Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-09-17
ayou,re RIGHT there Miss Thompson. .

it run along and run along quite a spell
after he'd promised tn pay it, an one
day he up an dunned JOSH right afore
hull lot O. men, an had the impotence to
say that he'd sent word to him half a
dozen times by the boys that he wanted
it. What eff he hads JOSH said he didn't
remember hearin' anything about it, an
it made him hoppin' mad, / tell you, to
hev him take him right there in public
and afore folks. He'd paid him when
he got round to it."
"Should thought it would ha' made
him mad" said Mrs. Thompson.
In week the whole neighborhood was
in fever of excitement. You could
have heard dozen different stories.
One would have told you that Mr.. and
Mrs. Marsh were going to part. Another
that she had applied for divorce. And
you would have heard fearful tales of
his cruelty to his poor wife, and of her
wasteful extravaganza and some would
have told you that they had seen this
affair approaching its present crisis for a
long time, but hadn't said anything
about it."
One day Mrs. Thompson had quilt
ing, and all the gossips in the neighbor-
hood were there, and "joily good
time" they had over the new scandal. In
the evening the men came to tea, and
then the gossip waxed hotter than ever.
Mrs. Jones was debating with Mrs,
Plunkett as to whether Mrs. Marsh
| ought to accept his support of the child
after they separated or not. Mrs. Jones
held that she ought to be too independ-
ent to do that, and was laying down the
| argument in very convincing and logi-
cal way. Mr.. Plunkett was relating to a
knot of men, who Thought women
might be in better business than talkin
about their neighbors," the circumstance
| which had given rise to this scandalou
state of affairs, and felt himself to be
quite hero-when all at once came a
knock at the door and, on Mr. Thomp-
sons openingit, in came Mr.. and Mrs.
Marsh and Mary Ann Brown!
A bomb-shell-the smile isn't original
would have caused no greater excite
ment and dismay if it had dropped
| among them. Mr.. Thompson's efforts to
be polite and ask after their health were
| signal failures. Mr.. Marsh couldn't help
laughing at the panic-stricken faces be-
| fore him.
"No, thank YOU" he said declining
the proffered chair. ave won't stop to
H.
| sips and scandal-mongers of the Neigh
borhood would be here [great sensation |,
| and so | took the opportunity of calling
to make little explanation, which never
would have been made if it had not been
for Miss Brown, whose name has been
mixed up with some disgraceful reports
which you worthy people have circulated
in an eminently Christian way. More
sensation. 1t has been told all over
town that Mr. Plunkett saw me kissing
our hired girl. Mr.. Plunkett, like the
low-principled, insignificant person that
he is tremendous sensation instead of
waiting to find out whether there was
any foundation for such belief or not,
at once told it for an actual fact"
can did see you kiss her, toop said
Mr. Plunkett, family, with very red
face.
mo, you didn't, neither" exclaimed
Miss Mary Ann Brown. "You never see
any such thing. l went home that very
mornin' an took Miss Marsh's little
girl with me, an didn't come back till
Monday, an because you'd got to hev
some scandal an battle again, or bust,
you told that you see him kissin' me,
when twas his own wife he kissed. It's
purity piece o. bisness if man can't
kiss his own wife 'thout the hull neigh
borhood's maxim fuss over it, should
think you'd be ashamed O. yerselyes, the
hull mess of ye."
"But /. thougH twas you, any way"
said Mr.. Plunkett, looking as if he could
crawl through very small hole.
"Ihought twas met" exclaimed Miss
Brown, scornfully. "What bisness had
you to tell that it aoas me if you didn't
ka,0ao? l wish to gracious / could have
you took up for SANDER, every one of We.
It'd learn you to mind your own bisness
next time You've told lies enough in
the last week to sink hull neighbor-
hood Every one that's been to Mr..
Marsh's has told some new story you'd
got started. l never was So mad in my
life-never! I'd jest like to hev Mr..
Plunkett or any other man say he see
man kissin' me that hadn't any bis
ness to-"
81 was mistaken" said Mr.. Plunkett,
meekly; a. thought"
Don't make any difference what you
thought" retorted the irate damsel.
"S1ong's you didn't know twas me you'd
no bisness to say anything about it. If
the folks in this neighborhood could
mind their bisness it d be blessin' to
'em; but they couldn't. They've got to
NEEDLE, and poke, and pry, an they jest
as lieves stretch the truth as not, if they
be church members. If the devil don't
feel tickled over some o yer work miss
my guess. But jest want you, ] don't
care who, to say he see Miss Marsh's
man kissin' me. Jest try it, if you
thinks best I'll make you prore it or
smart for it, one or t'other."
II think you will do well to take Miss
Browns advice" said Mr.. Marsh.
"Think whether you can prove what
you tell before you tell it. And now
good evening"" and the trio bowed them
selves out of as discounted group as
one usually comes across.
Poor Plunkett! He is more careful
about making such mistakes now, but he
hasn't got over his love for gossip. He's
as bad as other men in that respect
Rural Nen Yorker.
Mr.. BEEcHER eats with his knife.
" The fork" he says "compels the manip-
ulator to poke and push and pile up the
food material, which tends to fall back
and apart; it is made to pursue the dain-