Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1870-09-01
THE LEMON PIE.
A SKETCH OF VILLAGE LIFE.
BY MARY A. KEABLES.
" Horrible?"
/" Is it DossibleT

| b1 MAXI A. hkAbLES.
Horrible?'
sis it possible?"
The two women stood aghast, and
Mrs. Brown, the retailer of the ter
rible gossip, put on her shaker to go,
her mission being accomplished.
Don't say nothing about it as a
coming from met might git me
into fuss, and 1 can't 60 fuses"
said Mrs. Brown, tying and untying
her bonnet strings.
"Oh, of course not" replied Mrs.
and Miss Ludlow, in a breath, and
then their visitor took up the basket
of tomato plants for which she had
made her morning call-ostensibly
and after parrying a few compli-
ments, left the house.
Just at that moment who should
enter but Miss Ludlow's lover,
young lawyer Emerson. He and his
affianced were on familiar terms, and
he iran in" from his Office at any
hour of the day he chose, never
lacking a welcome. He went right
into the large kitchen where Jennie
stood with her hands in the bread
dough, and Mrs. Ludlow was doing
up the mornings work.
Charlie Emerson threw himself
into rush bottomed chair, tossed
his palm-leaf hat into the clothes
basket which stood conveniently
near, placed one dusty patent leath-
er boot across the other, and taking
his handkerchief from his pocket,
wiped the perspiration from his
handsome forehead.
"Just met the Oracle" he said,
pointing from the window to where
Mrs. Brown was disappearing around
the corner.
"Well, for once" said Mrs. Lud-
low, the Mortified, indignant look not
yet vanished from her face, "Mrs.
Brown enlivefed u.s."
Terrified usr' broke in Jennie.
"Enlivened u.s." continued Mrs.
Ludlow, "with something besides
her usual gossip-she seemed greatly
excited"
"And no wonder; it's enough to
excite any one" exclaimed Jennie,
rubbing the dough from her fingers
vehemently.
Young Emerson whistled.
"Oh, you needn't put on that in
credulous look" pouted Jennie,
''this story is no gossip at all. Mrs.
Brown didn't wish anything said
about it, but we can tell you-you'll
never divulge, Charles no gossip,
you know, Miriam" appealing to
her sister-in-law, "now, the story's
just this" g.T
Miss Ludlow paused only long en-
ough to replenish the stove with fuel,
and put in her pies to bake, then
sitting down by the window, and
smoothing the hair back from her
heated forehead, she continued:
"You know Mrs. SteinheardtT'
"Storekeeper Steinheardt's hand
some wife? Yes, I've met her sew
eral times, and her dashing cousin
Vaux, too, for that matter"
"Her cousinr' cried Jennie, con-
temptuously, "he is not her cousin
at all; he's her lover-followed her
clear from Europe, and hoodwinked
poor Mr.. Steinheardt into thinking
he's his wife's cousin-and they are
going to murder Mr.. Steinheardt,
and then the guilty wife and her old
adorer, will of course be married in
due time. What do you think of
that?'
Think? why, think if that was
the case, they'd be cute enough not
to let Mrs. Brown know of it." re-
piled Emerson, laughing.
snow that just shows all you
know about itr' said Miss Ludlow,
Indignantly; ''of course Mrs. Stein
heardt did not intend Mrs. Brown
should find it out. The way it hap
pened, though, was by her employ
ing girl to help her in her diaboI-
ical work, bribing her to keep the
secret. The girl, however, careless
ly let the cat out of the bag and as
soon as Mr.. Steinheardt gets home,
which will be this evening, sup
pose. he will be poisoned, unless
some one steps in and prevents the
crime from being perpetrated-and
you see DR.. Kennedy is away with
his wife at B., on visit. The time
was carefully chosen
$50 it would seem," said the