American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-10-25
VOL. NXIII.
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT.
BY KATE PUTNAM osGooD.

more respectful TO say MIR. John Heaton
but nobody else ever did so within my ex-
perience, and | don't know why | need
lack Heaton, l repeat, was thirty ght
years old, well Off good natured, good
looking, and unmarried Why he was
unmarried l really can't tell you; | never
heard of his having had a disappoint-
ment, and know his mother would have
liked nothing better than to see him set
tied with Il wife of the right sort. How
ever that has nothing to do with the pres
ent matter: my story is mainly Minnie's
story, and Jacks only so far as he had TO
| do with her.
Who was Minnie? What, you dontknow
TINT! Well, then, Minnie was the orphan
child of one of Jacks college classmates,
his best and oldest friend. Something
like six years before the time am going
to describe, Jack came home to dinner
one day in a brown-s.udy, and when re-
minded by his mother that salt was nicer
than sugar in soup, answered, abruptly:
Mother, poor Walter Gorham's little
girl, it seems, is left with no particular
home or means"
"And my generous, eXtravagant boy has
made up his mind to provide both, | can
see," put in Mrs. Heaton, smiling at him.
Jack was over thirty then, but, as l have
often noticed, a man is always a boy to
his mother, even if he were a very Methu-
saleh in years.
THE generosity, if there is any, would
be pretty much on your side, l am afraid,
mother" rejoined Jack, ''for the care
would come on you; still, can't bear to
anything we could give her; so, if you
weren't afraid of finding her too great a
| trouble"
"Not bit of trouble said Mrs. Heaton,
| without moments pause for reflection.
| If Jacks generosity was eXtravagant, it
was easy to see where he got it! Haven't
| l wanted girl of my own all my life q"
| Eyes, | know | was a disappointment
to you, mother" put in Jack, with whom
this was an old joke.
LAS if l would change my boy for all
the girls in the world! Still l suppose
that doesn't prevent my liking to try my
hand on one.'
SO that is the way it was settled, and
Minnie Gorham, a shy, pale little damsel
| of twe lve, came to live in the Heaton's
house-the old house, mind you, for that
was before i was so much as thought of,
hard as l find that to understand now.
There she grew up to girl of seventeen,
neither shy nor pale then, but with about
the brightest eyes and clearest laugh to be
| found in the whole neighborhood, as more
than one individual had discovered al
ready.
1t was somewhere about this time that
Jack Heaton, coming home one spring
day, was impressed, as he closed the door
behind him, by the unwonted quiet of the
house. No head peeped into the hall to
welcome him; there was nobody in the
parlor, nobody in the sitting room, no.
body in the dining room. Jack penetrated
as far as the kitchen, and there, finally, he
came upon Minnie, half eXtinguished in Il
, blue cotton apron several sizes too large
for her with her sleeves tucked up from
her round white arms, and her curly hair
all thrust away at the back of her head in
great rough knot, from which stray ten
drills crcpt out in a distracted and distract
ing manner. Jacks surprise found vent
in a low whistle, at which Minnie turned
round with suddenness that sent a pile
of egg-shells at her elbow flying from the
table to the floor.
"Oh dearr' she exclaimed. Greatly,
gentlemen didn't ought to come into the
Kitchen as cook used to be SO fond of re-
marking"
Used to be ?" repeated Jack, ruefully
surveying his own mischief. Cook
hasn't departed this life, has she:''
mo, but she has departed this house,
and under peculiar circumstances-for
further particulars inquire Within" added
Minnie, mysteriously tapping black
bottle in the chimney corner; "and as
Bridget knows about as much of civilized
cooking as a wild Pawnee, Aunt Fanny
and have sent her up stairs about her
business and if all that isn't explanation
enough
add that Miss Minnie seizes the oppor-
tunity to practice upon us for the benefit
of Mr.. Ned Wyndham's household" mis-
chievously put in Mrs. Heaton, appearing
from the next room with handkerchief
tied over her head.
"Is that so, Minnie?" asked Jack, after
a pause, in which he had attentively con-
sidered Minnie, who had fallen to beating
the eggs again with still greater energy,
which was perhaps what made her checks
so red.
1.-The idea.'' answered Miss Minnie,
with a toss of the head that sent half a
score of little curls flying loose. Before
he can have a household he must have a
house; and, though dare say the wills
good enough, if 1 wait till he can take
me home and Minnie completed her
broken sentence with an expressive flour
ish of the egg beateI.
"Well, but you can take him home,
then" said Mrs. Heaton. at comes to
the same thing.'
'.Same difficulty in the way replied
Minnie, 'seeing I'm not an Aladdin to
make Il palace out of Il toad-stool.'
"And if you were, would you make
Jack, laughingiy, but watching her close
ly the while.
ooh, you uncivilized John! did you
never hear that direct questions were the
bane of eXistence?" exclaimed Minnie,
vanishing into the pantry in search of a
nutmeg crater, as she sad.
Is it really true.' asked Jack of his
mother, in "a low voice.
"Why, where have your eyes been?"
answered Mrs. Heaton, in the same tone.
1t was scarcely week later that Mrs
Heaton was thrown into a regular furry
by observing what looked suspiciously
like building preparations in the vacant
lot adjoining, an open green, forming
part of their grounds. Had Jack sold it
to some building speculator, That was
an important question under the circum-
stances, for, there was only the garden
fence between, a great deal would be de-
pending on the sort of tenants the new
house might have. Mrs. Heaton could
hardly wait Jacks coming home to satisfy
her Impotence.
"Jack"-she began the attack directly
"there seems to have been some kind of
building people in the vacant lot this
morning"
a know it, answered Jack; and after
little pause, " In fact, sent them"
"Oh, Jack ~ exclaimed his mother re
proachlully, 81 never thought you would
have sold that ground"
81 haven't sold it." answered Jack; and
added, 81 think of building myself"
Your said Mrs Hcaton, in tone of
surprise-"you, of all people in the world,
turning Spectator, But now, my dear
bn,, how. ,,,t, cop-iIareI tho rick Won