Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-01-24

/ wise enough 10 Duy M1chlgan farming
land before railroad pierced that part
of the State; and his natural thrift
made him rich as soon as the rails were
laid through his farm to carry its crops
TO market. His two girls were the sole
objects of his ambition. To give them
everything they desired was his highest
| pleasure; and in return for his indul-
gence they gave him largeness of
iilial devotion which he considered the
sweetest and greatest price Heaven
could put upon his toll. Eunice, the
older girl, now in blooming womanli-
ness, inherited weak constitution from
her mother; Lois had her fathers stur-
dier one Eunice was tall, shapely,
| graceful; a brunette to whom scarlet
was the most becoming in colors until
! pink spots came to her cheeks and
stayed there, and her pallid skin grew
whittier and whittier and more trans
parent. The crones of the town shook
their heads with dismal significance, and
said consumption" the doctors em-
phatically declared no, pronounced her
lungs perfectly sound, but could not ac-
count for the gradual dimuniton of her
flesh, her loss of appetite, and sleepless-
ness. The coming of young Garth into
the family had frightened her and APP
parently improved her health, and it was
this consideration, and only this, which
had reconciled Job Mallory to the mar
riage. Walter Garth had little to COM
mend him on the other hand, his sole
vice was one which, job reasoned,
Eunice would be able 10 remove. He
was addicted to drinking; and, prior
to his engagement to Eunice, had fre-
quently amused half the town and dis
gusted the other half with the whim-
steal pranks of his periodical sprees.
He was fne-looking fellow, stalwart,
supple, and winning in his manners;
the very man whom good and sus-
ceptible young woman would madly
fall in love with, and for whom she
would abate no jot of her hallucination
though she were compelled to see in
him all the faults of Lucifer.
There was something mysterious in
the way the Garths lived. They had
cozy cottage, "up the road" as the
folk said, over the sides and roof of
which broad-leaved vines clamored.
Thick, stumpy rose bushes surrounded
the house and filled the air with deli
cious fragrance. Honeysuckle and
morning-glories contended for the right
cup of the hollyhock caught the dew
along the thick hedges. Behind the
house were many apple and peach
trees, and when they blossomed the adj
jacent country was filled with the sweet
smell, so that this portion of the town
ship was Familiarity described as
"Garth's Orchard" There were the
father, three sons, and an aged house
keeper, supposed to be distant rela-
tive. 1t did not stand to reason that
the orchard alone was enough to sup
port the family; yet Walter had gone to
work as book-keeper for Gormley's
house only year or two before, hav-
ing been at the Ann Arbor high school
and university from his boyhoOd. Will
lam, the second son, was studying medi-
cine in the same institution; and CATER,
Jr., the youngest, did " chores around
the place, and had plenty of money and
a bad name.
Old CATER Garth was known very
widely by his red nose, his blue pipe,
and his ardent piety. Whisky gave
him the first, nobody knew where he
got the second, and the third was as in
separable from him as either of the
others. In one respect he was like the
lilies of the field-he toiled not, neither
did he spin; yet, although not arrayed
like Solomon, he never was shabby,
and seemed to want none of the COM
forts of existence.
Had good yield this year, GarthP"
was sure to bring forth the unvarying
response: "God is good to CATER
GARTH
His reputation for piety was not con-
fined to the earth and the fruits thereof.
He knew many excellent anecdotes
about John Wesley, which he told with
quaint humor, and the Sundays he led
at prayer meeting the congregation
were kept in smiles and tears, for he
was powerful exhorter His red nose,
his white hair, his sunken, bleary eyes,
his thin, clean-shaven face, constituted
81 peculiar picture, at once imposing, re-
pulsive and grotesque. One of his best
known traits was strict keeping of his
own mind. He told his personal bust
ness to nobody. Adroit enough in
learning all about every other body's
business, he told his to no man. He
was noted far and wide as a good
neighbor," and this popular quality in
the old man manifested itself chiefly in
his remarkably prompt attendance at
funerals. People were as little sur
prised to see Gaffer Garth at O "wakeh
as corpse. He was always welcome,
too, for he cried Justify with the mourn
ers, and had a delicate way of soothing
their grief by examining the shroud,
praising the quality of the goods and
the neatness and taste of the work; or
if the deceased were man, and clad
for his last journey in the sombre habili-
ments which he had worn on festive oc-
casions in life, CATER had a kind word
for the tailor. He was known to have
curious notion that it was good taste
indeed, duty-to attire the dead as
richly as possible. He thought that
they should be buried with all their
iewelry on; and it was observed that he
was fond of jewelry for its own sake.
he wore several cameo rings and one
onyx circlet upon whose stone mono
gram-not his-was deeply craven.
Young CATER resembled his father in
more respects than a fondness for Jew
elry. He, too, attended funerals with
oihB ulah uhiiOl ihIIJi anu 81 COHSlu6Tdle
was he of the feelings of the survivors
that he often managed to push his way
through the crowd around the grave,
and did not hesitate to assist the grave
digger whenever his services seemed to
be acceptable. He was accustomed to
absent himself suddenly from the town
and as suddenly to return; he went, it
was understood, to pay flying visits to
William at the university. 1t was OBJ
served that he frequently wore new
studs in his shirt bosom and new sleeve
buttons in his cuffs on returning; but
it was notorious that the young men in
Ann Arbor were more fashionable than
those in Flint; and William had doubt
less presented young CATER with some
of his personal bric-d-brac.