The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-12-05


"No, no, nothing. Wife, darser
grandehild gone dead. SIR, year
agOne. Good night % your honor.
Do you see the track"
"All right. Good night"
He echoed my goodnight again
and before I had gone many steps
down the lane I could hear sundry
bolts being shot within the hut, and
the rattle OF a heavy chain
drawn across the door.
"A careful old gentleman" soIilo-
quized, as 1 made the best of my way
To the 'LiOn Inn" at Mantle. The
"LiOn Inn" was the first house in the
village, and not more than three hun
dred yards from the wretched dOmi-
cile of Jacob WisfOrd. it was q small
inn enough, but looked a grateful
shelter from the dark, lowering night,
as / turned the curve of the lane, and
saw the bright red fire shining through
the upper Panes of q window only
half masked by the low wooden shut
ter before it. The uOst Of the "LiOn,
thin, lank-haired, long man respOn-
ed to my summons at the door.
"Fortun' says 1 amt to have no
sleep tonight" said he, admitting
me; There never was such times at
Mantle. Good evening to you, Sir 1
fear there's little space at your servis.
Some gents are down here surveying
and meas'ring about, and haven't
left much rOom.n
" No. matter. An armchair and
my travelling cloak will serve on an
emergency
'You're very kind, sir; but it need
MT be so bad as that. We've a spare
room up stairs-sweet and clean, at
any rate.
A sight OF thesspare room shown
me by the hosts fiaring candle put
me so much in mind of the coffin of a
stout uncle OF mine, whose funeral /
4 had attended few months before,
tina 1 beat hasty retreat down stairs,
saying that ! would prefer the arm
chair.
you'll have company there, Sir
male and female. There Is myself
who is sitting up tonight for q gent
who is expected late, and there's.
poor woman, who came in a minute
or two before youself, that I hadn't
the heart to turn away, though it's
blessed little shall get of her. This
way, Sir"
Into the bar-parlor, or bar-rOOm, or
/ whatever else the host of the "I4iOn"
might choose TO designate it, 1 fol-
lowed nay guide. 1t was a triangular
shaped room, with sanded floor and
] three dark-stained tables, on one of
which rested the head and outstreteh-
| ed arm of the woman who had crossed
the ferry with me. The bonnet she
had worn was lying at her feet, and
/ her hair-it had been raven black
once, but was now thickly sOwn with
4 gray--hung tangled and disOrdered
over her outspread arms. 1t was the
wreck of wOman-a wreck, perhaps,
of all that had been good, and loving,
and tender, in the maidenhOod uf
years ago.
"Dead beat" F." said the landlord, SEN
tentiOusly.
Poor woman Do you know her?
"Never saw her afore. Working
her way to PendIechant, she tells
me-"
'Tndeedn'
I composed mysel in the armchair
before the fire, and the landlord took
a seat opposite me, and smoked his
pipe, and looked reflecIively at the
flames. Although l was tried, and
had made up my mind to sleep, fate
was against me that night. Little
chance incidents occurred, that set my
eyes staring widely just as they were
becoming heavy and | was losing con-
sciousness of outward things. The
landlord had strong hollow cough,
that burst out unexpectedly at times
"a n OF hn fol h.
dow was restless, and moved once or
twice in her sleep; the Goals were
small in the CRATE, and would tumble
suddenly through the bars to the
hearth; and the American clock over
the mantel-pieoe struck one like
lord 10 @ ssaS ragprded fnf nav av'fs,n6t fan6
pipe cOmposed1y. When MY HOST
was perfectly assured of my wakeful-
ness, he said:
"Did you cross Mantle Ferry to-
night, Sir ?"
ayes, after some trouble to rouse
the ferry-man."
"Ah! he's queer one" observed
my host. ''Id lay a wager he was
watching you through his night-glass
long before he made up his mind to
ferry you across. Few more careful peO-
pie IN the world than old Jacob, 1 take
it.n
'It struck me that he was a little
suspicious"
"He suspects every thing and every
body, Sir. He don't believe in any
thing. He's what you larned people
call skipstic. When he comes to
the Lion Sir, he drives me wild with
4, sr. Il r,fr fofr int Of -
right change out of it. And he likes
his screws Of baccer rather larger than
any body else's."
"The way of the world, friend"
"Well, it's an uncomfortable way,
and aggTavating; the more so to me
because 1 knew him twenty years ago
and he warn't the miserly old hunks
ne is at present. There warn't once a
better man than Jacob WisfOrd this
side of the Mantle"
"May 1 ask what misfortune chang
ed his character so much"
I had met with misfortune myself,
and was interested in felloW-sIfferer
[ was curious to know what had
changed the old mans life and char
acter, and whether some lesson might
be taught me on my own dark way.
ga hard misfortune, certainly.
Twenty years ago he was widOwer,
with an only darter-a darter very
beautiful, and much looked upon and
liked. It's a story old as the hills
Sir-she went wrong"
"POor girl w
Tempted out of her station. Sir. by
soma sFtisb-gartfoIaaui VINO IoOK IL
into his head to sketch hereabouts at
that time, and who met and spoke
with her, and wound round her heart
like a sarpent-the Lord forgive the
villain! He went away, Sir, to make
arrangements for his marriage with
Jenny WIsford, she supposed, and
time went on, and the Old man woke
suddenly to the knowledge of the
shame mis- daughter had brought upon
his head and hers. He was good old
man, and bore it well. 1t warn't the
sight of his darter's little baby that
| turned him hard as iron. He grew to
love that baby, Sir, and to hope in his
darter's repentance and brought her
to Mantle church every Sunday arter-
noon, to Look them down who sneered
at her and thought themselves so pre-
ciOus good. Well Sir, there was worse
! to come What's that ."
The landlord of the ''Lion" and my
/ self both turned and looked toward
/ the table where the woman slept f; but
the figure was motionless, aud In the
same despairing attitude. The woman
had moved again in her s.eep-that
was all.
"Phe worst was, Sir, that there
came letter to the girl one day, from
! London, that seemed to change her all
at once, and make her hard and reck-
, less. For two days no one could make
her out, she was so wild and strange; /;
and then, one night, Sir" sinking his
voice to whisper, ''iust such a night
as this, she got up when her father
was asleep, stole out with her child in
the darkness, ferried herself across the
river, sent the boat adrift, and drown
ed her baby boy"
/ 1 was looking toward the woman at
this moment, and could not refrain
from a slight start at the sudden man
ner in which deeply-lined, awfuuy
white face was raised from the bent
arms, and then as suddenly buried
again, when il met my own turned IN
her direction. In that face and in
that brief movement was concentra-
ted her whole story-and fancied, in
tue horror aud fear delineated thereon,
L