The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-07-10
he MonktoWn Scandal.

w III our w ilu errors De forgiven;
The Monktown Scandal.
at is a perfect scandal" says Mrs.
.Iessup.
"A disgrace TO the town." said Mrs
Bray.
1--WE ought to put an end to it." said
Mrs. Grill
And we will, il we are women of
spirit
But do You know it for certain ?"
said Mrs. Bray, overtaken by sudden
doubt
Il saw him carry her in with my own
eyes said Mrs tlessup 1T was a rainy
day when he came down. and the pave
ment in front of the. cottage isn't the best
in the world, and the garden is mass of
mud all the winter. We knew bachelor
had hired il OF old rmkle and we naturally
watched to see him come; and lust at
dusk carriage stopped at the gate and
Il gentleman jumped out, and stood look
ing IN at the carriage door a minute, and
then lifted out a lady in a red dress. with
a queer KIND ol 4 cap on her head-sOme
New York new tangled fashion or other,
| Suppose-and fairly carried her into the
house, SO that she shouldn't wet her feet.
Bless me, Martha, says to my neice,
'he Amt :. bachelor after all. He's a
married man. That's his wife
May BE it's his ma says she
She was a young woman says l.
old ladies don't wear such rigs as that
His sister, perhaps says Martha.
Well, may be- 81, 5 |.
And next morning | made up my mind
to find ont. 50 | ran across the road
after breakfast, and there he was in the
h;lIl ol his house, breaking up some
packing boxes
I'ood- morning, says |.
'Good-morning, says he
Trying to settle down. says l.
Yes, ma am says he
well, SAYS /, III Your lady needs any
thng-lrons, or hot water, or that sort of
things Just make a neighbor OF me, Mrs
jcSsup the yellow house there
Thank you,' said he but havn't any
lads, Mrs, Jessup.
\ our ma or sister then saws l.
'Wr're u couple of bachelors-I and
my servant, he said. 4 regret to say
there's no ialy here
$50 ever Since that, I'Te regarded him
| ls II Gay Lothario, and Iavn't let Martha
speak to him "
MAY bc She went away in the night, >"
aid Mr. BRAY.
II might have believed that" said Mrs
.ieSsap; "but, no, I've seen her twice
~inee. Once sitting at the window, and
"Hre standing nj The door. Oh, Eve heard
what artists are A fine lot | wouldn't
have one of his pictures in my house
People ought not to encourage him. and
10 think ot his conrtng the minister's
daughter But poor old Mr.. Grey il
nearly ~rperlnnuated, half blind and deaf
and Jessie hasn't any ma. Eve circulated
the story, but they don't believe it.
think we ought to go over and tell the
girl, before she marries a man that has
perhaps halt-tiozen wives already"
But" said Mrs. Bray, "It's sort of
dangerous to meddle with things"
And We haven't seen her ourselves" :"
said Mrs. Grill. I'VE ought to make
sure, SOS to take our Bible Oaths"
"Aint my word enough?" said Mrs
,jeSsup.
Yes" said Mrs. Grill; ''but if we
could see ourselves.
'l've do doubt you can" said Mrs
.)eSsup. "Artists are always glad to show
their pictures. Run over to morrow morn
ING and walk iii. Tell him you thought
you'd be neighborlv and see what he was
painting. It's Il small house Yon'll be
| sure TO see her.
''We'll do it," said Mrs Bray; "and if
We do see her, I'll 90 with you to speak
to Jessie. People that hear this thing
always say no one can live without breath
ing the air, and say you've taken picture
lor Il real woman.'
"Now that tries my patience" said
| Mrs .Jessup. LAS if could make such
mistake. Pictures are painted flat on
canvass. Tie put his arm round this ones
waist. She WAS as solid as you are, Mrs
Bray"
mot Il donbt of it," said Mrs. Bray :;
''and we'll get peep if we can"
The ladies, then, having filled their
respective pals with water from the
village pump, where they had gossiped,
separated, and Mrs Jessup hurried home,
mntering to herself:
"A picture They must thing I'm a
mad woman. IN show them theirpictures
stuff and nonsense y
| Mrs. Jessup loved gossip, but in this
case at least she knew what she was talk
| ing about. She had thrice seen the
mysterious lady who inhabited the cot
tage which Mr.. Palette the artist had
| hired for the summer, and she did not, to
use her own EXPIRE ssion, "like her looks
ut ALL
About two o'clock the next day Mrs.
'jessup was on the lookout, peeping be-
tween the green blinds OF her parlor win
doWs At halt-past two MIS- Bray and
MIS-, Grill were seen to enter the artists
| cottage IN their best shaWls At three
they emerged, and crossed the road almost
at run. Mrs. .Jessup was at the door of
her house in moment
| Come in," she said. II know by your
faces you've seen her Martha, come
here. knew it. It's picture, is it ?
Come, you've seen her!"
Martha, with her hands covered with
Hour and Il big linen apron on, ran in
from the kitchen, The four gathered in
the parlor, and with an air of mystery
which might have caused one to believe
that they were concocting a new gun
powder plot, and Mrs. Grill opened the
| ball.
''The audacious thingr' she said
''The bold creature ~ said Mrs Bray
81 never would have believed it !" said
Mrs. Grill.
'Do tell us" said Mrs. Jessup. "What
was she doing? How was she dressed
What did she say2"
''She didn't so much as speak to u.s.
said Mrs. Grill
''She was dressed in black velvet and a
white cap,' said Mrs. Bray, ca kind of a
pointed cap, and she was on her knees in
q corner.
con her knees ?" cried Mrs. Jessup.
"Now, Peggy Bray, don't tell me that.
''She was,' said Mrs Grill
eve went straight into the room where
ne was painting, and he showed us his
pictures, and wasn't one bit took aback,
and there she knelt with her back around.
l looked and looked; he didn't offer to
introduce her After a while / says:
Pm afraid we're interruptinp that