Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-05-01
A HYSSOP CENTIPEDE.

-L0uase CH0nGteT MouetoH, W 1outH g Co"s-
panion.
A HYSSOP CENTIPEDE.
IA lie has hundred legs, the truth but one"
-NdLian Pro0er6.
Mrs. Green opened her eyes, and thought it
was daylight; the bed-head was turned toward
bright it was out-of-doors, but having been
restless all night from the heat, she was glad
to perceive morning; SO she got up and went
to draw aside the curtain, and just as she did
SO, the church clock struck two, and she saw
that it was cloudless night now, though it
had rained heavily the past evening, and the
full moon rode high in solitary heaven.
The night was fresh and fragrant; its dewy
GOODNESS soothed her hot head and tired eyes;
so she shut the outer blinds, turned the Stats
straight, and sat down to enjoy the calm and
refreshment of the hour.
Right opposite was the village bank, and as
she looked across at it, and wondered If John
Hackett was not sometimes afraid to sleep
there alone, she saw two women come quickly
and silently down the street, steal up to the
window of the bank, and tap on the shutters.
Her breath came quick; here was an adven-
ture. Immaculate John Hackett, indeed And
there was his head put out, and the women
talking earnestly with him; then they all three
laughed, and John withdrew his head, shut and
locked the window-she could hear the fasten-
ing snap in that stiffness; but still the women
fingered, talking softly to each other, with now
anu 6acu al lTlcpT6SSlDI6 1lGtlc duu III d
few minutes John emerged from the front
door, locked it behind him, put the key in his
pocket, and walked off with a companion on
either arm.
was food for gossip. Here was veritable
scandal. John Hackett was youth supposed
to beas good as boy in Sunday school book.
Nobody In Hyssop had a bad word to say about
him. except the wild youths who called him
Miss Nancy, and laughed at his disgust for
drink and tobacco. As for anything bad or
vicious about him, even in Hyssop people would
have smiled at any such accusation against
John. He was teller in the bank, slept in it
always by way of guarding it, and was fully
trusted in all his business relations.
Mrs. Green meant to be a good woman, but
she did like to discover and relate other peo-
pies faults and fo4lies rather too well-partly
on the old principle that
Satan finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do"
partly because her life was dull, and she longed
for excitement as some people do Tor drink
She had no fixed home; her husband was a
physician of the specialist tribe, and went about
the country from place to place to heal peo-
ple's eyes and ears-or at least pretend to-
and having no children to tie her to domestic
life, she went about with the doctor. Hyssop
was her native place, and she felt more at
home there than elsewhere, so she sometimes
staid at the Hyssop House, and let her hus-
band travel on his rounds, while she enjoyed
herself among her friends. Tonight, after
she had seen John Hackett go away, she left
the window, and sat down in her rocking
chair to think the matter over. John she was
sure of, but who could the women bes She
thought and rocked in vain, and after an hour
? OF fruitless speculation, felt SO cool and sleepy
that she went back to bed, and never even
dreamed of the matter.
Early next mornin g, after breakfast was
through, she repaired to the dress-maker's
over the way, who was an old acquaintance,
there to unburden her mind, and lay the affair
before an expert. Bristling with Importance
frrI r,f 1t,n e1adf 80 fa1I
tale, but was interrupted by the entrance of
Mrs. Parke, a lady well known and highly re-
spected in Hyssop, widow, and the mother of
two or three children, one of whom, a boy of
sixteen, was in the bank with John Hackett,
as errand-bOy and general runner and doer,
hoping to be promoted in due time and pick
ing up q knowledge of the business to that end.
Mrs. Green did not like to go on with her
tale before Mrs. Parke; it would probably go
back to Mr.. Hackett at once if she did SO; so
she pursed up her mouth, and waited for Luz
celia Pratt, the dress-maker, to fit Mrs. Parke's
dress, measure her skirt, decide upon trim
mings, and make elaborate calculations as to
the yards and inches of lace and velvet; for
this was to be a gown of state, and figure at
Lucy Parke's wedding. She found no time to
finish the detail of her story that morning; be-
fore Mrs. Parke left, other customers came in,
and the tale had to be left half told. Only
enough of it to make plenty of mischief had
reached the ears of Jenny Peters, a young girl
who worked for Miss Pratt, and sat near enough
to the sewing-room door to hear how two
women knocked at the bank window, and
called out John Hackett at two o'clock in the
morning. This was enough to set her silly
mind agape, and she revolved the precious
morsel under her tongue till it grew and -four
ished cut of its original size, and developed
locomotive powers that worked any amount of
trouble to various people.
