Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-09-12
THEY NEVER SPEAK.
ouEERPEoPLE IN DELAWARE COUNTY
Husband, Wife and Daughters Live Under
the Same Roof for Years without
Intsrehansing . Word.

Husband. wife and Daughters Live Under
the Same Roof for Tears without
Intsrchansing . Word
A most singular tale of domestic irfe-
licity, extending over . period Of forty
years, comes from Media, Delaware cOun
ty. On tho providence road, mile and
q half from this pretty little town, near
the Rose Tree hotel, lives Mrs. Isaac Var
nall, whose husband for forty years prior
to his demise, which occurred few years
ago, never addressed word 10 his wife.
Tho latter did likewise, though both lived
under the same roof during all those
years. Old Isaac YarnaIl first settled
where his wife and family are now located
fully half century ago. Mrs. Yarnall,
who is now "a years Of age, is spoken of
~ being q quiet, kind and clever neigh
Dor, though extraordinarily headstrong.
This characteristic, it is said, was the
principal feature in the composition of
her husband, who otherwise bore the rep
utatiOn of being fair, square man.
Tho samo stubbOrness was not alone
confined to tho parents, for tho three
daughters and two sons were also imbued
with it to remarkable degree. The only
children living arc the daughters, not one
Of whom has exchanged 4 word with one
another for years. though they too dwell
together with tho mother in the cOmmO
dious, antiquated farm house near the
Rose Tree inn. These pcculiarities of the
family arc known to al tho farmers for
miles around. What at first appeared
surprising and incxplicable has become SO
commonplace that the strange dOings Of
tho Yarnalls have long ceased to be the
subject of comment among tho country
folk of that section. Isaac Yarnall was
an Industrious and thrifty tiller of the
soil. He plodIcd along diligently and
saved his hard earned dollars until he
amassed sufficient to purchase q hundred
acre farm. This he worked until his death
and by judiciOus investments managed to
leave behind him tho snug sum of S25, 600,
on which tho family are now living.
The trouble between himself and wife
was brought about in this way Mrs. Var
nall was bequeathed small sum of money
by relative, which her husband desired
to use in purchasing farming implements
and otherwise improving tho property.
His better half said no. Isaac vowed that
unless he was given tho money he would
never speak another word to her. True to
his vow he steadfastly refrained from
speaking for forty long years. The daush.
ters, who were nothing more than mere
children when this falling out occurred,
tried to get the father aud mother to make
up, but failed.
Reared under such surroundings it is
not surprising that when the girls grow to
womanhood they should take sides with
their disagreeing parents. One upheld the
father, another the mother, while the
third, after vainly trying to bring about a
harmonious feeling between all hands,
became disheartened and gave up the
task. The daughters have, since they
quarrelled, always ignored each others
presence. At the fathers funeral Car
riage was provided for the girls to convey
them to the cemetery. When the funeral
cortege was leaving the house the girls
found that they were expected to ride to-
gether. They at first refused, but persist
ent coaxiny aud the fear of creating a
scene suiliced to induce them to sti1e their
repugnant feelings for the time being, and
the daughters rode off together. A
stranger visiting the Yarnalls would fail
to discover at the first visit any family
differences. The old lady and the three
daug ghters address their conversation en-.
tireiy to tho visitor, and wait patiently
until each question is answered before
propounding another. When alone they
eat together, but never speak, and move
about the house utterly OblivjOus Of eacll
others presence.