The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-01-19


locked herself in.
That night, while seated at supper
with her hstess, the blacksmith's wife,
il came To Miss Mary to ask, demure
ly if her husband ever got drunk
'.Abner," responded Mrs. Stidger, re-
fiectively, 'let's see; Abner hasn't
been tight since last lection" Mis-:
Mary would have liked TO ask if he
preferred lying in the sun on these oc-
casions, and if a cold bath would have
hurt him; but this would have in.
vOlYed an explanation, which she did
not then care to give. So she content
ed herself with opening her grey eyes
widely at the red-cheeked Mrs. Std.
ger,-a fine specimen of Southwestern
effiOrescence-a then dismissed the
subject altogether. The next day she
wrote to her dearest friend, in Boston:
~ think find the intoxicated pOr-
ton Of this community the least OBJ
ljectionable. 1 refer, my dear, to the
men, of course. I do not know any.
thing that could make the women toll
/ erable.n
In less than a week Miss Mary had
forgotten this episode, except that her
afternoon walks took thereafter, al
most unconsciously, anotherdirection.
She noticed, however, that every
morning a fresh cluster of aZalea-
blossoms appeared among the flowers
on her desk. This was not strange, as
her little flock were aware of her fond
ness for flowers, and invariably kept
her desk bright with auemones, sy-
ringas, and lupines, but, on question:
| ing them, they, one and all, prOfessed
ignorance of the aZaleas. A few DAYS
later, Master Johnny Stidger, whose
desk was nearest to the window, was
taken with spasms of apparently gra-
tuitOus laughter that threatened the
discipline Of theschoOl. All that Miss
Mary could get from him was, that
some one had been 'looking in the
winder." rate and indignant, she
sailed from ner hive to do battle with
the intruder. As she turned the cor
ner of the eschOol-hOuse she came plump
upon the qUOndam drunkard, now
perfectly sober, and ineXpressibly
/ sheepish and guilty-looking.
These facts Miss Mary was not slow
to take feminine advantage of, in
her present humOT. But it was some
what confusing to observe, also, that
the beast, despite some faint signs OF
past dissipation, was amiable looking
in fact, kind of blonde Sampson,
whose corn-colOred, silken beard ap-
parently had never yet known the
touch of barber's razor or Delilah's
shears. So that the cutting speech
which quivered on her ready tongue
died upon her lips, and she contented
herself with receiving his stammer-
ing apology with superciliOus eyes
and the gathered skirts of contamina-
tion. When she re-entered the school
room, her eyes fell upon the azaleas
with a new sense of revelation. And
then she laughed, and the little peo-
pie all laughed. and they were all un-
consciously very happy.
It was a hot day-and not long af-
| ter this-that two short-legged boys
came to grief on the threshold of the
school with a pail of water, which
they had laboriously brought from the
spring, and that Miss Mary compass
sionately seized the pail and started
for the spring herself. At the foot of
/ the hill shadow crossed her path,
and blue-shirted arm deXterOusly
but gently relieved her of her burden.
| Miss Mary was both embarrassed and
angry. eff you carried more of that
for yourself" she said, spitefully, to
the blue arm, without deigning to
raise her lashes to its owner,
''you'd do better" In the sub
missive silence that followed she
regretted the speech and thank
ed him so sweetly at the door
that he stumbled. Which caused the
children to laugh again,-a laugh in
which Miss Mary Joined, until the
color came family into her pale cheek.
| The next day q barrel was mysteri-
ously placed beside the door. and as
mysteriously filled with fresh spring
water every morning.
Nor was this superior young person
without other quiet attentions. "PrO-
fame Bill, ,"driver Of the SlumgulliOn
Stage, widely known in the newspa-
pers for his "gallantryn in invariably
offering the box seat to the fair
sex. had accepted Miss Mary
from this attention. on the ground
/ that he had a habit of "cussin'
ON up grades" and gave her half
the coach to herself. Jack Ham
lin, gamblerf, having once silently
ridden with her in the same coach,
afterward threw a decanter at the
head of a confederate for mentioning
! her name in a bar-rOom. The over
dressed mother of pupil whose pa
ternity was doubtful had often linger-
ed near doors of Vestars temple, nev-
er daring to enter its sacred precincts
but content to to worship the priestess
from afar.
With such uncOncious intervals the
monotonoUs procession of blue skies,
glittering sunshine, brief twilights,
and starlit nights passed over Red
Gulch. Miss Mary grew fond of walk
ing in the sedate and proper woods.
Perhaps she believed with Mrs Std
ger, that the balsamic odors of the
firs "did her chest good" for certain
ly her slight cough was less frequent
and her step was firmer; perhaps she
/ had learned the unending lesson
which the patient pines are never
weary of repeating to heedful or list
less ears. And so, one day, she plan
ned picnic on Buckeye Hill, and
took the children with her. Away
from the dusty road, the struggling
shanties, the yellow bitches, the clam
or of restless engines, the cheap fin
cry of shop windows, the deeper gilt
! ter of paint and coiOred glass, and the
! thin veneerIng which barbarism takes
upon itself iu! such localities,-what
infinite relief was theirs! The last
| heap OF rugged rock and clay passed,
the last unsightly chasm crossed, >
how the waiting woods opened their
! long files to receive them! How the
children-perhaps because they mad
not yet grown quite away from the
| breast of the bounteous MOther-threW
/ themselves face downward ON her
brown bosom with uncouth caresses,
filling the air with their laughter; and
how Miss Mary herself-felinely fas-
| tidious and intrenched as she was in
the purity of spotless skirts, collar,
and cuffs-forgOt all, and ran like a
crested quail at the head of her brood
until, romping, laughter, and painting
with a lOOsened braid of brown hair,
a hat hanging by a knotted ribbon
from her throat, she came suddenly
and violently, in the heart of the for
est, upon-the luckless Sandy
The explanations, apologies, and
not overwise conversation that en-
sued, need not be indicated here. It
would seem, however that Miss Mary
had already established some acquain-
tance with this ex-drunkard. Enough
that he was soon accepted as one of
the party; that the children, with
| that quick intelligence which PrOvi-
dence gives the helpless, recognized
friend, and played with his blond
beard, and long silken moustaehe,
and took other liberties,-as the help
less are apt to do. And when he had
build a fire against a tree, and had
shown them other mysteries of wood
craft, their admiration knew no
bounds. At the close of two such
foolish, idle, happy hours he found
himself lying at the feet of the school
mistress, gazing dreamily in her face
as she sat on the sloping hillside,
weaving wreaths of laurel and syrin-
ga, in very much the same attitude
as he had lain when first they met.
Nor was the similitude greatly forced
the weakness of an easy sensuOus na-
ture, that had found a dreamy exalta-
tion in liquor, it is to be feared was
now finding an equal intoXication in
love.
I think that Sandy was dimly con-
eious of this himself / know that he
longed to be doing something, -slay-
inu a CrrizzlH- SEQ olninur q eoyaua Or Sap-