The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-06-01

criticism of the incensed Larxville public,
albeit he took special care to avoid saying
or doing anything rash or testy. There
was feeling afoat in the village that he
had helped to bring ON "the trouble about
that Spratley girl" by. his partiality for her
in the school according her privileges and
rendering her favors not habitually extend
ed to the other scholars. He was employed
and paid by the public, it was argued, and
had no right to show any favoritism. 1t
was his duty TO hold the pedagogic scales
with exact evenness and enforce fair play
for all, from the highest to the humblest
His general merits as teacher began to be
commented upon in a very disparaging
way; and his personal character, unassail
able by direct charge, received profuse
! scattering Of hbelous insinuations.
One Monday morning, in the midst Of
1 this ferment, Nerv was missing from school,
| from her home, and from the town. 1t
was discovered after few days that she
had left the previous Saturday. But whith-
sr she bad gone, or why, nobody knew-or
ut last nobody, If knowing, cared to tell.
Some conjectured that she had run away
because her step mother misused her /;
others surmised that she loved the school
master, and fearing that his kindness to
her might lead to the loss Of his situation
at Larxvills, had removed its cause.
Peace now reigned IN Larxville. Nerv's
departure cooled the excitement and re-
stored the town to its wonted aluggishness.
The school commenced to run on with new
smoothnesa, and the schoolmaster to regain
his good standing. Months passed, and
Nerv was not heard from. A year elapsed,
and still nobody learned where she was, or
whether, indeed shs really lived.
For time vague rumors had reached
Larxville, at irregular intervals, touching
her whereabouts and her DOING; but at
length even these ceased
Imagine, then, the shock of surprise that
stirred the mines and set going the tongues
Of all who had known Nerv Sprstley, when
one of the Larxville storekeepers returned
from his fall goods buying trip to the city
two hundred miles away-and gave out
that he had there met and talked with the
missing girl. He could tell very little
more than that about her, however, for
during that brief converse she had asked
him 20 many questions concerning herself
She looked well, he said, though he detect
ed paint on her cheeks and lips, and she
wore low shoes and green and lilac striped
silk dress-from which, coupled with q
poorly concealed uneasiness which she
she must be leading life of sin. The
storekeeper's listeners interpreted these
signs much ~ he did How could or why
should she uss paint, and put ON low shoes,
and sport green lilac silk under any cir
~ = =
vile. Low snoes had never been seen there
excepting upon the feet of circus actors.
And Of silk dresses, there were but two
in the town, both coal blAck-the only col
or really known to the community in con-
nection with drsss silk. So the storekeep-
er's guess" became public opinion.
Exciting 90 was the sensation produced
by the storekeeper's story, it had hardly
time to reach its full pitch before it was
overtaken and completely dazzled by the
sudden appearance of Nerv herself. 1t was
Saturday, and she came BY the semi
weekly stage from the steamboat landing
thirty miles distant, reaching Larxville
about noon. She ahghted at the post-office
where the stage dropped to deliver up the
mail, and where knot Of expectant vii
layers stood. Taking her valise from the
hand Of the stage driver, she started off at
brisk walk, without so much as q glance
at the crowd, down the long street An she
passed on few PAGES, the bystanders, re-
covering from their surprise at first sight Of
her, noticed that she wore those shocking
low shoes, and that sin-suggesting green
and lilac frock that the storekeeper had
seen on her in st. Louis. They watched
her closely until she turned of on the side
street which led to her fathers house, the
crowd increasing, meanwhile, until it en-
brAced one-fourth Of the male population
of the place. And then Larxville indigna-
tion began to vent itself in words. The re-
turn of this wicked girl, clad in the un-
cleanly garb that, in their eyes, typifed
her frailty, was, by general acquiescence
adjudged an insult to the town.
The sun rose a usual the next morning
over Larxville, and shone just a. beauti
fully ~ if the town had not contained q
creature who Knocked God and his COM
mandments with painted face, low shoes
and green and lilac silk gown.
After dinner, the majority of the men
and larger boys assembled, according to
custom, on the tavern porch, which, front
ing eastward and looking almost directly
down the main street, combined the ad
vantages Of . shady sitting place and an
eligible point for Observation-two things
that specially catch the eye of your Sun
day afternoon loafer. Old Caleb Spratley
lay helplessly drunk in hay loft back of
the groggery. Mrs. Spratley No. had not
attended church in the morning. circum-
stance % rare a. the occurrences of an
eclipse. And Nerv had not been seen or
heard Of since her disappearance around
the corner the day before, down the by
street toward her fathers house. Of course
this was mystifying and sfording abundant
material for all manner Of theorizing and
conjecturing. Finally, three of the talk
ers-a sort Of self-eppointed committee, ~
il were-went of to awaken and quiz Old
Caleb.
81 (hic) ant sing" he repeated again
and again a. the shook him into momen-
tary wakefulness, was all they could coax
the besotted old man to say.
The committee moved on, walking past
Spratley's house, and peering In at the
open door a. they went by, only TO see Mrs.
Spratley No. 2 sitting there all alone look
ing out upon the street. Back TO the tsv-
ern they went, with no more real informa-
tionthan they had when they started. Con-
tinued discussion, with new and differing
speculations, served only TO vex the mystery
into still deeper and darker haxiness; and
It would doubtless have remained unsolved
for that day At least, and possibly for all
tims-had not chance dispelled the obscur-
Nv