The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-01-10
SPARKS DIVORCE
He Got Instead a Now Dress for
His Wife.

rarad SHARKS came over to my house
carly that morning. Jared Is my
neighbor aud a good man TO know, II
he Is a little peculiar. He owns a com
fortabIe little farm and he and his wife,
Mehitable, fave lived OF II ever since
/ was born, for they are as old as my
~narents. They never had any children,
and like all married people who are
50 unfortunate, they have got some
What soured and, sometimes, B3g Y q
lack Of human sympathy thht4ieads
them into finding fault with each
other. / have great sympathy for
people who have no children 70 plan
Tor and worry about, for they get into
4 habit Of being selfish and fauit-tnd-
inn % 4 degree that makes them, as q
usual. thing. not the ~pleasantest people
a tbe world to live with. So II hap
pened that Jared and Mehitable had an
occasional difference Of opinion, and
~ neither OF them could turn TO the
children for sympathy, they had q
fashion Of telling their troubles to the
neighbors. As | am the nearest
they have, | am the recipient OF a good
many u their sorrows
Jared Is the most omnivorons reader
/ ever knew. lie exhausted my library
long ago,a aud my new books, whatever
they may treat 81, are read by him
with avidity. Anything Jared secs In
print he takes'to be the gospel truth,
or else an unmitigatcd falsehood. There
Is ID middle ground with him, and his
iudpmentsis his only criterion. With
him Robinson Crusoe Is history, for, he
argues, mo man could tell q lie and
have ii sound so much like the truth,
and Dr.. sllmon's Investigations Of the
swine plague are a tissue of fabrica-
tions, because, he says, they don't
stand to reason" A consular report
or the statistics Of ohio are just a.
rrcedily read as the latest novel; and
anything in print Jared dcyours with a
patient and conscientious diligence
That IS interesting / don't know why
lie puts 30 much faith in my opinion,
unless II is becanseshe thinks anyone
who ''has writ things that has been
printed into the papers. ID, infallible,
but the fact remains that he consults
me on every occasion, from the plant
ing of potatoes to the proper way to.
vote.
From this Ii will be seen that the
appearance of Jared at my house at
any time of the day was not a thing to
cause remark. ] was out by the stable
feeding some chickens when he came
up and gave me greeting. ] knew as
soon as ! saw him that there was some
thing Of an extraordinary nature on
hand, but was careful not to betray
my, knowledge, for Jared Ii inclined TO
be queer, and ! never anticipate when
he Il around, for usually the thing l
expects not the one he has In mind;
so ! merely said; Good morning. =
One evidence that something out Of
the usual course OF affairs had brought
Jared over TO see me-, was his appear
ance. lie was dressed in his best suit
i think 1t was his wedding suit,
though | never asked him about 1t, but
know he never wears it except to go
to meeting. Jared is not a church
member, but It has been the rule of his
life to 60 to the quarterly meetings of
the Methodist church in the neighbor-
hood, aud have the elder home with
him to dinner after the Sunday serv-
ices. If the elder comes he gives liber-
ally when the contribution is taken up;
If he goes with some one else, Jared
cuts down the appropriation. As the
best suit is only brought into use once
in three months, and is laid off before
anything else is done when he gets
home, 1t shows but,little signs of wear
more than 1t did when, as a boy, ! won
dered II l should ever be able to appear
in as princely array as his. The silk
hat that goes with this suit has been in
style a number of times since / can re-
member, and it is good for several
more cycles Of the mutations OF fash
ion. The long-skirted broadcloth coat
and pantaloons to match are still
black, but are beginning to get some
what shiny at the seams, and the
square-toed calf-skin boots are free
from patches, though they show the eff
fects Of age.
Jared returned my greeting In a
rather constrained manner and fdgeted
around Us II not knowing what to say.
ut is wonderful how chickens grow
nAtSA shS5 go SsdAt, dtA NJ LIZ BAN
at last.
/ said it was, aud branched out tc
give. him a chance to pull himself to
gsther. for / we'll knew he did not come
over to talk about chickens.
Coin to set out any Strawberries
this fall?" was his next remark
mo, ! shall wait till next spring, Al
find they do better, or my clay ground,
when started in the spring. Are yor
going to set some?
'IAdunno," he answered, as il ii
doubt # had calkilatAd on settin'
few down by the ditch where the
ground don't heaye with the frost, bui
the way things is goin' / don't know
who would tend EN-, an / guess IL
give 1t up"
He was getting around to the sub
ject on hand now, and began to won
der if he was thinking Of selling hi
farm.
DO YOU think p going away2'
asked
Yes he hesitatedi = guess IN q
west"
Il be had sand he guessed" he wouls
lake a trip TO Europe ! should no
have been more surprised. for I locke,
upon him as a fxtureNi in the neighbor
hoed ~.
"What have you got now?n / asked
an Mehitabie has quit, he an
swered.
eParted2 asked what's the par
ticular trouble2n
Same old thing" he answered