next. ] wondered my
u self. Il will put on the score Q
: humanity" thoughtI.
/ "As ! was about to say, my des
Miss Wilcox, will you, whom l iustl
u deem the--the-very person me:
x fitted tor the positieE--will you
L with your woman's heart, seeing N
Ol "a / an-as "a euppliont oo m, q