American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-09-28
VOL. XIII.


'.Well, L hope you'll make money soOl
enough to pay these everlasting bills
We are running behind terribly.
THE settling of the bills of this famil,
is my business, and l should be glad
you'd keep your nose out of it; - and Mr.
Twitchell seized his hat and rushed from
the house, leaving Mrs. Twitchell neare
a defeat than she had ever known herself
for never before had she failed to get til,
last word. And the thought that he ha,
secured the last word against such
tongue as Mrs. Twitchell's made the gen
tleman feel quite like hero, and soon pu
him in Il good humor.
ssI'll tell you a thing I've been workin.
at" he said the next morning at til,
breakfast-table, oblivious of the fact tina
he hadn't helped anybody except himsel
to the scrambled eggs.
at is" pursued Mr.. Twitchell, g t.
discover a cheap and effectual method o
charging or impregnating timber"
:" For a long time efforts have beer
made to saturate timber with antisepti,
solutions, to prevent its decay. Bou
| cherries method is the best, and is much
used, but I'm on the track of something
betuer.''
swell, I'm tired of hearing of youl
ideas; they won't feed us or clOthe us
You'd better go towork. Idon't see how
| we are ever to catch up-all that hard
earned money gone to enrich that villain
Robertson. and those Office-hOlders al
Washington, and that patent fellow Hol-
lister, while and my children have tC
deny ourselves everythingr'
| 1.-The money'll come some day know
it will"
1.-THE some day will be too late to do
| us any good, if it should ever come"
A few months after this, Mr.. Twitchell
came in with hurried air; s. want you
to pack my satchel, Mandy; l expect to
be gone some weeks"
"Where are you going?'
"I'm going to take ride through the
country"
swell. I'd like to know what this is
for; what tomfoolery have you got in
your head now? Youth go and spend
ever-so-much money, and we shall get
farther behind than ever.''
''Weli, my dear. 1 know what I'm
about so please pack my satchel."
You can do it better. as you know
where you're going, and for what, and
what you'll need
"Come, Mandy, don't be cross, just
as Pm going away. Perhaps l shall strike
some lucky mine"
Where has he gone? what is he about ?
These questions were ever in Mrs. Twitch-
ellis mind, and very often in the minds
Mrs. Proudfoot, her next door neighbOr
was particularly uneasy. So, after
interchanging conjectures with the
sheriff's wife, her neighbor on the
left, and with Mrs. Shaffer, in
the cottage over the way, and with
Miss Slimmings, the minister's wife, Mrs.
PrOudfOOt one afternoon took her sewing
i'm to Mrs. Twitchell's, on a tour of inves-
hgatiOn Il thought you must be very
lonely, Mrs. Twitchell, so I've brought in
nv sewing to sit an hour with you.''
Mrs. Twitchell suspected that her ami
able neighbours GRAND was to interview
her on the subject of her husbands alb
sence: ''You are kind. l hope, how
ever, that you will not inconvenience
yourself on my account. have so much
to do that L haven't time to be lonely
Mrs. Proudfoot was delighted she was
brought directly and naturally to her
point: 8" Sure enough, you must be very
busy without Mr.. Twitchell to help you.
He must have had important business, or
he would not have left you all alone to
take care of the house, and the children,
and the COW, and everything"
''How long will he be gomez"
''Some weeks, perhaps"
Let me see: where did L hear he'd
gone? Come to think of it, I've heard
ever so many different reports about it.
One says one thing, and another says
another"
s.Where do they say he has gone 90
sWell, Mrs. Shaffer told me that her
husband heard that Mr.. Twitchell had
gone off into the villages around to ped
die some kind of traps that he'd invented
-bedbug traps 1 think. But Sam Hem
ingway says that your husband gave up
the traps long time ago, and that he's
MIXING the forces of-the universe, l
think he said. Oh, well, you'll think
I'm unkind to tell you things I've heard"
81 don't mind their talk, bit I'd just
like to know what it is"
people are so ready to think and say
things I've heard that didn't know what
to do"
swell, what have you heard 20
s'Well, 1 really think you ought to
know what Miss. But l won't men,
ton names-I never do; but it's some
body you've always considered one of
your warmest friends; and she ought to
know enough to hold her tongue, tor the
sake of her brother-in-law. And now 1
might as well tell you who it is, for of
course you know it's Miss Slimmings.
But for PHYS sake don't ever mention
that told you; but she said that Mr..
Twitchell had to go out peddling baby
jumpers because OF your extravaganza"
at passes everything that anybody
should say I'm extravaganza
The following day Mrs. Proudfoot re-
sumed the conversation, plunging at once
IN medals res: ''AIrs. Twitchell, you ought
not to be so reserved and mysterious con-
corning Mr.. Twitchell's whereabouts ::
you make people suspicious. Why you've
no idea how they are talking. They are
saying every imaginable thing. Some re-
ports that he's gone off to the Shaker set
Element, and is going to turn Shaker"
''Then there is another report, that he's
gone off to the Mormons. and a lady, a
friend of yours, told me that she knew it
to be fact that MIR. Twitchell is a Spirit
ualist. and she'd no doubt that he's gone
off after an affinity. Why, they are say
ing all manner of things-that he's insane,
and that he has committed suicide. But
he's got his life insured-hasn't hep
Mrs. Twitchell began to shed tears.
And now the versatile Mrs. PrOudfOOt
assumed the part of the compassionate
friend ''Dear Mrs. Twitchell, do relieve
You'll find me a faithful friend, who will
never betray your confidence. You are
sad-let me comfort you.'
And Mrs. Twltchell opened her heart.
She acknowledged that she was not only
ignorant of her husbands whereabouts
and business, but was very anxious con-
cerniug them.
In the midst of the recital, and of tears
which increased TO torrents at certain pa
thetic passa ges, both ladies were startled
by a voice almost in their ears . Good
afternoon, Mrs. Proudfoot. How dye
do, Mandy?'' At the open window stood
Mr.. Twitchell.
..Where under the canopy have you
been q asked Mrs. Twitchell on the de-
parture of Mrs. Proudfoot. who, after
lingering at the first interview between
husband and wife as long as decency
would allow. went to give Mrs. Shaffer