The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1867-02-07
From tie Aaantic Monthly.
The Man Who Stole a Meeting
House. ia

On recent journey 70 the Fennsyl-
vauia oil regions, ! Istopped one evening
with a fellow -traveler at village which
had Just been thrown into a turmoil of
excitement by the exploits of horse
thief As we sat around tavern hearth,
after supper, we heard the particulars
of the rogue's capture and escape fully
discussed then followed many another
tale of theft and robbery, told amid
curling pufs of tobacco o-smoke; until,
at the close of an exciting story, one Of
the natives turned to my travelling ac-
quaintance, and, with broad laugh,
said, @KinSye beat that, stranger 2''s
"Well, i don't knew--may be could
if 1 should try. ] never happened to
fall in with any such tall horse-stealing
as you tell of, but l knew a man who
stole a Westinghouse once"
"Stole meetin' -housei That goes
a little beyant anything yit," remarked
anothcl ofithe honest villagers. "Ye
don't mean he stole it and carried il
awayg''s ....,............. -.
t.Stole it and carried it away" re-
peated my travelling companion, seri-
ously, crossing his legs, and resting his
arm on the back of his chair. "And,
more than all that, / helped him."
Chow happened that !--for you don't
look much Ike thief, yourself7"
ALI eyes were now turned upon my
friend, a plain New England farmer,
whose honest homespun appearance and
candid speech commanded respect.
81 was his hired man, and l acted
under orders. His name was Jedwort,
old Jedwort, the boys called him, al
though he wasn't above fifty when the
crooked little circumstance happened
which I'll make as straight story of as
1 can, if the company would like to hear
it." .<5dJt- 51e1E F
"Sartin, stranger! sartin! about steal
iu' the meetin' -house!" chimed in two
or three voices. .s anfg QUA
My friend cleared his throat, put his
hair behind his ears, and with grave,
smooth face, but with a merry twinkle
in bis shrcwd, gray eye, began as fol-
lows XXI ~. 4,y mi ,9f.ad9
"Jedwort / said his name was; and
l shall never forget how he looked one
particular morning. He stood leaning
on the front gate,-or rather on the
post, for the gate itself was such a
Shaking concern child couldn't have
leaned on t without breaking it down.
And Jedwort was no child. Think Of
stoutish, STOPPING, duck-legged man,
with mountainous back, strong gly sug-
gestiye Of a bag Of grist under his shirt,
and you have him. That imaginary
grist had been growing heavier and
heavier, and he more and more bentun-
der it, for the last fifteen years and more,
until his head and neck just came for
ward out from between his shoulders,
like turtles from its shell. His arms
hung, as he walked, almost to the
ground, Being curved with the elbows
outward, he looked for all the world, in
front view, like waddling interroga-
tion-point enclosed ina parenthesis. Il
man was ever quadruped, as Pveheard
some folks tell, and rose gradually from
four legs to two, there must have been
time, very early in his history, when
he went about like Old Jedwort. aar,. . r. e
/ "The gate had beena very good gate
in its day. 1t had even been genteel
gate when Jedwort came into possession
Of the place, by marrying his wife, who
inherited it from her uncle. That was
some twenty years before, and every
thing had been going 10 rack and ruin
ever since. sae gs.,o.5.j ~
aJedwOrt himself had been going tc
rack and ruin, morally speaking He
was middling decent sort Of Q man
whenI first knew him; and Iiju>
there must have been something about
him more than common, or he never
could have got such q wife. But ther
women do marry, sometimes, unaccount.
ably. I've known downright ugly and
disagreeable fellows to work around
till by and by they would get q pretty
girl fascinated by something ID then
which nobody else could see, and ther
marry hefin spitsof everything JUS
as you. may have seen a magnetzer on
the stage make his subjects do jus
what he pleased, or ablack snake charm
a bird. Talk about women marrying
with, their eyes open, under such Cir
cumstances!! They don't marry Will
their eyes opens they are put to- sleep