The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-02-04

"HE."
What the Telephone Revealed to
Aunt Sophronia.
John King lived three miles out Of the
town Oh Stanton, in the country. He was
bright young fellow, who owned q pro.
ductive farm, with all the stock his acres
could feed, and pleasant old house; vet
he found it hard to persuade pretty Martha
Carter to marry him. She liked him; he
had coaxed that confession from her own
rosy lips, but she was young, gay, very
fond OF society and the only child Of
widow; 1t was the old lilt,
" Gamma leave my nanny yeti"
and John King, who was ten times as much
in love with her as she with him, was
well-nigh distracted. As his Aunt Sophro.
mia, maiden lady who kept house for him,
said:
sHe amt good for nothin'. wish't he
was married an done whit, and was
safe back to Elnathau's. He don't remem-
ber nothin'. send in to Stanton by him for
agoiu', and he don't never fetch one Of
them, without set to and give him writ
out list and pin 1t onto his coat. Nor he
don't care nothin' about the critters; Hiram
has to do the hull ont; and to leave costly
critters like them to hired help amt what
q man had ought to do. Not but what Hi
is real reliable, but John don't take no
intrest not mitel''
It was all true. John was good for no
sort Of work as long as Mary Carter turned
the cold shoulder to him; but after q year
Of persistent courting she began to show Q
gentler countenance to her devoted lover;
he began to hope.
About that time telephone company set
up its Office at Stanton. and sent its spider
threads all abroad over the surrounding
country; and it struck John Stanton that
here was another way to make his home
could establish communication every hour
with the village, even oftener IL it was
needed SO that she need not be so separated
from her mother as she had dreaded-Mrs.
Carter being wise enough to refuse home
with her son-in-law.
So John had telephone put into the
t'keepn'-room" Of the farmhouse, and
told Matte the very next Sunday night
that whenever she made up her mind to ac-
cept him he would place one in her moth
er's parlor, so they could talk together
whenever they liked.
It was not so much this expensive atten-
tion that softened the little beauty's heart
as the proof it gave Of Johns eagerness to
do every thing and any thing for her COM
fort or pleasure, and, as she was more ambi-
tious aud selfish than afIectionate, she be-
gan to feel that it was ayreea BILE to be Q
queen.
However, this is not q love story. Matty
is only introduced to account for the tele-
phone Now, about two miles beyond John
King there lived q family Of Millers, con-
sistinr OF two elderly men, Aaron and
Joseph Miller. and woman little older
than either Of them, as their housekeeper.
These men were farmers, but they had
had thrown dam across wild brook that
crossed their farm just where 1t dashed
through small, deep valley, and, obtain
ing o good water power, had built grist
and saw mill, which brought them in more
money than all the rest oAthe farm.
Miss Sophronia Perkins, John Kings
aunt, whom we have already mentioned,
hated these neighbors thoroughly; what
reason or unreason there was for this feel
ing on her part, nobody knew; but there
was enough in the outward aspect Of the
men to account for rational measure Of
dislike In any woman; they were tall, stur-
dirty always; stingy with their money, un-
social in their manners, and the woman
who worked for them had an unsavory
reputation.
The Miller farm, lying far back from the
high-road behind black hemlock grove,
on plateau half way up certain rugged
hills was the sort Of Q place novelist
would select for q robbery or murder, so
adapted was the mise en- scene to suggest
such ideas, and so At was the aspect Of the
two Millers to their place Of abode.
But there are many just such men and
inst such desolate farm-houses In New
England. and no crime worse than greed
and selfshness enters their hearts or
homes.
The Miller brothers were proverbially
kins ever Imagined any harm of them.
They were ''curus actin creturs," or
.'smart ut sixpences;'' nothing worse was
laid to their charge.
When Aaron Miller heard that John
King had put in telephone, he saw di.
rectly the advantage the instrument would
be to them in their daily increasing busi-
ness, and after due consideration with ice
the wire was extended to their mill, and
proved daily convenience; for they had q
flour and feed store In Stanton which
Joseph attended to, going In early every
morning and driving back at night. Now
he could send out orders to Aaron as soon
as they came in, notify him OF the arrival
ut the station Of grain for their grinding,
or transact directly any matter Of bust
ness heretofore necessarily delayed till he
reached the farm Ut evening.
After the telephone was put In At John
Kings, Miss Sophronia found II . grest
solace to her loneliness, nightly enjoying
the few moments Of daily gossip with hel
sriends in the village who happened to b,
possessed OF an instrument. In fact, 4
was TO her like new toy to solitary
child, I'D when the line was extended h
Millers' Mills, and she learned their call
she usod her listener for the unworth.
purpose of listening TO her neighbors 81
fairs.
i own that this was neither an homes
nor an honorable proceeding on 6ophro
mia . Jn,rt. do not mean to apologize fos
II, bit, as the papers ssys there were 'sx