New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-07-30
SOCIAL STUDIES.

From the New York World

A Neat Tale.
From the New York World
A certain quantity Of matter being still
needed to complete a column of the Louis
vile Commercial, recently, after all thu
news, able editorials and exciting market
reports had been set up in type, it suddenly
occurred to the night editor that no account
of the, Bullitt county mystery" had YET
come in by telegraph, and, selling his pen,
he rapidly prepared the material points OF
the following narrative thereof, and placed
them in the hands of the agitated compost
tors Near Mount Washington, in Bnllitt
county, and where an outrageous valley
worships at the feet Of a majestic brother.
hood Of hills, there stands small but gothic
lady and her beautiful adopted daughter.
Here these inofensive examples of spec
tacled old age and willOwy youth have re-
sided for years tranquil in their lot, con-
tented in their cot, and never wishing to
leave the spot, whether it was humble or
not; but q day of last week was destined to
bring them an experience from which the
most secluded can not always escape, and
turn their simple little mystic home into a
scene originally invented for Bowery
theatre. ~.s.- .-H .-
Having on that day received several
thousand dollars in payment of a mortgage
which she had held upon distant piece of
property, the widow placed the sum in the
rural American wOman's first national
bank, otherwise a wOrsted stocking, and
told the beautiful adopted daughter where
it could be found in case of fire. She
thought not of robbers; she was too good a
woman and not sufficiently familiar with
politics to believe that there were such
beings, save in Roman Catholic countries;
but before another day had been reflected
from her spectacles, she was fated to know
thing or two less vertlant. Night came
in clouds and winds. The darkness fairly
stained the clothes ON the line in the back
yard, and made q white cat on the front
stoop looked like herself chalked on a
blackboard. The widow and her adopted
breaking out into species of alarmed
hymn whenevera window ratified too much,
when there sounded a knock at the door.
go see who it is, my child" said the elder
lady, with great presence OF mind; 1--WE
must deny no one ON such night as this.
Go, my dear, and have no dread, but that
Providence will protect you"
The young girl, however, declared that,
on account Of the darkness prevailing, she
really could not ''see it," and begged leave
to suggest that the widow herself would be
as well protected in the hospitable act.
The matron knew this, of course, but, for
the very souls good of the young girl she
could not allow the latter to shrink from
the present test of her religious faith, and
was arguing the point with her, when he
who had knocked, impatient of delay. sum-
marty opened the door for himself and
walked in. He was dropping, shambling
his voice, and proclaimed himself lonely
wayfaref from afar, seeking shelter for the
night. He was told that there were only
women in the house, and that it was
reasonable to. expect them to
receive total stranger as a guest Am
not old and feeble, and thoroughly played |
Dut" asked the venerable ruin, in touching
accents. Couldn't either one of you kill |
me with fire-shOvel if I struck for the |
spoons!"
The widow felt that they could indeed |
make things quite lively for him, with a
broomstick even, and allowing her hos |
pitality to conquer all doubts, she gave the |
aged wreck couple of sandwiches for sup
per, and allowed him to rest his weary bones |
ID an upper room much favored by wasps. |
An hour passed on; the night turned SO
lark that the white cat fairly looked phOs-
phOrescent in it, and then came more knock |
ing at the cottage door, The widow looked |
from the window of her own chamber and I
asked who was there! Collectors of the
income tax, which Congress has passed |
again. answered a tremendous voice from
the deep gloom beneath. "How much was
your income from all sources this morning!
Five thousand dollars. Well take it, In
overcome by that mysterious
to equivOcation, which seems to
be an inevitable effect of income taxing, the |
lady at the window offered to make oath |
that her present receipts were all exhausted |
by house rent. "We'll see about that after |
we've examined your books" was the ex-
tremely skeptical answer. I'VE ask you TO
let us in. Do so, or we will try the virtue |
IF axing the door next
Convinced that the officials We're deter |
mined to enforce the Odious claw, and that |
than an accomplish of theirs, the poor |
widows first thought was to lock the aged |
nscreant in his room, and then cry fire |
rom back window. While on her hasty |
way to do the first, however, she was met |
Il the hall by her suspected lodger, who, to |
Ter great wonder and terrof, seemed to
lave lost all his decrepitude and become |
-igOrous as Vanderbilt. Take my |
money!" she cried wildly, as the sound of |
n AK against the door came to her ears;
I'll give it oil up; but please spare our |
ives!" The mysterious guest winked to
himself in the darkness as he answered:
Madam | have indeed been ritling your
ouse; for l have taken this rifle from its
ack Do you take-rifing-rife Retire
, your own room again. aud I'll attend to
ne case of our internal revenue friends"
hat indeed he did. When the door gave
way uuder the AK, he received the first
IAN entering with bullet to the heart.
oading again, he fired at the now retreat
70 enemy, and did not miss his mark.
This left him master of the field; where
BON he blew the smoke from his rifle, re-
osed the shattered door, placing against it
e body of the first man he had killed to
zen it shut, called aloud at the widows
,or that all was right once more, and then
tired to his own room and bed with great
Sc of manner. In the morning the de-
ased person in the lower hall was recog.
zed as a respectable neighbours son, and
ross the fence in front Of the house hung