Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-14
a RUSTIC COMEDY.


1Isrs wss half century ego only one
/; conl6 rtabls.lcokipg building. 1t was
noue 81 the dwellings Of the coal and
JIn<~csrters, the hedgers and ditch
~, or the drsiners. who formed the
blk Of the population, for their Low
! dfooping roofs, mended here and there
( With tarpaulin, spoke too eloquently
q dsnp, draught. and overprcssure
Il was not the red-tiled crofthoust
Inhabited By Willie Allan, the clever,
lazy. kindly, cock.fghting. dog.
fSncyipg, boxing, wrestling, swimming,
bst-kecping tenant OF the little farm
for bachelordom and neglect hsd COM
bined with willie's devotion to hobbies
Of one kind and another to create OF J.
and It's surroundings On embodiment OF
picturesoue disorder; II was not the
efeat austere-looking, square-built PRES
bvterisn meeting house, with It's prison
IKE walls and narrow windows; lar
less was Il the slated, shabby-genteel
manse. for in cold weather the effect Of
fh1 vhitewash upon it was to threaten
the SPECTATOR with . fit Of the ague. No
On any gusty day in November, when the
very trees on the hilltops seemed to
have turned their shivering backs to
The breeze that whistled through their
branches and whirled away their red.
tinted leaves in a madcap dance, and
the diminutive cot-houses looked almost
Is though crouching to escape the blast
which the gsunt old manse faced in
haggsrd despair, the I" Red Lion inn
alone. with its comfortable overcoat Of
impsrvious thatch, retained its aspect
of quiet comfort, and toward evening
the rudy glare of its kitchen-fire
pressipgly invited the toil-worn cotters
to forsake their scolding wives and
bfawling children, their scanty fires aud
draughty houses, and enjoy its comfort
able wamth. And often at the same
time there would be light at one OF
the two attic.windows that peered out
from the roof like pair Of open gray
eyes from under lids Of thatch. For
one Of these attic.rooms was the Ia
yoriie resort Of Adam Black, the
thriving publican Of Blackford. Hither
ct night did he often resort, if business
was dull down below, to smoke his pipe,
to think over his plans, and to calcu-
late bis ipgoings and outgoings; for
rs he would sometimes remark, ut
took deal Of worry for man as could
neither read nor write to keep a true
reckoning" and Adams natural abili
ties had not been frightened up BY
education.
That did not hinder him from being
greatly liked and respected in Black.
ford. The worst that could be said
about him was that he was rather hard
and as matter Of fact there was little
softness in his nature, though he never
failed to greet his customers with {
smile and Jest, and if the smile was
little mechanical, and the jest the worse
for wear, it mattered little to quiet
country folk, who were not ashamed t
laugh at the twentieth repetition of
witticism. And it was everywher,
agreed that he kept a model public
house--never, for instance, allowing
any fighting to 90 on in conspicuous
place. bat forcing the combatants to
have it out, if they really business
in secluded back yard, where they
could black each others eyes with the
most perfect safety and comfort. Any
man might 60 to the " Red Lion " with
the assurance that he would not bt
made fool Of. Adam knew the drink
ing capacity Of every full-grown male in
the neighborhood of Blackford, ant
would let none transgress his limit
or, If an accident did happen, generally
managed to avoid anything in the nature
of public exhibition. And besides
the villagers all knew him to be, in theil
own language, as game as bantam
At times Adam might in bargain
making show himself not over scrupu
lousy above board, and, generally
speaking, what he could get he took
but nevertheless he steered notably
clear of paltry meannesses, and be was
known to be stubbornly faithful to al
his friends--a man, on the whole, with
. conscience not too troublesome, bu
far from dead.
In domestic life Adam was marti
net. He ruled his son Aleck, his red.
haired servant Bet, and even his niece
Kitty with a rod Of iron. Prompt
obedience was the unwritten law Of
the household. Only Kitty, beside:
being the smartest, prettiest, and clev'
crest girl in Blackboard, was so way
ward and spirited that not even hel
uncle, who liked her better than hi
liked anybody else IN the world, was
able TO keep her entirely under control
il was grest grief to Adam when
he found out that Kitty was in amood
70 throw herself away upon Willie
Allan. Not that he disliked Willie
! nobody could do that--but he thought
him unlikely to be good husband
that, is q thriving one, able to keep hi;
family comfortable-fo he never CAV,
his mind to bis business, but wastet
his time over what Adam sometime;
called his menagerie, for the croft
house was almost Noah's ark in it:
way, The chance visitor was certain
to find at every season Of the year {
litter Of pups before the kitchen fire
and an old owl and still more
ancient maybe carried on an uncea
sing struggle for the fayorite percl
ADORE the kitchen clock. Wha
had once been the best bed
room was converted into fight fol
canaries, and there were always hang
ing about cages containing finches. lin
nets, thrushes, blackbirds, and ever
spsrIows, for Willie was a noted ex
pesimentalist in the art Of crossing, ant
copid show an assortment Of tn,
most sirspgely-marked hybrids. Tn,
kssden was stocked with bees and tn,
BAN with Russian rabbits. Twenty
different kinds Of fancy poultry wer,
allowed TO spoil the crops, and tn
dovecotc was Inhabited by as many va
risties ofpigeons. In the pigsty he had
tsne badger, and there was litter o
foxes In one clubhouse and an otter il
another. Whatever had life had
deep interest for Willie as il had had
0eop interest for his father before him