The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1881-11-18

Wnv the insignificant prOnoun ahoyc-
written was invariably used to desig-
nate woman Of such fine psr<oneiic
was one Of the unsolyed mysteries TO
the good people of B..
But though mystery. II was never
thelcss fact; for while Mr.. Hazlett
had been wont to speak OF his first wife
Familiarity a. 'Bess." he always re-
ferred to his second choice Is "she."
When farmer Hazlett brought home
his second wife there was much shak
ing Of wise heads, and gloomy sighs for
the memory Of the gentle wife 20
speedily forgotten. many wise fore
bodings and prophecies about the uiti-
mate fate Of the poor children. now
under the proycrbial iron Of step
mother.
These children. be Il remembered.
were examples Of infantile ignorance
and childish worthlessness. held up by
pious parents after much the same
fashion Of the mythical Ounce in q
backwoods school, to be piticd.
laughed az. and held aloot from to be
talked Of in whispers as Disgrace to
the neighborhood. that such Ignorance
and rudeness could exist in is charmed
precincts
Their ignorance was deplorable. And
though the children were miracles Of
rudcness.. il was alone from neglect that
they were %.
They had been allowed 20 run loose.
and grew up wild as savages, a. mat
ter 81 course. For the farmer was in
terested in no earthly pursuit Of pleas
ure. but the growth and Improvement
OF his South Downs. his Suffolk pigs
and Alderncy cows. and his trained
horses and dogs. Too indolent, when
he came into the house 10 rest. 70 utter
word Of expostuation TO his noisy
children, they went unchided for their
rudeness, and were untaught in the
simplest things.
And his poor er-worked wife
whose fingers were % busy, and body
% tired. she had not the spirit 20 teach
them. the strength TO correct, bu'
worked her way through the Turmoil
laboriously; for the neighbors had beer
won't 10 observe that she had no knacl
of arranging her work. though she dit
Il well And 50 II happened. her res
never came, till the pulseless hand
could no longer work.
10 10 sure, the children went 10 Cd,
district school when they pleased, ans
stayed 81 home when they willed. Blu
the little they learned there was forgot
ten during the long vacations.
Besides. they did not like the school
and the scholars shrank away from
them. This avoidance was due. II
part, % their savage way o. playing
but more from an aversion. whicl
sprang up from this occurrence Mix
came 70 school one morning during hi
first term. unaccompanied BY Jim. Tn
teacher who had not learned the pcc,l
liarities or the family. thinking. PEI
hxps. the boy was sick. asked kindly:
MIXERS r, = your brother Michaelr'
where i your brotherg' more dis
tinctly.
"What dye sayg
"Whcro 4 your brothcr?"
"Is Il my pap you wantg'
And after, with childish arroganc
and hautcur. the other scholars hcl
themselves aloof as much as possible
There must be something uncann
about boy who lid not know what iii
word "brofher'' meant
And the poor little walls grew I
hate the school. and shrink from III
teachers. But of tho many evidence
q their Ignorance. none was more wid'
" known through the horrIicd neigl
borhood than the incident 1 am abo'
10 relate.
Of al things. % be forever treasure
IN their stunied minds. was the mcmol
Of party given By their parents on