The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-05-26
THE PET OF PUBBLEsNOOK.

<'Who is he ?" What is he ~
Whence is he?" --.,....4..
When Percy Wappleford dropped,
as it were from the clouds, into Pub
blesnook, the rapidity wherewith
such, and such like, queries flew about
proved how potent principle, even
in rural human nature, is that form of
the love of knowledge disparagingly
styled curiosity.
1t must have been from the clouds
he dropped for such sum total OF
perfections could scarcely have had q
less celestial origin.
"What a dear young mani" was
the universal vote of the good old Ia
dies, upon whom the conspicuous sol
emnity of his first Sundays appear
ance at church had made deep i'm
preston.
"What nice young mani" not less
unanimously Uttered the young ones,
who had peeped over their hymn
books 10 admire his whiskers.
1t was astonishing what rapid pro-
gress he made. Before six weeks he
was superintendent of the Sabbath
School, and had more to say, at the
Thursday evening meetings, than the
minister himself.
In short. he was popular with every
body but the young men. We all
hated him. To have our lady friends
and sweelhearts constantly ringing
his praises in our ears, and quoting
his example, was little "wearing'
at our time of life.
allow sweetly Mr.. Wappelford
sang Il want to be an angel this
morning!" said Elsie Howard, as we
walked home together from church
one Sunday,
q With all my heart I wish he aods
one, and drafted into actual service =
1 bluntly blurted out. I couldn't help
it, you see; for there had been a dis
tinct engagement between Elsie and
me ever since I had thrashed Bill Dog
gett, in our school days, for presuming
to spell word she had missed; and
to hear her Ginning in the general
chant of the sleek strangers praise
rather ruffied my equanimity.
Z" never knew before" rejoined
Elsie, "what an objectionable sin il
is for some folks to be better and bet
ter looking, than other folks"
GAS for the looks" retorted, "that
is question of taste and not to be
disputed. AS to some folks being
better than other folks, other folks
may be quite as good as some folks
though the latter be better up to the
dodge of playing pious 'possum."
Pardon me for not understanding
slang," was Elsie's quiet, but none the
less provoking answer.
Giles an infern-" began, grow
ing still more excited. -...
"If you are going to swear" said
Elsie, quickening her pace, " 1 prefer
to walk alone"
"As you please" 1 assented, huff
ishly hanging back. a55-
And so we parted. We would
probably have "made up" the next
Sunday, but Mr.. Wappelford singled
me out in the class that morning for
one of his posing questions. I don't
think it related to the paternity OF
Zebedee's children, but it was some
thing of that sort. At any rate ii
stumped me, and the girls all giggled,
Elsie londer than the rest. My first
impulse was to dare Mr.. Wappelford
out /; but thought of the time and
place, and restrained myself. That
settled matters between me and Elsie.
Mr.. Woppelford walked home with
her after service, and next Sabbath
my place in the class was vacant.
1t soon leaked out that Mr.. Wappel-
ford was rich-a fact that in no way
diminished the general fovor he was
held in. / sought to derive some con-
ISOLATION from it myself, in view of the
text which puts the difficulty of rich
mans admission to Paradise on par
with q camels passage through the
eye of a needle.
When Mr.. Wappelford needed lit
tfeready money he took a govern.
ment bond over toHiram Chepe's store
and got Hiram to cash it.
Hiram did mixed business in dry
goods, drugs and groceries, and was
considered, by long odds, the keenesi
observer of men and things in Public
snook. He saw at a glance that the
amiable stranger was man of bust
ness, and shrewdly guessed, as he
counted out the money for the FIVE
twenty, that there were several more
where it came from. And that's the
way it got out that Mr.. Wappelford
was rich.
MI HdpPClIoIu ucSdn ~ DC very
particular in his attentions to Elsie
OF course / didn't care, and to prove
l didn't began to make up to Betsy
fTilden, the most confirmed firt in
Pubblesnook, between whom and Ell
sic there had been the bitterest sorI
of feeling ever since their childhood
Betsy was engaged to Hiram Chept
whom she delighted to keep in ho,
water; but whether that was her mo-