Connecticut western news., 1880-03-17
The Three Johns.

"Little wretch hate him. We have never had moments peace since he took possession of this house." de- clared Polly Patten, with stamp of her foot.
 The Che" referred to was not, as might be supposed, tramp or sheriff's officer, not even poor relation, or an Irish butler, or heathen Chinee. Not at all. The object of Polly's wrath was 8 parsonage lifted up, as it would seem, by virtue of his position, above human criticism as above human rules, a myth, an unknown entity-no other, in fact, than the little god Cupid himself. He and his nachinations had of late wrought woful ones, Polly thought in the constitution of the Patten family: and to her imagination represented all manner of discomfort and discontinue, the alteration of plans, the blight of hopes-innovations and cross purposes without end. She felt toward him 8 good, honest, hearty hostility, as one may toward an opponent of flesh and blood, as she sat in her bedroom, in- weighing upon the subject to her special friend Susan Gilmore, who was perched beside her on the broad window-sill.
 "Oh, it's all very well to laugh" she went on "but just wait till you try it yourself. All last year was given up, you know, to marry Helen. Her trous- seau, and her presents, and her furnish ing-nothing else was though of or spoken of for twelve long months. The house w~s choked with her things. We all worked our fingers to the bone. No body could turn round without finding woman and sewing machine at his back. We never even pretended to hear ourselves speak. We'll, just as it was all over. and Helen comfortably off our minds, Lizzie must needs set up lover and lopg engagement-John Shaw, too, of all persons Now I may be dull, but in the name of common sense why John Shaw, of all men in the world p
 Lizzie knows, presume"
 "Well, perhaps she does still, it is provoking. Every morning of his life John Shaw looks in for bali an hour or his way down town. He and Lizzie ab. sorb the parlor, of course. That is all right, no doubt 1; but, as it happens that particular half hour is precisely the one which used always to take to tidy up the flowers, water and trim, fill the vases, and make the room nice for the day, and the want of it puts me ou dreadfully. I sit and twirl my thumbs and soold to mother, and she never will agree with me. Lovers are privileged, she says"
 Of course they are. Don't be { fpoh-sport, Polly. It's their turn now Yours will come."
 Never ! But there's more behind What do you Say to E1nice's indulgine in an engagement too2"
 "Not really?"
 Very really indeed. John Norman is the happy man this time. Two Johns you observe, by way of making the con fusion greater. So they sit in tn dining-room every evening, while Lizzi and her John occupy the parlor.''
 ''Ard where do the rest of you sit
 Echo answers. We sit whereve we may. Mother takes her mendine basket up stails, and has 8 student lamp on the round table in the uppe entry. Papa shuts himself up in tha dreadful little close den of his, o goes to the office. I observe that h has business there of evenings muc oftener than formerly because there j no comfortable place for him at homs n0 doaht Jim naakea . point q bein