Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1869-01-14
THT STORY OF BLUE BEARD.
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spector, or something Of that sort
don't know precisely where he lived
but think he lived mostly in the imag
ination.
He run q great castle, on the Euro
pean plan, had horses and run them
and in fact run about everything ia
his neighborhood, including running
for office and with the girls, for at the
time of which ! write he was gay
widower. He had great quantities Of
greenbacks, corner lots, oil stock
bonds, and things, but he was hide.
oIsly ugly, and had withal an enor.
nous blue beard, frlghtiul to contem.
plate, which gave to him the cognemen
of Blue Beard, by which he was known
to the country round about, as well as
to the country that had laid off its
roundabout, and consequently was in
its shirtsleeves.
Blue Beard grew weary Of living in
solitary magniticence in his lorldly
castle, and finding that he was getting
bluer and bluer every day, he deter
mined to marry. Having been mar
ried half dozen times-taken half q
dozen raw, as one might say-he was
naturally quite miserable when de.
prived Of the gentle influences Of the
fair sex for any length Of time
One Of his neighbors was a widow
lady, who had two very beautiful and
highly accomplished daughters. They
could play the piano, harp and seven
up, and work embroidery and Plan
chette elegantly.
To this widow lady Blue Beard ap-
piled for the hand and general anato-
my of one of her daughters, leaving
her TO decide which one she would
give him. Although the STAMPS he
had pleaded loudly in his favor, as
they do yet, although this was a great
many years ago, yet that dreadful
beard was against him, and neither of
the young women desired to have it
against her. Blue wasn't fashionable
for boards if it had been it might
have been different. One of them
wept bitterly because it would be sew
eral hundred years yet before hair-dye
would be discovered so that he could
have his whiskers colored.
Another circumstance rendered
them shy Of him. He was having a
wedding every once and while at
the castle, but no funerals! Wedding
cake had been ordered from the con.
tectioners several times, but no under
taker had had job there yet. No
matter how many times a man is left
a widower, if be correspondingly pa
trOnizes some respectable owner of a
hearse, but repeated wedIock without
funerals is certainly a suspicious cir
cumstance.
Blue Beard cunningly invited the
family and their friends to the castle,
where they passed week so delight
fully that theyoungest daughter began
to think blue was a pretty good color
for whiskers after all, particularly
when their possessor could keep such
an establishment as that, where they
had three meals day, besides a lunch
every morning from ten o'clock until
eleven. She looked with contempt on
red-whiskercd beau of hers she used
to think perfectly splendid and ac
tually asked him why he didn't Grub
Indigo into 'em !" The upshot of the
business was, she consented to become
Mrs. B. Beard, and the wedding was
celebrated with great eclat.
AT the expiration Of the honeymoon,
Blue Beard pretended to his wife that
business Of Importance called him
away to a distant city He would be
absent for several weeks, and in the
meantime she could invite company
and enjoy herself as much as possible.
He gave her bunch Of keys, enabling
her at any time TO open bis safe, and
feast her eyes on the diamonds, Che
loaned money on collateral" some
times greenbacks, seven thirties. rev
enue stamps and receiptcd gas bills
deposited there-also giving access to
the wine cellar, store room, picture
gallery, billiard room, ten-pin alley.
corn house, &c, &c. But one little
key opened a room in the basement
that she must not approach save upon
her peril. She promised, and he TOOL,
street car for the depot.
From the time that Mother Eve
disregarded the injunction against a
certain tree in Eden's orchard and |
partook Of n Rhode Island pipnin
thereby introducing various things in |
the world never before dreamed Of |
curiosity has been an absorbing pas.
sion with the fair sex, and we need
hardly inform the intelligent reader
that her husband was hardly out of
sight before Mrs. b. B. had unlocked
the door of the forbidden room.
But what a spectacle met her af
iirighted gaze ! There, suspended on
hooks like so many gowns in a clothes
press, were the bodies Of the murdered
Mrs. Blue Boards, whose funerals had
been indefinitely postponed. while the
tloor was clotted with their blood =
She would have swooned. but me-
phrase wasn't known at that time.
Terribly agitated, she dropped the
key on the floor, staining il with /
blood, which she was afterward ma.
ble to wash out, even with the aid of
patent wringer.
Blue Beard returned unexpectedly
as everybody might have expected
and the blood upon the key told the
story Of his wiie's disobedience Tor
blood, You know, "wiIl tell"
"Must l - be cried, wrinring his
hands in anguish, "must / again be
come a widowor and so soon After
one short month Of welded Hiss
SuraWIng his cimeter and carefully
ieehng its edgo) must this latest md ]
dearest nearest ono be torn from mt armsand
ieit aIone-alone Bo.bo. .bo.oo w
A., Not If | can help it," remarked
Blue Beard blubbercd, as he proceed. |
ed to wbet his scythe ON tbe stove !
hearth, "to glad me with lis soft blarL :
eye, but when it came to know me
we'll" N''o" "io