The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-06-23
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
TIER,


Not far from Canterbrigge, at a
place called TrOmpington, there lived
a miller named Dannis Simekin.
He was a man who bOasted, year
after year, that he was so much
heavier and so much stronger.
At first sight and word he was a
hale-fellow Well-met-man, but after a
little time, the stranger discovered
how small a soul and how mean q
mind wandered about in the big body
that was so bOastful.
He had been churchwarden and
Overseer of the poor for fifteen years,
when Elizabeth, his daughter, was
eighteen years of age-and then he
was forty.
Could any man bring any charge of
dishonesty against the miller? No.
Did any man in the parish think him
bad, grasping, and INSCRIPTIONS
man? All. He belonged to that
weary set of men who are neither
good, nor kind, nor pleasant, and yet
on the surface appear to be frank,
straightforward and hearty. These
men are the very shadow and hypoc-
risy of good citizens.
As an Overseer, he kept the labor
er's cottages few and far between, so
that not too many should gain settle
ments, and he subscribed to the fund
for giving certain labOrers enough
bread in the winter months to save
them from dying, and enable them 10
live on to do farm work through the
rest of the year, so that wages might
not go up.
In slow, foolish way, he found
that it was cheaper in the end 10 give
as little bread rs possible i'm the win
ter, than to turn off the labOTers who
had not gained a parOchial settlement.
He had the appearance Of being
charitable, while i'm fact he was bal
ancing his many profits and few loss
es.
The profits, however, were not very
great or numerous, because he prefer
red to he almost sure in a small petty
way, rather than be the least venture
some i'm a greater.
AS for lasses- Dannis the miller
never had been charged with light
conduct with the lasses when he was
young. He rather misdoubted girls,
and never kissed until he married
Miss HaughtOn, from the big house.
When the church was restored the
miller put in n cheap window of
stained glass, Faith, Hope, and Char
ity, being the subject, and this he
bought cheaply, owing to an adver-
tisement he saw i'm one of the papers.
So much for his heart and mind
This is how the miller looked. A tall
man, over six feet high, with broad
open chest, and wide swinging arms,
a head well set upon his shoulders,
and his brown hair hanging well
about his head. A healthy, welcome
look he had, but nothing tender about
him, except his voice, which was at
times artificially low. The eyes shift
ed and giinted, the mouth was. very
heavy, and moved in lines which
were rounded and pleasant, but these
lines changed, made and tnmade
themselves so slowly that they be-
came OdiOus. However, the features
most to be mistrusted in that face
were the nostrils. They were neither
still nor dilating, the latter generally
proving candid, honest man. They
quivered.
He walked erect, and none went to
church or gave out the responses so
rOundly as he,-bis wife and daughter
following suit.
So am brought to his wife, who
was an OvershOOt from the great |
house,-AptOn Court.
Great families must have poor rela-
tions when great estates go wholly
to the eldest. This Miss Haughton
was the daughter of a second cousin.
She was hOusekeeper at AptOn Court |
when the miller saw her for the first
time at the village church. Although
he was the tallest man in the parish, |
and she was the tallest woman, yet |
much against common custom they |
selected each other.
He was very civil to her, abject in
deed as lover, because she was the |
cousin of Sir Allen HaughtOn, of APP |
ton Court, and sic never attempted to |
induce him to become more familiar. |
He obtained not a penny with her, |
but he thought perhaps he should get |
the new lease on more advantageous /
terms if he married 4 cousin of his 1
landlords house. 1t was a vain hope. /
Sir Allen was glad to be rid of a poor /
relation who resented any interfer- |
ence with her duties, and the woman /
herself was only too happy to be free /
of her dependence, which she could |
not brook. Thus both married for in /
terest, with no love between them, |
and no advantage to be gained by |
their wedding. Nevertheless, they |
were blessed with child, at whose
coming they wondered.
The miller and his wife faced the |
world well, and met their neighbors /
handsomely, but they never had any
thing to say TO each other, rarely |
spoke to each other before third par
tics, and when at home they con-
yeFsed npOn business.
III they quarrelied they kept it to
for they were machines |
in life, and required no sympathy
They found their own lubricating oil,
which took the shape Of their con-
sciences.
In this home, which prospered year !
ly, daughter was brought up. The
daughter cared as sincerely for father /
as for mother, and for neither much.
Mrs. Simekin diligently followed |
the fashions set by the ladies of the |
hall, and exacted word from them |
on Sundays in the ehurchyard after