Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-10-09

betray it, that he was still fine looking, and
fully believed himself exceedingly digni-
fed, when he was only exceedingly POM
pous.
He was fond of saying that he did not
care a fig for public opinion, yet he was a
perfect slave to it. He would sneer at his
wife for noticing the prying, of their pretty
the yard en- dishabiUe, and caught the bright
eyes of Mrs. Norton fixed upon him, he
would blush to the roots of his scanty hair,
rush into the house, slam the door, OVerturn
chair, snarl at his wife, and slap one of
the children, if he did not get out of the
way. But if he had new suit of clothes,
in which he imagined he looked particu-
larly we'll, he would be sure to have much
out door work to superintend. In short,
Silverskin was like most men, q bundle OF
provoking contradictions
Mrs. Norton, though only thirty-five, was
the widow of four husbands. How she had
managed to get rid of so many, in so short a
time, we could never ascertain, and have no
doubt that the receipt would be worth for
tune. All, except the first, she married for
money, and failed to get it every time; and
yet on each departure she had displayed
much decorous grief, arrayed herself and
children in tasteful mourning, Wept in a
black bordered handkerchief of marvellous
fineness, and the funeral arrangements were
made without regard to cost! What mer-
chant or undertaken could be heartlesS
enough to be particular with such fascina-
ting creature in her hour of aff1ictlon? Her
house was very handsomely furnished, yet
no one knew whence her income was de-
rived. Everybody talked about her, but no
one knew aught against her character. No
one could slight her, for the woman was
gifted with such wonderful powers of fasci-
nation, that reason and common sense lost
all control in her presence, and she carried
everything before her. She was one to
whom the word remarkable" was necessa-
rily applied. She was remarkably hand
some, remarkably graceful, remarkably
shrewd, impertinent, inquisitive, vain, self
ish and artful. In short, remar' bly, eve
rything, but good.
Mrs. Silverskin used to say that she re-
minded her of a beautiful, but dangerous
serpent. A lady who resided here before
and during the war, often reminded us of
Mrs. Norton. The same fair face and regu-
lar features had Mrs. n. b., the same glossy
raven hair, the bright dark eyes that could
express anything she chose, the high, stain
less forehead, the perfect mouth the pearly
teeth, the same singular fascination of look,
manner and voice, that few women and no
men could resist the same characteristics,
too.
When Mrs. B. appeared upon the street,
she was always "the observed of all observ-
ers," and she enjoyed such triumph over the
rest of her sex. She drifted away with
Sherman's army, and afterwards died in
New York. We only allude to her to give
a better idea of Mrs. Norton than we might
otherwise convey.
Mrs. Norton had "that excellent thing in
woman," as somebody calls it, "a low sweet
voice." She never scolded like open, hon
est, above board Mrs. Silverskin; but she
uttered sharp, scathing, bitter things that
no one but her victim heard, but which
that victim felt in her heart. She never
inflicted corporal punishment causing loud
cries for neighbors to hear. She only shut
children in dark closets, made them stand
in corners until their little feet could hardly
sustain them, burned favorite toysand resort
ed to various other modes of child-torture.
For servants she had even a greater variety
of noiseess punishments. Double tasks,
deprivation of sleep, exposure to cold, forced
meals of unpalatable food, and other efforts
of her genius, all severer than whipping,
but none eliciting screams of agony that
Mrs. Norton does keep" people would say
''and with children and servants, too"
Mrs. Silverskin could not understand how
it was managed. "For her part" she said,
she liked peace; but some how there was
always fuss on her premises. If she
even threatened Washington Lafayette
DeKalb he Immediately let out a yell like
he was being killed when she hadn't touch
ed him, and if she only slapped the. girl
Sylvey, she would dart into the yard, ut
tering shrieks so deafening that Mrs. S. was
glad to compromise and silence her."
On one Of these occasions, unfortunately
fnrN Syly honnnnpI
come in, when she was in the midst of her
performance, and following her out, he
quickly and energetically administered a
dose which gave her some cause for shrieks.
While he was so pleasantly engaged Mrs.
S. discovered the bright eyes of her neigh
Dor peering through the fence, and as it
was about the hundredth time that she had
been arrayed by this impertinent curiosity,
she determined to give a cutting reproOf
which should put an end to such conduct
at once. Raising herself on tip toe so that
she could look the spy full in the face, she
said
eff Mrs. Norton will step over and take a
seat on the piazza, she can witness the man
agement of our domestic affairs more COM
fOrtably."
"Oh thank you," replied the unabashed
and unscrupulous widow, 81 will"
And in another moment, to the utter as
tonishment and dismay of Mrs. Silverskin,
she was seated on the back piazza, cOOlly
commenting on the trials of house keeping,
and declaring that she had no idea that MIR.
Silverskin had such a temper, and hoping
that she wouldn't draw blOOd-the sight OF
it always made her faint" When Silver
skin had finished what his heavincss and
laZiness made a peculiarly hard task to
him, and come in flushed and angry, feeling
like anything rather than doing the polite
to anybody, least of ALL to his pretty pert
neighbor, She met him with sweet smile,
proffered her hand, and hoped he was we'll,
though he did look 50 feverish, adding that
"she never saw a stout man overheated,
without being reminded Of her dear uncle,
who died in an apoplectic fit, brought on,
the doctor said, by Il fit of passion"
Silvcrskin hated to be called "stout,' and
did cherish a secret dread of apopeXy. He
managed to reply with something like po
liteness, but the effort was so evident, that
even Mrs. Norton felt slightly uncomforta-
BILE, and soon departed. Silverslin, as soon
as the door closed behind her, relieved HIM
self by dashing a chair violently to the
floor and eXclaiming, "Durn her, she never
had no uncle"
Mrs. S. found relief in exclaiming, "Well,
if that don't beat all creation! Not content
with watching all around the house, she
comes into it. That woman will be the
death of me. You'll have to sell this house
and move away. IcCuanot stond IT,"
"Why, my DEAR" said Silverskin, who
always grew calm when his wife grew eX
cited, "you asked her in, did you not?'
"But hOU did do it? l only meant it as
a sarcasm, and she knew it. Who'd have
thought she would come; the impudent,
prying luggage"
'sThen, my love, your first attempt at
sarcasm has proved signal failure. |