The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-08-01
ben wETTEN0REs SECRET.
BY EMILY R. sTEINEsTEL.

BY EMILY r. sTENESTEL.
" The twentieth year is well nigh past
Since first our sky was overcast:
All would that this might be the last
Ny Nary ~
Our village was not unlike other VII
lagos. 1t had its old folks. and young
folks, its Mrs. Grundys and Mrs. Peace
maker, its gossip, and its facts, It's
churches and its societies, its judge
and its old maid.
That these two last mentioned haCk
history whose threads were interviewer,
even someWhat tangled, had become a
theme of every guarded conjecture, and
much dissatisfied whispering, only re-
Gently, and by the merest accident.
The ladies of our town had formed a
sewing society called The Workers"
and rather prided themselves on the
amount of work accomplished a their
meetings without the usual character
plundering, said by the male portion of
the community to be proverbial at such
meetings.
True, the members made it a rule TO
be prompt to the moment ; the tempta-
ton was thus avoided of discussing the
peculiarities of an absent member, had
anyone ventured to display such a weak
ness, which Is doubtful.
Miss Harrington, or the "village
maid, " was one of the most energetic
and untiring &" workers" ever silent,
Fhetic amidst and Stern fr IN ris rsi6Beasad1egs, a81A
her way unquestiOned, for her acts
were like her character, above Ques-
tioning.
A most remarkable thing occurred at
one of these meetings. Miss Harring-
ton was late the society was arlarmed
-fretted-tOngues began to wag, the
ladies for of themselves.
Widow Menken had the floor.
They 90 say it nearly killed him.
When his mother died she made HIM
promise to marry the poor thing, If
only for the sake of the child. / dare
say the gloom and remorse II the
judges heart is blacker than the face
he has been wearing all these years
"Yes, added another worker, ''and
he engaged to Ollie Harrington at the
time -
It's lie J."
full ones.
There stood the old maid, pic
ture Of scornful anger. One moment
she gazad at them in silence more elo-
quent than language, then turning on
her heels she left the house, saying be-
tween half closed lips
APoor gossip skimmers
TO say that this was not confirmation,
would be doing injustice to the judg-
ment OF the workers.
tt decided the matter, indeed there
aqas something in it. a secret IN the
csA immunity all these years horrible
Widow Menken remembered, now
she came to think of it, although she
was only slip of a girl then, and
Charley Menken was only beginning to
think of courting her, that Wettemore
and collie" Harrington were consId-
cred ''pair although he was an aw-
ful gay young fellow, and Ollie the
widest g haram- searem" girl in the
village. But somehow they quit going
together after awhile, then George went
away and awful stories were atioat about
some college scrape he got into. Well,
boys will be boys, hope 1 shant carry
such a broken heart to the grave as that
mother of his did, though.
How lightly we can talk of other
peoples sins and sorrows, how easily
dispose of them, how thoughtlessly
probe tender spot. idly jostle bruised
place supposed to be healed or calloused.
Miss Harrington walked home with
the same quiet dignity, the same meas
ured tread, as if no storm was whirling
| the blood through her veins, as it had
not done for years as if nothing like a
thumping heart was tearing asunder a
painful past.
But once inside her cottage door,
where none but pitying Savior could
see her, she cried with hands out
stretched in spirit pleading:
"Oh, God is my love not yet dead ?
spare me, oh spare me, their pitiless
searching !"
Yes, there was a secret. 1t had been
right under their prying noses this
many year, and they had not scented
it.
Miss Harrington had gradually with
drawn from the gay sociables and frol-
les of the village, and became an old
maid so quietly that as one after anoth-
er of her youthful companions were
married off and took up the matron's
life, they scarcely wondered why she
rSnained single or noticed the change
bm gay to grave, so gentle was the
vent of a new set of young folks grew
around them did they realize that Miss
| Harrington was no longer collie" but
the old maid. True she was kind and
generous she had even heard of a lit
Re waif left at the mercy of the town,
many years ago, and taken it to her
home and for three years tended and
| cared for 1t like an own mother, and
when the little thing was taken with the
scarlet fever, and the old village doctor
| pronounced the case fatal took it to the
city for more experienced treatment
But it never came back alive. Miss
Harrington had accidentally discovered
its parentage and left the corpse in theil
family burying ground.
The young man, George Wettemore
became much better man after hi.
mothers death, that happened abou
this time, and some of the right-mindec
people were willing TO show their ap
probation of his conduct and put hi
name up for county judge. OF cours,
there were other right-minded peopl,
who did not consider him fit for so I'm
portanu position, and said his polite