The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-01-03
MISS JEMIMa,s JOKE.


Barnstable was town where almost
literally nothing happened. Occasionally
some one married or died, furnishing
food for talk over tea tables for the en-
suing six months; but for the most part
the town was IS void of events of i'm
portance as can well be imagined. In
default of great events small matters rose
10 the first magnitude in Barnstatle,a and
the cleaning of Lawyer Stokes chimney,
the amount of meat consumed by the
parson, and the length of time the doc
Tor took to pay his grocery bill, were
stems Of interest not by any means con-
sidered unworthy of notice. Therefore,
it may naturally be supposed that when
the Aldens and Pricketts ''fell out" the
news spread over the town like wild
fire. Agf r8 49,
Mrs. Alden and Mrs. Prickett were
cousins, and had been very much at
tached to each other from babyhood.
They had been brought mp by the same
aunt, had married at the same time, and
had gone to housekeeping on Mill street
Just opposite each other. But, after
twenty-five wears of closest intimacy, q
cloud no bigger than 9 mans hand
arose and, with the help of. gossips and
mischief-makers, soon grew so large as
to envelope both houses. Mr.. Prickett
and Mr.. Alden at length passed each
other on the street without outward
recognition, took pews On opposite sides
of the church, and dealt at different
grocery stores; while their wives pur-
sued-methods- equally as severe for
showing their antipathy to each other.
Perhaps no one was more active in
keeping up the war between the two
families than Miss Jemima Sackett, who
was at once the most inveterate gossip,
the busiest mischief-maker and the most
inquisitire woman in Barnstable. She
was never so happy, apparently, SIS
when sowing dissension; but, though
every one knew her character and pre-
tended to abhor it, she was admitted to
almost every house in town, so enter
tanning was found the budget of gossip
she always brought with her.
In spite of the active part Miss Jemi-
ma had taken in fermenting the quarrel,
no one was louder in denunciation. of
the folly of the Prickett and Alden feud
than this same spinster, who declared
and q crying shame, and that " some
body ought to take the matter up"
But the somebody" endowed with
the power to pour oil on the troubled
waters was not forthcoming, and the
gulf between the two families grew
wider and wider as time went on, until
no one expected or even thought of such
thing as reconciliation.
"Laws q mercy, there's John Al
den," cried Miss Jemima, in q shrill ,
Querulous voice. as she stretched her
pelican-like neck out of her parlor win
dow one cold, frosty morning, the day
before Christmas. "He's out agin, and
not more'n half way over that cold he
ketched last Sunday night to meetin'.
Strange how old Boswick tCfH leave
them windows open sech nights! Now,
i wonder where on arth he's goin'.
Making for Simms' store, sure's preach
in. Like as not goin' to choose Christ
mas gifts. Wonder what he's going to
buy. Guess I'll put on my bunnit and
Jest step round and see. can take
that brooch Of mine and get pin
set onto it. Laws, 1t weren't so long
ago that Mr.. Alden uster buy present
for Miss Prickett reg lar as Christmas
come round, and now he wouldn't tech
her with q ten-foot pole. Curious how
folks will fly agin each other, specially
relations, right in the face of theii
Creator. They'd oughter be turned out
o. meetin'.
Much to Miss Jemima's annoyance
she was detained IN her kitchen almost
half an hour on account of the boiling
over of some apples she was stewing
and when she reached Simms' store Mr.
Alden was nowhere in sight. But Mr.
Prickett was just leaving the counter,
where he had been taking up some
small change ths jeweler had giyer
him.
He bowed coldly to Miss Jelnima ir
passing, and went out in spite of her at
tempts to engage him in conversation
He did not like her, and was not ayerst
to her knowing it; but he would, per
haps, have given her more pleasant
greeting had he had any intimstion O
the revenge she would take upon hin
for his curtness-
Mr.. Simms was busy over a watch hs
was mending, and Miss Jemima, assur
ing him that she had an abundance o.
time and could await his leisure, begar
to explore the store, being very glad o
such an opportunity to crafty her curl
osity.
Two large, tissue-psper packages lay
on the counter at some distance from
each other; but they were not SO wei
wrapped up that Miss Jemima could no
easily discover that one contained
large silver pitcher, beautifully orna
mented, the other a cake basket of elab
orate and tasteful design. But she dis
covered something else of much greatel
interest to her. On the pitcher was {
card bearing the name "Mrs. Alden :
on the cake basket q card labeled '.Mrs
Pickett" As the mischief-loving spin
ster stood looking at them, q brillian
plot whereby she could bring chagriI
and humiliation upon the houses OF boti
Mr.. Prickett and Mr.. Alden, and thu
revenge the slight the former had pu
upon her but q few moments previous
came TO her like an Inspiration.
Mixing matters up little can
make things much worse than they al
ready are,n she thought, sand III pla.
them joke they won't soon get over.
She glanced at Mr.. Simms and saw
she had nothing to fear from him. TO
he was too busy to observe her, ant
was, besides, old, partly deaf, and yer.
near.sighted. And there was no on
else in sight
With agile fingers she detached tn
card from the cake basket, drew q pen
ell from her pocket, wrote on it beneatl
Mrs. Prickett's name, "Peace and goo'
will toward all men, cousin, and tie.
IL to the pitcher, from which she too
the card bearing Mrs Alden's name
wrote on it, "Cousin, bury the past, for
give and forget, !" and tied it to the cake
basket.
Size did not accomplish her work
moment too soon. As her fingers LED