1t was great pity that Mrs. Parke was quite
SO much respected in Hyssop. If Mrs. Green
had been little less afraid of her, and gone
on with her history, my own story would never
have been told, nor any centipede crawled
about the little village over John Hackett,s
character and happiness; but $50 it was"
Some weeks after the aforesaid event-Mrs
Green having, by-the-way, been suddenly called
to join her husband at Chicago that same day,
and so never finding an opportunity to further
enlighten Miss Pratt-Jenny Peters went to a
dance at the village hall, where the clerk of the
Hyssop House was her partner in the first CO.
tillon. John Hackett danced in the same set
and was SO occupied with his own partner that
he merely nodded at Jenny.
Now degrees In society are all unknown in
Hyssop; everybody is just as good as every
body else, If not little better; the butcher
and baker and candlestiek-maker dwell togeth-
er in unity with the doctor, the minister and
the lawyer; their wives wear as good clothes,
their children infest the same schools, they
where theoretic; and John Hackett had not the
least idea Of despising Jenny Peters because
she earned her living by sewing for Miss Pratt,
and he earned his by writing and ciphering for
LIE DdHk luey SaG sue Dy SlQe IN the cnO1r
on Sunday; they had learned their lessons on
the same bench, going to the district school,
years ago; but tonight he only nodded to her,
being absorbed in the pleasant talk and sweet
face OF Miss Deane, young lady from Dart
HyBsop House with her father.
AionzO Filley, the clerk, had himself meant
to dance with Miss Deane; but she, who had
always lived in the city, had no idea of SO de-
meaning herself, and made him understand it ;
consequently he too had a grievance, and
when Jane expressed her contempt for John
Hackett's stuck-up ways" Alonzo chimed
in, and they said a good many disagreeable
little things about these unconscious sinners,
till at last, getting more and more exasperated
as she watched Miss Deane's graceful figure
and stylish dress, and John Hacketts evident
devotion, Jane burst out with:
Well, must say John is real airy tonight
and that city girl seems dreadful taken UT
with him; maybe if she knew all I know about
his goin's on she wouldn't be SO sweet.''
" Nor If she'd seen what see, not hundred
years ago. shifted the injured Alonzo.
You don't say so! 'Twan't of a moonlight
night, was it!' giggled Jane.
You better believe it was,' returned Alon
20, with sudden flash of snappish intelligence
IN his little green eyes. just then the figure
was called, and as it ended, somebody recalled
the HyssOp House clerk to his duties-a party
OF excursionists had just arrived-so nothing
more was said between him and Jane; but the
lie had begun to limp about, as lies viii, witt
alacrity and yigor.
John, however, enjoyed the evening, all un
conscious of his enemies, and even asked Jant
Peters to dance, but she tossed her head, ani
informed him her card was full, with such al
air of impertinent superiority that JOIN
laughed and turned away to find anothe
partner.
Miss Deane and her father spent long sum
mer at the Hyssop House, for Edna hated tt
go back to their stuffy city boarding house
and they had no other home; they two wer,
alone in the world and Mr.. Deane liked to b,
free to travel, SO that he would not keep house
Besides, Hyssop was pleasant little tow
among the hills, and whatever gayeties wer
abroad Edna shared; she was pretty, bright
well dressed, and well-bred; the few young
men in Hyssop all admired and liked her, ant
she enjoyed liking and admiration quite as wei
as woman should John Hackett called a
often as any one, and Mr.. Deane took grea
fancy to him; he was an intelligent, kindl
young fellow, paying Difference to age whic1
Is uncommon in these days, and which pleaset
Mr.. Deane peculiarly.
As the summer went on, however, John OBJ
served that the old gentleman's manner towar,
him changed; he was no longer cordial, nj
longer ready to converse, to borrow books, t.
play cribbage with him; and if he came to in
vite Edna to drive with him, unless he saw he
first, he was sure to meet refusal.
John wondered very much at this change il
their friendly relations; he would have tried t,
solve the riddle in the only legitimate way t,
solve such problems, by direct inquiry, but fo
the fact that Miss Deane herself was as swee