Huntsville gazette., 1885-06-06
DUPLICITY PUNISHED.
"It Was Love as Did It"-A True
Incident of LOwly Life.

4t w DIS AOV0 as 01O IL "a 44u0
Incident Of Lowly Life.
Hannah, or '.Hanner''-as she is
generally spoken of in the circles in
which she moves-Hodges is cook in
a pleasant house in the Fifth Ward.
A most excellent cook is Hannah. She
has no widowed mother who keeps
boarding house to supply with pro-
visions, and consequently her employer
gets on comfortably on very moder-
ate income. Neither does she cherish
a cat which breaks things, and her
male friends are never regaled with
anything but cold roast that is actually
unfit to again 60 on the table. Hannah
is a model cook so far as culinary skill,
cleanliness and management go.
And then she is tolerably good-look-
ing. She has broad, red face, and
weighs perhaps one hundred and eighty
pounds. and may be considered by
critical folk somewhat too red and rO-
bust in the matter of arm, and her
hair may be trife too thin, but vast
army of truckmen and cab drivers and
servants in the houses thereabouts. do
not consider these little matters as
drawbacks. Possibly the rumor that
she has. in long course of earning
wages and outstanding perquisites,
saved one thousand dollars, somewhat
mitigates the general severity of her
appearance, and lends charm to her
which mere beauty, never more than
skin deep, can not give. One thousand
dollars is not very large sum of
money to a banker or wholesale
merchant, but to hack driver, ambi-
tiOus to swindle on his own account in
stead of doing it for another, it is
great deal. It means hack of his
own and luxury. Likewise truckman
who pants to own his own establish
ment does not consider thousand dol
lars matter 70 be lightly considered.
Two men, both truckmen. essayed
the fair Hannah, and sought her hand
in marriage, which is honorable. One
was Seth Strawn and the other Henry
Peter. Hannah treated them both
well, and sat before them, with rigid
impartiality, portions of cold beef pre-
cisely alike. They never came the
same night, or if they did she was not
at home to the last conner. They were
both aware that they were both hated
rivals. they each knew that the other
was an aspirant for the hand of the
maiden, and they hated each other as
cordially as two men can hate. Men
may compete in business and still be
friendly. Generals may contend on
bloody fields and love each other, but
he who encounters another in the lists
of love must necessarily hate him.
Why it is so, is conundrum.
Both had proposed to her, and both
had urged her to be his. She liked
them both, and had told each that she
would be willing to marry them, only
Only what?
One evening she had them both to-
gether, and she explained from what
her hesitation sprang. She informed
them that they were mere employed
truckmen, and that their wages were
about one dollar and twenty-five
cents day, or possibly less.
With q sigh they assented by bowling
their heads, but Mr.. Strawn remarked
that it would probably be better as
soon as the times got better. Very
good. But it would make no differ
ence, as the price of beer would 60 up
correspondingly with the betterment of
the times. She would say nothing of
her savings. which might or might not
be large; but one thing she had deter
mined to never do-she would not
marry except it gave her independence.
Her mother made the fatal mistake of
wedding man who was journeyman
shoemaker in London, and the result
was that she (Hannah) was cook, in
stead of dwelling in gilded halls. She
did not wish to rise at once above her
present station, she should put on no
airs. she should cook her husbands
meals and mend his clothes, and make
her own, but he must at least have the
means in hand, when she married him,
to enable him to rise.
''In short, gentlemen" she contin-
ued, ''this is my decision. The man
who as my art, and consekently, nv
and, must hown is hown truck. and
be doin' bisnis on is hown haccount.
'Vich of you does this first may come
and claim me-"
Mr.. Henry Peter sank back and
groaned. He remarked that it would
take an eternity for him to get truck,
and he bid her . fearful farewell for
ever, and retired. An idea. probably
inspired by stern determination to
handle the one thousand dollars of
which she was the reputed possessor,
occurred to Mr.. Strawn, and he seized
her hand:
sHannah," he exclaimed, swat for
ME. You shall have me, and truck,
ere two days have passed over your
head. :" "a
The next day small street boy
knocked at thearea door and Hannah