News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-08-07
own color calling attention to her

! fOrty-flVe summers.
Under fire of vituperation from
Mrs. Barton's broadsides, Mrs
Blount and poor Melissy kept up {
search for the missing jewel whicl
lasted till noon, butno earring come
to light.
1t was with feelings of deep despair
that the mother and daughter saw
the angry woman with a determined
air snatch up broad -brimmed hat
overloaded with long white Ostrich
feathers, and set it upon her head
with the declaration that she was 90.
ing for a constable If their minds
had not been fully occupied with the
gravity of the situation they could
not have failed to see the ludicrous-
ness of her appearance as she waddled
down the walk to the gate, her pink
gown trailing in the dust and her
white feathers waving in the wind.
Descending the stairway, the suffer
ing woman encountered the head OF
the family, who met them with a
broad grin upon his face.
"She's gone for the cOnstable!'
they gasped simultaneously. Pater
familias only showed a wider expanse
of toothless gums.
Law sakes, Mosesp' calculated
Mrs. Blount, fixing upon herspouse a
frightened look. ooh, Miss it's
gone to your poor fathers head-it
always was weak-like" Then, as
though testing the truth of her own
words, she bent towards him and syl-
labicated, "MOses, did you hear what
| said? She's gone for the"
Constable" hesupplemented with
his customary readiness, while he
rubbed his hands gleefully together.
. Yes, | heerd; we'll have some fun
now. 'Tain't ev'ry day that body
can get fun for nothin', an tain t
everybody It has a cook with a crack
ed pate, an 'taint ev'ry constable
that gets such fine egame" A wink at
Melissy, and Moses Blount's face
was lost to sight behind a cotton
bandanna. The women exchanged
glances; each read in the others face
the same apprehension. At this juno
ture the grimness of the situation was
intensified by the arrival of Mrs. Bar
ton and the village constable.
There's the thief!'' painted the
woman as soon as she entered the
door, pointing at poor covering Me-
lissy
Sure, are eyou?" asked Mr.. Blount,
grinning out his query.
" If t aint her, whom tn nation
might it be?" said the officer, rough
ly.
" 1t might be you, an it might be
me, but it amt either one nor
t'other."
You old dolt, you-come to bus
nessl I'd have you to know, sir, that
I'm an officer of tn law an I'll not
have any foolin', sirI'
81 ben tfoOlin' constable; Pm Just
warnin' you not to be fast, it want
MISSY t stole Mis- Barton's ear
bob"
"Who was it then!' thundered the
man angrily.
General MacClellan," the old man
chuckled out.
"You old fool you" the gentleman
of the law roared 4 won't have any
o. your chaffin' General MacClel-
lan's about his business, and I'll imi-
tate his example an be about mine,"
and with these words he took Melissy
by the shoulder and was proceeding
to lead her off, when a signal from
Mr. Blount brought Janet upon the
scene of action. The latter was carry
ing a meal-board upon which lay a
half dissected fowl
"Here, Mr.. Constable, s tn thief
Just look in General MacClellan's
craw here and you'll find Mis- Bar
tons ear-bobl him an her was enc
mics, an when she deserted tn camp
hewas off with her ear-bob as booty"
The officer looked, saw, appeared
awkward, and growled, "The mis-
chiefp' The functionary then turned
upon his heels and departed, slam
ming the door very hard behind him.
The Hackeldorn girl had unwit-
tingly killed General Mcclellan while
he was recreating with the other
fowls, and thus a threatened tragedy
had ended in a comedy.
Mrs. Blount was frequently heard
to declare afterward that everything
in the world was made forsome good
even a cracked brain, "for," she
would add, lift had been the Oldest
Hackeldorn girl that was here stead
o Janet, General Mcclellan would
ha' been livin' an a-struttin' round
with a diamond in his craw while our
MISSY was bein' marched off to jail .
1t is unnecessary to add that the
Blounts missed the rapacious biped;
they remembered, however, when in
clined to mourn him, that in his re-
moval from the stage of life Melissy
had found deliverence from threat
ened calamity.-Arthur's Home Mag
azine.