The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-09-02

" astonished, but to her inquiries Mr..
Catlin replied that he had felt sudden
pain in the region of the heart, but
that it had passed away and was of no
consequence. He apologized profuse-
ly for his improper language, and said
that the pain had been SO sharp that it
had momentarily deprived him of his
self-oontrol. When he sat down he
avoided the corner, and occupied a
place at about the middle of the sofa.
As he was due at about that point on
the sofa at that precise time, Miss
Meacham thought that his change of
seat was perfectly natural, and glanced
at the clock to learn how long it would
be before he would take up another
and nearer position.
Five minutes later Mr.. Catlin again
bounded to his feet, expressing himself
in even more forcible language than he
had previously used. Miss Mary Jane
asked, with great concern, if he had
been a second time attacked with pain
in the heart, but he said that his heart
was all right, and wished to knew why
on earth she made needle-cushon out
of her sofa. The young lady denied
that there were any needles in the sofa,
and carefully passed her hand over it
to convince him that she was right, but
he refused to be convinced. She then
suggested that perhaps there was q
needle concealed somewhere about his
clothing, but he refused to admit the
suggestion. "1'hat there sof.," said
the injured mari, sis just chck with
needles. and l amt going to risk my
life by sitting on it any more" Where
upon he drew up cane-bottoned chair
and placed himself in it with as much
care as if he had carried dynamite cart
ridges in his coat pocket.
The conversation was presently re-
sumed, and Miss Mary Jane was in the
act of saying-apropos of the binomial
theorem-that she could be happy with
any man she truly loved in the smallest
possible house, when she UNEXPECTEDLY
cried out in piercing tones. "Ch! Ny
goodness!" and leaped to her feet. Mr..
Catlin caught her in his arms, and en-
treated her to tell him what was the
matter, but she merely moaned, and
alluded in an incoherent way to that
dreadful sofa. 1t then dawnei upon
MIR. Catlin that this also was case of
needles, and he was just renarking that
the best thing to be done with that sofa
was to burn it. and to subsequently sell
the needles by the pound TO. old iron,
when he heard subduel chuckle.
STOPPING down. he caught the infamous
Master Meacham by one leg, and drag
ging him from under the sofa, confis-
Gated the long carpet-needlewith which
the monster had accomplished his fend-
ish purpose.
Most men would have killed the
wretch on the spot, for, in addition to
his other crimes, he had overheard all
the conversation concerning the tariff
and the binomial theore4, and was
morally certain to repeat it at the
dinner-table in case his life vas spared.
1t is greatly to Mr.. Catlin' credit that
he did not Stay the boy on thu spot, and
that, on the contrary, he even protected
him from his sister, who flew at him
with appalling fury, and would, had
she not been restrained, have stretched
him a hairless corpse on the carpet.
Selling the boy, Mr.. Catlin threw him
out of the open window into the back
yard, expecting that he would strike on
a soft bed of onions and sustain no ma
terial damage. His motive was simply
to rid himself of the wretch in the
quickest aud safest manner, and he was
horror-stricken when he heard the
voice of old Mr.. Meacham in the back
yard, apparently in acute suffering, and
then that irascible old gentleman
leaped in at the window, and, demand
ing to know what he meant by throwing
his family at him, knocked the young
man down and ordered his daughter in
stantly to bed.
1t is this wholly unforeseen accident
which by reckless reporters has been
2aein &c 60 III mardsr an entire Tire fam
lily without the slightest provocation.
Of course, the young mans innocence
Of the charge will be proved in due
time, but it is certainly rather hard that
in addition to his physical suffering,
and the pain which his peremptory dis
missal as the sutton of Miss Meacham
has caused him, he should be held up
10 public execration as wretch who
attempted a peculiarly barbarous and
murder, while under the pre-
sumed influence of delirium tremens.-
N. 7, Times.