Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-08-13

about, would shy a stone and smash win
dow; or half dozen would play Aunt Sally
with the red chimney pot, or rush and scuffls
about in the little garden. And in the grow
ing weather the weeds came up around tho
door, and the moss would quietly steal into
crevices Of walls and roof And in the win
ter rain would beat in the windows aforesaid,
or the snow would melt on the roof and drip
through, carrying the ceiling down and leav-
ing the skeleton Of the house with no flesh on
its bones. So garden and house, windows
and ceilings were all going TO the bad to-
gether, and at last we called the place Tum-
bledown Farm; and we used to say that even
the rats knew better than to live in Tumble
down Farm.
One day, however, my boy, who was up to
his eyes in gossip, came rushing in, basket in
hand, and called out, "The farms takenp
"Tumbledown Farmr l said. "Neverr
"rve seen the people," cries he; ian old
fellow in nightcap and pectacles-hoorayl
and young lady in. Oh, myr'
"No more than two in family, Bobi" l
asked.
"Only two," he replied. sand to see him!
Hoorayl And to see herl oh, myl
Heard the name, Bobf'
Hardware"
Sand have you heard anything else,
Bobg
"Nothing else, sir"
"Bob," said l, what business is this of
yours? Attend to your duties and deliver
your medicines. Can l ever teach you to
think about your work and leave other peo
pie alonel Bob,n l said, ''you will never
rise. But if your profession was anything
sinful, you would take to it, and work your
| way up"
For, you see, the boy was an orphan; so !
used to talk to him like a father, and hear
him his catechism on Sunday afternoon
besides)
Mysterious tenants these new comers
turned out. AS for the old man, he scarcely
ever went outside his little garden, and all
we knew about him amounted to this: hs
was tall, decrepit, with long white beari
and heavy spectacles, and seemed in wretchrd
health But his daughter came into the vii
lage almost every day, and soon became
well known character.
She was q striking young woman. From
what afterward learned her age can hardly
have been more than twenty two, but she
looked six years older. Her figure was that
of one in the fullness of womanhood, her bust
the most shapely ever saw, and her neck
and head wonderfully graceful. She was
mindful of the beauty of her figure, and wore
her shawl cleverly so as to sec herself off;
and she knew THAT she had pretty pair of
feet, and let other people know it, too. Her
step was quick, and her carriage lively and
alert. She had the whitest skin possible,
handsome face, boldly cut, and two dark
eyes easier noticed than forgotten. No doubt
you will say this catalogue would set up half
| dozen women in the beauty business, and if
were painting heroine might be satisfied
with something less; but 1 soberly assure
| you that time after time, when she went by
my store, have said to myself, II have seen
handsome duchess, and score of handsome
| dairy maids; but, duchess or dairy maid,
your like never saw. And how is it, miss
or ma'am," would think, "that, living in
that shabby home, you can afford to wear
boots as spruce and new as if those feet of
yours were shoemaker's patterns set out in a
| shop windows"
Remember, I admired this young woman's
| appearance, and that was all. Something in
| her manner gave me a turn against her.
There was wickedness in her eyes-l express
myself awkwardly, but my way of putting
Won looked into them vour own were fas-
tenod for a Inoment and in withdrawing
your glance YOU seemed to draw the wicked
ewes after Won. Not that she tried any arts
on me. gray-beard as was; but l could see
| how she laid herself out. to fascinate others.
and succeeded. Upon consideration, I put
her down for an actress. Evidently she had
been at some work that had made her easy
and familiar. and had rubbed the bushes off
her cheeks, Perhaps she never crossed the
line that divided proprietv from improprietv,
but she was nrettv well used to skating close
| to the thin ice, if may so speak.
Our rector, who made point of calling on
every new parishloner, poor or rich, very
soon found his way to Tumbledown Farm.
Rector, gentleman born, never asked i'm
pertinent questions, but had such knack of
extracting information that, without any ap-
pearance of curiosity, he would find out all
about a man-from his own lips, too. In
this case, however, he came home as wise as
lie went, and no wiser. 1t had slipped out
through the postmaster, l believe-that the
new comer's name was Hardware; and
when, by way of commencing conversation
about them, I asked the rector one morning