The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-11-28
Kimd-Hearted Creecher.

1 had just finished putting up my
shutters. 1t was getting rather late
nearly ten O'Clock, when a splendid
carriage and two beautiful horses, all
of lather with sweat, drew up at my
door, and grave, tall, sOlemn-lOok-
ing chap came up to me, and calls
out:
as Creecher here?''
That's me-" says /.
"Oh, them" says he, "jImp in, Z"
pointing with his finger to me to get
up the steps of the carriage, where
there was tall fiunkey holding the
door open for me.
Says I, master, where are you
bound ?"
"Oh, never you mind" says he;
"you'u be well paid. Look sharp
'But I'd like to beautify myself q
Bit" says l, "and must tell the mis-
susu
With that, he took up my hat that
was lying on the counter, and bangs
it on my head, and pushes me into
the carriage, and away we went be-
fore you could say "Jack Robinson"
Eh, but we did go rarelyl It was a
dark night and frosty; and we soon
got out of the lights of the town, and
still the horses galloped on; and
could see the stars twinkle overhead;
and then 1t grew colder all of sudden
and the windows of the carriage were
covered with ice in a minute, and 1
could see naught but the inside, where
/ was sitting with the strange man.
And he said never a word. But still
we gslloped on; and after a good bit
1 heard the murmur and dash of
river hard by above the clatter of the
hoofs, and we crossed bridge, /
think, for we went up and down for
minute, as if we had been in a swing.
And then the sound of hOOfs died
away altogether, as if the horses were
galloping over gravel or soft turf; and
presently the carriage stopped all of a
sudden. A foOtman stood at the door;
the silent man jumped out. "Stay
there !" he cried as he went, with
gesture of authOrity-"stay there %
And there staid, for were cowed-
like, with being carried off like that;
and didn't know if my soul were my
own. "Whapl the old woman say ?"
l thought to myself. The carriage
moved on bit, and stopped again.
''Now, then, my lad p'says the foot
man, opening the door.
But weren't going to be ordered
about by such cattle as he. Says 1
''I'm on thy masters business, and if
thou doesn't speak respectfully, Ill
smite thee in the ear-hole.p It's we'll
TO stand On your dignity with those
chaps, you see."
ooh, L beg your pardon" says the
man, more respectfully; "but will you
step into the hOuse-keeper's room ?''
And with that / fell off the high
horse that I'd been riding. for, to tell
you the truth, were thinking for
a while I were, perhaps, rightful son
of lord as had been stolen in his
youth as.d that, tla@s- we're taking me
home to the nails of my naCneTsj and
happen were going to marry me to
the daughter of the usurper, to make
all square. But says I /: ''Ill stick to
the old woman" Not but what the
flesh is treaeherous, and happen Pve
had changed my mind when I'd seen
the young one. But however, all
that was knocked on the head when
1 heard the fiunkey tell me to go the
housekeeper's room. 1t were only a
dressing job after all.
Well, before I'd got well inside the
door, an old chap dressed in black,
catches hold of me by the elbow.
"Creecher 2" says he; "CTeecher ?"
eyes, Pm Creecher," says /.
"What's your pleasure ?"
"Oh, you've to come this way di-
rectlypI
And away We went along passages,
and up stairs, and down stairs; and
presentlY we came to a broader cor
ridOr beautifully collected, and the
old man tapped at q door, and a
young woman opened it, and says
She: sis he here ?' and the man says:
"Yesn "Come in" she said; my
lady will speak to you directly"
And went into a little room as was
beautifully furnished with easy chairs
and sOfeys, and all the luXuries of the
season.
"WeII, my DEAR" says 1 TO the
maid, "and so your misses is going to
the ball. But, it'll be well nigh time
to 60 home befor she gets there.n
"Hush," she says, putting her finger
to her lips; and then / began to
think it was a Ceath job as / had got
On haad. I've had just such jobs
afOTe now, when the corpse has been
Young, and with beautiful hair. All
and many a time my fingers have
itched, for, says 1 to myself, it's q
pity such q sight of beautiful hair
should go down to the worms, when
it might be going to enjoy itself atop
of some other young woman's head
and could tell you a tale or two
about that But it wasn't a jOL OF
that kind, I found, as heard some
body moving in the next room, and.
such a soft Little ElaoanJ sSS it went 70
my heart to hear it-ay, lsd. And
then somebody came Out-a tall,
splendid lady, dressed in black satin,
as naughty as a queen.
"Creecher," she says, "are you
Creecherl Don't speak but listen to
what I tell you. a lady has had an
accident-has been severely burned.
Remedies have been applied-plast-
ers, what not. Her hair"
"I understand, my lady; you want
me to take it of. I'Il do it in a jiffy,
if you'll lend me one of his lOrdship's
razors, for was that hurried when l
came away, 1 left mine behind me.
pVe got my scissors and comb, my
lady," says 1 pulling 'em out.
"Silence ?" she says, "Creecher !'
looking at me quite disguised: and
beckOning the girl. she says: Take
the fire shovel, and throw them things
away" But / wasn't going to lose a
good set of tools, so I claps 'em into
my pocket, and buttons up my coat,
and says L ''Now, your ladyship;"
and she says: "Amelie, throw some
thing over the wretch"
And with that, Amelie brought
white gown with sleeves, as smelt as
beautiful as nosegay, and she wraps
me u9 in it, and / caught q sight of
myself in the glass, and, thinks /, you
might take me for q parson when he's
agate at the seven commandments.
'Now," she says, "Creecher, hold
your tongue, and listen to me. What
ever happens, she must not lose her
hair you understand, it must be saved
at all hazards. Now, come, and do
your duty"
Eh but it were pitiful to see the
poor lassie, half-sitting, half-lying, in
q state atween an easy chair and
couch. All her face is covered over
/ but her eyes and they seemed to burn.
4 Such sad and pitifnl eyes never saw
/ before nor since. Shed had beauti-
full long hair; that came down to her
! knees almost; but, eh! it were in
J tangle, all knOtted, and twisted and
raveled together with the messes and
poultices, and all kinds of things they
put on her head. No, there wasn't a
| thread of it anywhere that wasn't
bound up and twisted. Well, look
ed at it, and shook my head.
"My LADY," says I, ''it would take
me twelve hours hard work, without
stopping, to untwist all that hair"
''WelI, then,p says he to me, "why
J don't you begin ?n
"But," says 1, f'your ladyship, do
lyou know what twelve hours is, sit
ting up with a man pulling away at
.i your tangled hairs ? why, my lady, Z"
says I, ''I don't think as could stand
the job, rs I am hale and well and as
for the poor young lady there, why
bless your heart, it would kill her r'
But her ladyship took no notice OF