Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-11-06
Tales and Sketehfs.
From Appleton's Journal.
THOMAS YARN.


Town of Mossbrook rather because he was
too amorphous to be kicked out than from
any power of his own to keepin Thomas
Yarn had never made q living, but had
hung. barnacle, on somebody else's liv-
ing all his life. He was ugly, and dirty.
and poor, and lazy, yet these terms seems
too strong Tor SO nebulous creature
The colors in which his portrait should be
painted are what the French calls TENTS
degrades-snutfy brown, pale-olive greens,
mixed and tardy grays; no black, no
white, no red: all shadow, dead lights, a
poor, forlorp, faded picture, which no
gallery coveted. He was a sort of con-
Meeting link between the earth-worm and
man. suggesting both extremes. Yet the
creature was kindly, and had his own lit
tie corner Of wit and humor: once in
about ten years he said good thing. He
had never harmed anything. not even a
hy; in fact, he and flies were rather init
mate. and had acquired a right of pos
sessorship from long occupancy Of dirty,
curtalnless tavern-window, which was the
height from which Thomas Yarn surveyed
lite as it went on in Mossbrook. He was
In some remote way supposed to be a gen.
teman, perhaps because he never did
anything, perhaps for better reason. At
any rate, he was tolerated in some of the
best front-parlors when on centennials,
and on such ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS occa-
sions he put on clean shirt and made a
call. Thomas Yarn was not dirty for the
same reason that is said to have governed
celebrated English scholar, "because it
rhymed with G0ethe;" no, poor Thomas
was not even literary, that next to moth
ingness in good, hard-working New Eng
land. His habits grew out OF a slovenly
soul; the cold waters of energy and am
bition had never cascaded down Thomas
Yarns back. He was sunk low in the
slums OF laziness and inertia. Who knows
what had deprived Thomas Yarn OF his
brthright OF success who knows what
heart-aches had paralyzed his energies
who knows any Of the great secrets of
Nature ?-why one brain works and an
other will not ana why one man sits still
while another man runs?
One thing Thomas Yarn always pos
sessed, and that was the village news.
The tavern-window, in spite of the flies,
was good field of observation. He went
round with the returns of elections, with
the deaths and marriages. and the latest,
well-authenticated scandal. Never ma
lignant, never prone TO see evil, Thomas
| still told what he heard-an invaluable To-
cal newspaper. He would put his sad
figure in penitenty at the side-door, as ii
to say that the news be brought was his
only excuse for being,
There were rumors of his once being
seen driving horse. but this was not
Well authenticated. 1t gave too much en-
ergy and decision to the picture, and was
rejected by most as improbable; but one
great, grand. Important thing he had
done, one event Illuminated his existence,
and he never WAS tired talking of it and
boastng Of it. He had once been mar.
ried, and he could not forget the pride,
pomp, and circumstance OF that occasion.
Possibly at that momt mt he might have
been cleaner and more prosperous than at
any subsequent one; else, why did that
very pretty girl, with her long, black
hair.-always remembered in the village
admiringly,-whyh had she so over-esti-
| mated her own powers of endurance as to
marry Thomas Yarnp Marry him she
did. and naturally died in two years, to
be ever after the primal beauty and saint
Of his life. He never could sufficiently
praise her hair. He placed it among the
ilhC DClCHiNCS WOIc
one llong tress, folded in China-paper,
next his heart
The way he worshiped his Mary in
Heaven" affirmed Thomas Yarn s claim to
the name Of gentleman. He had been
Immediately, and that continued to be his
business forever after. The tavern swal-
lowed him up, and it was on its worn-
eaten porch that he first learned that he
was remembered in Gov. Hammond's will.
Some one else knew that piece of news
before he did.
Gov. Hammond was rich and promi-
nent citizen, who had been terribly slriken,
in the midst of his prosperity, by the death
OF his only son. young man but few years
married, who had left one young daughter.
1t was poud old name, and Gov. Ham,
mond did not like to have it die out. But
Fate was stronger than he. He left his
property to the little girl, something in
the same disappointed frame Of mind as
Dombey, and he added singular codicil
1t was to charge his executors to pay a
small annuity to Thomas Yarn, and to give
him the charge OF his library, which
needed attention and repair
This library had come from "two law
yers, one gentleman, and zone clergyman
ancestor" as Gov. Hammond was fond of
explaining his various forbears, and had
been generally tumbled bv the Governor,
no great reader, into an unoccupied room,
which was not unsuited to it. being in a
! wing of the house in which Emily, the
child-heiress. lived with her Aunt Mar
garet and the old servants. The little un-
conscious owner of all this rambling prop
erty was n healthy. hearty, robust little
girl, with an early propensity for tales OF
fancy, and legitimately for novel-reading.
She spent her Saturday afternoons. and
some part Of the next day. in her library,
sitting on the top step of ladder reading
The Cottages Of Glenburmie, "A Simple
Story" or ''Thaddeus of Warsaw. :"
There, wrapped in The delicious mantle OF
romance, would she sit for hours, while
Thomas Yarn would look up from his paste
pots as dreamy mole might contemplate
u butterfly. He and she were great
friends; not having arrived at the critical
age, she did not notice his soied habits as
Aunt Margaret did, but willingly put her
soft, white hand in his. and was led to
Mary's grave, listening with much gravity
to the account OF that famous wedding,
and looking with sweetly- sorrowful eyes
at the long tress of beautiful hair.
IL