Litchfield enquirer., 1877-04-26

shall open It for you" Then in a loud voice to Mary Ann, in the kitchen, 'Mary Ann, tell Miss Jones Mir. Poddy has call. ed to see her, and open the front-door for h,m." .-.. .s,... ss ss....e..., .,..st9. Ali Solomon $ resolution oozsd away at this open proclamation of his busi- uess.
 "No, no, Mrs. Hicks," he said, ln great trepidation. CT was only driving past, and-and-in fact We'll, where IS Mir. Hicks?"
 "Neyer mind, Mary Ann. He wants to see Hicks. You needn't tell Miss Jones" screamed the irrepressible Mrs. Hicks.
 Solomons s trepidation increased, and as he noticed the movement of an upper shutter and heard faint laugh, he wish ed the road would open and swallow him, horse, buggy, and all. "Oh, it's nothing in particular" stam- merel he "Only was driving past, and thought I should like to see him about. aboeb-oh yes, about that pig" ''He's in the barn, or-here he comes, returned Mrs. H., with look of supreme disgust on her face.
 ''That man is the biggest chicken-heart- ed goose that ever lived. just wish he had come courtln' of me, Mary Ann" re- marked the irate lady to her handmaiden, when she returned to the kitchen. "How do, Poddy?"sald Hicks, as he walked up. "Come to see how Miss Jones got over her fright? Lucky thing you was passing at the time, or she might have hurt herself. It jess beats me how these city folks do gad round in the most unairthly places;' and Mir. Hicks winked in knowing manner
 "Hang Miss Jones" Solomon was on the point of circulating, but he only ,smil- ed in a sickly manner, and asked, as If 1t was matter of life or death to him.
 "What do you want for that pig, Hicks?'
 What pig?" returned the mystified Hicks,
 "Why-ah! that pig An, that pig I passed down the road,' stammered MT. Poddy, with guilty look, trying to re- member if he had passed the pig in ques tien.
 "Oh, that old hog. Why, you can have him for his keep. He'll break down all your fences, and root your garden to ru- ins.' said Hicks, with broad grin upon his face.
 "You don't see any thing Imaginable in me buying hog, do you, Mir. Hicks?" asked Poddy. with mock dignity. That's very fine hog. I want him for the | breed" ,sN.
 This was too much for the farmer, and he laughed outright.
 "Well, if you want him. send down and get him. I was thinking of shooting the old rascal" said he.
 II will." said Mir. Poddy, with great earnestness, and then he drove of. Up the road he passed long bodied, lean, bristly old boar. roofing in the ditch with his ugly tusk, which he presumed was his | rash bargain. Giving the unfortunate grunter a lash of his whip, and cutting | poor old Dobbin unmercifully over the back, he rattled home, cursing Hicks, the hog, himself, and all mankind for his own folly.
 At home he was so unbearable that Miss Perkins resolved to put the screws to briug him to the wall, but with no results
 Two miserable days passed, and then he made desperate resolve to see Miss Jones, or drown himself in the mill-pond on his return If he was second time so foolish as to forego that pleasure. He | would go straight to the front-door and ask for Miss Tabitha, without troubling either the master or the mistress of the house. He couldn't very we'll withdraw after that.
 But this ingenious plan very nearly failed. Arriving at the house, he tied his horse in very careful and scientific man. l ner, to the great astonishment of old Dob bin, who had never shown the slightest | inclination to run away. Three times he got as far as the gate, and returned to sat- lsfy himself the knot was. safe. At the third attempt to mount the steps and knock, who should come round the corn CT of the house but old Hicks. SsIt,o oool Solomon CT can't do it: and here is a loopshole for es- cape"
 That you, Poddy? When are you go- ing to send for that hog?" slylY asked the l farmer.
 TT have come for it now." stammer- ed Solomon
 "Well it ain't there. Come round to the barn."
 l Poddy's face resumed an agonized ex- 1 preston: and he turned away from the door, fully resolved that the coroner should have job and the county sensa- | tion, when a we'll known face with pair | of gold spectacles appeared at side win | dow, and Miss Tabitha's voice was heard.
 ''Is it really you, Mir. Poddy? I was afraid you had suffered fsom my foolish accident. Do come in.' MT. Solomon Poddy went in, and was introduced to all the girls, and knocked over several chairs, gave some very con. tradictory answeres to questions, blushed and hesitated, and, in the words of Mrs. Hicks. "behaved more like a big over- grown gawky boy than a man of fifty" All of which furnished amusement for the young lady boarders. who were sternly reproyed at supper table by Miss Jones for their heartless conduct. + T 1~~xc terious process-he never knew himself l just how it was brought about before the return flight of the boarders to New York in the fall, Tabitha Jones had con- l fided her maidenly heart to Solomon Pod dy's keeping, and they were to be married in December
 Miss Jones was possessed of small in- come, which enabled her to occnpy with comfort the second-foor back-room of Mrs. Hasher's fashionable boarding house in Twenty-third Street Here she betook herself on the approach of frost. and dec. ora:ing her room with the grasses and other spells of the summer holidays, kept her own counsel, and waited in patience until December should come, and Solo, mon with it to claim his bride. The front-room on the same floor at Mrs. Flasher was occupied by a widow | iauy, Mrs. Danlel BanKQm Dy name, ana her son, Mir: Charles Bankum, was domi- clled i'll light and airy apartment nearer the roof. Other boarders called Mrs. Hasher's their home, but Miss Jones and Mrs. Banknm were the sole representa-. tives of the fair sex.
 Mrs. Bankum was a large. handsome, fashy woman of forty, voluble of speech, always ready to give her opinicn or advice on any subiebt whatever. The late Mir. B. had made fortune in oil, and then died, from over exertion and excitement in the service of his country during an un- successful canditature for member of Con- gress. So the widow gave out Mir. Ban. kum's assistants or ''workers" in that mo- ble fight ascribed his death to too much. good nature, and perseverance in the idea that drinking with every individual among his would be constituents, and pay ing all scores himself, must surely result