Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-03-23
A THRILLING LEG END.
BY NOSE SKINNER.

You may remember | wrote you
a short time ago about the sudden
death of Deacon Jones, Well the
Deacon's estate was sold at auction
last Friday There was always
something mysterious about that
house, and especially regarding
one room, which hasn't been un,
lockel for seven years There is
a thrilling narrative connected with
that room, which is told as fol
lows:
The room is called Maria AIMS
5oudor. Maria Ann was the Dea
con daughter. She was one of
those sensitive, delicately- organic
ed creatures who love once and
only once. In a town as small as
this, delicately-organized crea-
ture don't get a chance to love but
once, any way, and sometimes not
that; for the marrias cable young
men are very scarce, and pretty
well up to snuff besides, You don't
catch them at church fairs and eve
ming meetings, and places of that
kind, where young women congre
gate to ponnce upon unwary lads.
These match factories are pretty
poorly patronized in Slunkville, |
can tell you. Our young men may
be green, but they amt idiotic
They don't propose to put their
nosa to the matrimonial grindstone
Just because some young woman
is willing to turn the crank.
But | digress.
The cruel tates willed it that Ma
ria Ann should fall hopelessly in
love. The object upon whom she
bestowed her affection, was Joel
Slobbs, the butchers young man,
ALI how her tender, loving nature
clung to that Slobbs Who does
not remember her graceful, swan
like figure, and the coquetish man
ner in which she would trip into
tire butchers shop, and ask Joel,
in her artless way, if he'd got any
good tripe to-day?
But, alas Joel did not recipro-
cate her feelings. He had already
bestowed the priceless boon of his
young love on Sarah Jane Slop
er, hired girl at Parson Slowboy's,
And so while Maria Ann sighed
for Sarah Jane aud ten dollars a
week, with which sum he calcula
ted he could keep house, and have
three stuffed chairs in the parlor.
When the dark truth forced it,
self slowly upon Maria Ann that
Joel was indeed utterly lost to her,
she locked herself in her boudoir,
and appeared wholly cast down.
With breaking heart and little
glue she put Joel's tintype into an
oyster. shell frame, and would gaze
sadly upon it for hours. This was
sad, very sad for her family and
friends, but the worst was yet to
come. She one day announced a
firm determination to eat nothing
but sausages. WhyH Because all
the sansages in that town were the
handiwork of Joel. What an artl-
ent, soul'consuming love was this
II cannot marry Joel, she would
say, sadly, 'but, thank heaven, |
can cat bis sausages."
And she persisted, / may say,
doggedly,
1t needed no prophet to foretell
the result. She kept it up for about
three months and then, one day,
in aviolent flt of weeping, she fell
all to pieces, as persons often do
who eat a great deal Of boarding
house mince pie. Her grave is in
ia very romantic spot called 'The
Lovers Glen" and folks say that
if any young woman who is en-
gagged to dark complexioned
4 young man passes by there after
dark, when the wind is cast, her
marriage will prove very unhappy.
This, then, is the legend Of
Maria AIMS 5oadior, at once weird
and touching.
The auction passed of'very pleas
antly, and the articles brought
good prices. / enumerate few.
A cracked vase, with a faded bou-
buet, sold to Seraphina Goodspeed
for ninety cents; a writing desk,
with lock OF hair, two and three