The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-03-14
HOW MEHETABEL KISSED
FATHER O'TOOLE.

lished by subscription) the name OF OAR
Jus Pettigrew appears as one of the orig.
inal settlers of that staid town on the
banks of the lovely" Q dinnetucket; )" and
in the Riverton records the name of
" Darius Pettigrew," darius Pettigrew
II. -" Darius Pettigrew Ill.," and so on
down, appear often in highly respectable
and responsible positions; ever men Of
some small wealth and great uprightness
Of life and 6xedness Of purpose, with a
numerous lineage in which the family
name of Darius was always prominent,
until in the year of grace, 1889, the fam
lily bible bore witness to the marriage of
Darius Pettigrew VII, to Mehetabel Par
sons, daughter of Deacon Paraclate Par
sons and his wife Mehetabel Bement, and
one year afterward added to its list of
births the name of Mehetabel Pettigrew,
daughter Of Darius and his wife Mehet-
abel, and short fortnight later added to
the long list of deceased Pettigrews, as
given under the funereal urn and pretur-
naturally weeping willow at the head of
the page, that of Mehetabel, wife of DA
Jus VII, daughter of Deacon Paraclate
Parsons, and mother of the infant Mehet-
abel.
The name of Bement had been Beau
mont, probably in the beginning, and the
much-loved wife OF Darius VII. was in
life tall, dark, crimson-lipped WON an,
who might, so far as personal presence
went, have stepped from the Normandy
coast to the banks Of the Connecticut.
Darius Pettigrew VII. took the death of
his wife sorely to heart, and wrestled
with his great tribulation in truly Puri-
tan manner, imploring Divine assistance
to enable him to submit to the rulings of
Providence, and to subdue the cravings
of lonely heart, and so led grim and
solitary life, with an austere countenance
and relentless observance of al church
duties after the manner of the straitest
laced Of his sect. But despite faith and
good works Darius VII. grew old and
bent and grey haired before his time, and
finally passed away when the babe Me-
hetabel had grown to be vigorous dam
sci of eighteen, like her mother tall and
dark, but with the Pettigrew grey eyes,
and broad Of shoulder and muscular of
limb, more masculine than feminine in
form aud feature, save she had her moth
crimson mouth, with an arching up
per lip and full and tempting neither
companion, which had never belonged to
any man, so far as Riverton gossips knew,
for even the brief space of one kiss's
time.
Left thus early alone, mistress of some
score of thousands of dollars, and the old
Pettigrew house-a fine example Of New
England architecture with six lordlv
white Tuscan columns in front, and a
grassy orchard in the rear which ran
quite down to the waters edge, Miss Me-
hetabel dwelt alone for eight or ten years
after hel fathers death, and won for her
self great fame as the possessor of much
common sense and tongue sharper
than two edged sword. She was in
churchwork, groomed her own horse,
MIXED her own COW, and though her
tongue was not of the sort which is said
to have such intermediate connection as
to be able to run at both ends, still, when
Hit Pet as she grew in her days of
protracted maidenhood to be called, be
hind her back only-when "Hit Pet"
did open her mouth in the solemn con-
clave of the sewing circle or tea fight, a
deep silence fell on those about her for
all knew that the deadliest stabs in the
contest and most undisguised words were
to issue thence.
The education of Mehetabei had been
given in the very best Riverton form, and
included nothing OF graceful womanly
things every precept was hard, cold, and
practical. The sharply thorn.crowned
religious beliefs of her race trasfxed her
soul at the age OF 10, but her profession
of faith hardly added noticeable rigor
to her demeanor, and certainly left the
fountains OF tender charity in her heart,
II such, indeed, there were, wholly sealed
within the flinty recesses of that vigor-
ously healthy organ.
Mehetabeps course of reading en-
braced rather more than was usual among
New England maidens of her date, but
1t was all on one side, and the religious
intolerance which was hers by inheritance
found sweet sustenance in Early Chris
tian Martyrs" and retained its original
form Of pure unadulterated hatred for
all beliefs save those Of her own particu.
lar sect, never to be in the least contain
mated by one pulsation of tolerance or
forgiveness. In her mind there was but
one right way, and that was her way,
which was the way of her father, and OF
their fathers before them, from the earl
lest history of Rivorton down to the DAYS
which held the momentus events herein
set forth.
At the age of II, Miss Pettigrew, feel
ing that it was not good for so manly
woman as herself to be alone, took to her
heart and board and hearthstone Miss
Eunice Benson, far-removed cousin,
spinster, with hollow chest, a very long
fat waist, knuckley hands. and weak eyes,
with red-rimmed lids, with whom she
lived in great solace, providing the said
Eunice with many comforts, ard scold-
ing and bullying her on all occasions to
her hearts content.
Meantime in spite of the doubts of pro.
gress Of any sort for the las. hundred
years which came SO prominently before
the minds Of all strangers visiting River
ton, some things really did occur in that
messy and rock-rooted old place; among
others q railway was built which ran be-