The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1867-02-21
X iS& , FromdIs Atlantic Monthly.
The Man Who Stole a,Meeting
House,
(coNCLusIoNl

| tVSlotSPPOu ShV IneIc, anu bdlu ~ Wdh
MT safe to haul it another inch. That
steeple's bound to come down, if we
do says he.
" Not BY a dumbed sight, it amt,
says Jedwort. Them cracks amt
nothin' the jints is all firm yit.' He
wanted Bob to go up and examine; but
Bob shook his head, 1.-THE concern look
ed too shaky. Then he told me TO 90
up; but | said I hadn't lived quite long
enough, and had a little ratherbe smok-
ing my pipe on terra frma, Then the
boys began to hoot. Dumbed if ye
amt all a set of towards, says he. 'Ill
go up myself a.l ar..aa *.
''We waited outside while he climbed
up inside. The boys jumped on the
ground to jar the steeple, and make it
fall. One of them blew horn,-as he
said, to bring down the old Jericho,-
and another thought he'd help things
along by starting up the horse, and Civ
ing the building little wrench. But
Bob puta stop to that; and finally out
came head from the belfry window.
1t was Jedwort, who shouted down to
us: There amt a jint OF brace gin
out. Start the hoss, and I'll ride.
Pass me'up that ,ere horn, and
TJust then there came cracking and
loosening OF timbers; and we that stood
nearest had only time to jump out of the
way, when down came the steeple crash
ing to the ground, with Jedwort in it.
81 hope it killed the cuss," said one
Of the village story-tellers. % 9ll .a,b
"Worse than that, !" replied my friend;
sit just cracked his skull L--not enough
to put an end'to his miserable life, but
only to take away what little sense he
had. We got the doctors to him, and
they patched up his broken head; and,
by George, it made me mad to see the
fuss the women-folks made over him.
1t would have been my way to let him
die; but they were as anxious and at
tentive to him as if he had been the
kindest husband and most indulgent
father that ever lived; for that's wo-
mems style: they're unreasonipg crea-
lures. al -. .,
"Along towards morning, we per-
suaded Mrs, Jedwort, who had been up
all night, to lie down spell and catch a
little rest, while Maria and / sat up and
watched with the old man.. All was
still except our whiSpers and his heavy
! breathingi there was lamp burning in
the next room; when all of sudden a
light shone into the windows, and about
the same time we heard roaring and
cracking sound. We looked out, and
saw the night all lighted up, as if by
some great fire. AS it appeared to be
on the other side Of the house, we ran
to the door, and there what did we see
but the old Westinghouse all in flames.
Some fellows had set fire to it to spite
Jedwort. 1t must have been burning
some time inside for when we looked
out, the flames had burst through the
roof. ..,.4
Gas the night was perfectly still, ex-
cept a light wind blowing away from the
other buildings on the place, we raised
no alarm, but just stood in the door and
saw it burn. And a glad sight it was
to us, you may be sure. / just held
Maria close to my side, and told her that
all was vel, lit was the best thing that
could happen. 'Oyes,' says she, 'it
seems to me as though kind Proyi-
dence was burning up his sin and shame
out of our sight
81 had never yet said anything to her
about marriage for the time to come
at that had never hardly seemed to ar
rive; but there's nothing like little ex-
citement to bring things to a focus.
You've seen water in tumbler Just al
the freezing point, bat not exactly able
to make up its mind to freeze, when q
little jar will set the crystals forming,
and in minute what was liquid is ice
1t was the shock of events that night
that touched my fife into ctystals,--not
of ice, gentleman, by apy manner o.
4 eater the fire had got along SO fanl
that the Westinghouse was a gone case
an alarm was given, probably by the
very fellows that set it, and hundred
people were on the spot before the thing
had done burning. Gta'!l'.. Z 4. y 4 4
H0fcourse these circumstances pu
an; end to the breaking up Of the family
Dave was sent for, and came home
Then, as soon as we saw that the ole
mans brain was injured so thathe WASH
likely to recover his mind, the boys ant
l went to work and put that farm
through course of Improvement j
would have done your eyes good tosee
The children were sent to school, an(
Mrs. Jedwort had alhthe money sh,
wanted now to clothe them, and to pro
vide the house with comforts, withou
stealing her own butter 2Jedwort wa
a burden but, in spite of him. that wa
just about the happiest family, for th,
next four years, that ever lived on thi
planet.
aI7fJedwort soon got his bodily health
but I don't think he knew one Of u
again after bis hurt. r.As near as | conll
get at his state of mind, he thought hC
had been changed into some sort Of ami
NAL. He seemed inclined to take m,
for a master, and for four years he fol
lauyad mo ,around l;ira N door nu,.; pf