Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-04-12
The Man who stole the Meeting
House.

On a recent journey TO the fennSyl-
vania oil regions, stopped one eve
ming with a fellow traveller at vii
lage which had just been thrown into
turmoil of excitement by the exploits
of horse thief. As we sat around
the 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
puffs of tobacco-smoke; until, at the
close Of an exciting story, one of the
natives turned to my travelling ac-
quaintance, and, with a broad laugh
said, "Kin ye beat that stranger ?"
"Well, | don't know-may be
could if | should try. | never hap
pened to fall in with any such tall
horse stealing as you tell about, but
knew a man who stole a meeting
house once"
"Stole meetin' house That goe;
a little beyant anything yit," remark
ed another of the honest villagers
aye don't mean he stole it and carried
it away Z"
"Stole it and carried it away" re
peated my travelling companion, seri
ously, crossing his legs, and resting
his hands on the back of his chair
"And, more than all that, | helped
him."
"How happened that? you don
look much like a thief, yourself"
! All eyes were now turned upon m.
friend, plain New England farmer
whose honest, homespun appearance
and candid speech commanded re
5pect.
Il was a hired man, and / acteC
under his orders. His name was Jed
worth-old Jedworth, the boys calleC
him, although he wasn't above fift
when the crooked little circumstanc
happened which I'll make as straigh
a story as | can, if the company woul,
like to hear il.
= Sartin, stranger sartin! abou
stealin' the meetin'-house y chime,
in two or three voices.
Nv friend cleared his throat, pu
; his hair behind his ears, and with
grave, smooth face. but with merr
twinkle in his shrewd, gray eyes, b(
ran as follows:
"Jedwort, | said his name was
d and | shall never forget how he lOOl
= ed one particular morning. He stoo
leaning on the front gate--or rathe
on the post, for the chain itself wa
r, such a shackling concern a chill
- couldn't have leaned on it withOl
breaking it down. And Jedwort W.
70 child. Think of stoutiSh, stOO
. ing duck-legged man, with a mou
- famous back, strongly suggestive OF
bag of grist under his shirt and yC
have him. That imaginary grist hG
OF been growing heavier and heaviC
and he more and more bent under
for the last fifteen years or more, II
- til his head and neck just come ft
T ward out from behind his shoulder
like a turtle from its shell. His arr
of hung, as he walked, almost to t
- ground. Being curved with the
D bows outward, he looked for all t
world, in a front view, like waddli
IN intcrrogation-pOint enclosed in
ID ID renthesi8. If man was ever qua
ng ruped, as I've heard some folks tC
nd nd and rose gradually from four legs
&c. two, there must have been tin
:. very carly in his history, when
went about like old Jedwort.
The gate had been very go
nd gate in its day. 1t had even beel
genteel gate when Jedwort came il
possession of the place, by marry
his wife, who inherited it from
&c uncle. That was some twenty yei
RID before, and everything had been
inc to rack and ruin ever since.
'Jedwort himself had been going
rack and ruin, morally speaking.
and was middling decent sort of a n
tR Ills, when | first knew him; and juC
nes' there must have been something alb
. him more than common, or he ne
TIP could have got such a wife. But t
women do marry. sometimes, III
countably. I've know downright u
: o0d 0t and disagreeable fellows to W
psf around, till by and by they VIC
get pretty girl fascinated by s.
thing in them which nobody
could see, and then marry her in S
iven n of everything; just as you may
, in seen a magnetizer on the stage n
with with his subjects do just what he plea
his or black snake charm bird. ]
- about women marrying with
eyes wide open under such cir'
stances. They don't marry with
eyes open; they arc put to slet
dem- one sense, and amt more than
. responsible for what they do, if
ono are that. Then rises the ques
that has puzzled wiser heads thar
oes in of ours here, and will puzzle more
class till society is better than 1t is M
- bow much a refined and sensitive
p -, man is. bound to suffer from a c.
T, and disgusting master. legally c
soft her husband, before she is entitl'
break off bad bargain she scare
a hand in making. I've sat her
night, and heard about men &c
goods under false pretences; y
Z N told me some astonishing big st
ID Sill. gentlemen, about rogues stealing
,azines ses and sleighs; and I'm going
20 YOU about a man who stole a
$ have ing-house; but, when all is So
guess it will be found that NOR
rs. t,oo,d;,orv tbievinU than all