The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-12-02

a iew little warts, always found on the
finest specimens. Mrs. Appleby's crit
ical Judgment was satisfied. She could
have found larger but no moro per-
iect specimen in her garden at home.
It was left on its trellis, not without
considerable anxiety lest some daring
burglar should break into the bnck yard
at night. until the growing chill OF the
autumn nights and some slight irosts
suggested other dangers, when, with
much ceremony and step ladder, the
whole family standing about with anX'
ious countenances and uplllted hands
lest it should be dropped, all profierinS
advice and aid, the pumpkin crop was
for wonder, safely harvested.
But so long had it been an object not
merely OF admiration, but of tender
solicitude, that its disposition now was
a matter OF considerable difficulty. To
shut it up in dark store room with
barrels, boxes, jugs, jars, and bottles,
potatoes, canned goods, and the mis-
cellauy sof unused kitchen utensils,
seemed a Dissertation. Who knew
whether its tender sensibilities would
be wounded or TO what extent 1t might
suffer forlack OF human companionsh'p Z
The final result was that it was placed
on stand in the bay window, where,
with its shining but not very express
sive face, it gazed out upon the street
and naturally attracted much attention.
The comments were curious, often
amusing, and sometimes annoying.
Whether it was q real pumpkin, whether
the Applebys had raised it, and II so,
what for? where questions much dis:
cussed. especially by gamins and coloredi
women. ooh, I've seen lots bigger,
and "De Law sRkesl Fob I'd have
such thing in my window" were the
disrespectfuI remarks sometimes over
heard.
Many people insisted that it was
wax, and as an artificial object cheer
fully praised its realism. An artist had
sketched it and students modelled it in
clay. For blocks around the Applebys
were botanicaly classified as the
pumpkin family" Mr.. a, who as
young man had imagined himself
poot-N stretch Of fancy not equalled in
any of his verse--had prepared metri-
cal tribute, anticipating the final scene,
| full OF illusions to sacred plants and
and legendary lore, and mystical non
sense about "Druid priests" and Sac
rificial frs, transformation and organic
union OF the lower nature with a high
or, and the conversion oil matter into
tho very substance OF thought.
But rs Thanksgiving day drew near.
the idea of cutting up, cooking and de-
vouring this beautiful creature became
to Mrs. Appleby more and moro re-
pulsive. She began to offer various ex-
cuses. Her oven was in bad order. She
hadn't this and she hadn't that She
had lost her old skill and she knew the
pies would be n complete failure.
Finally she said fatty, she couldn't and
she wouldn't. She would almost as
soon cut up ono OF the children for
mincemeat OF course the family all
laughed, but they did not tease her SO
much "a she had expected. In truth,
they more than halt shared her feeling
and quite respected it.
Thanksgiving had come and gone,
but the pumpkin maintained its place
OF honor. 1t could not stay there for
ever, OF course, but they need not yet
decide its ultimate fate. But one morn
ing, as they gathered in the sitting
reom, they were all impressed with a
sense that something was wanting,
though for n time the feeling did not
take definite shape. Finally some one
asked what had become Of the pumpkin.
Mrs. Appleby looked with sudden
sinking OF the heart. Some one had
carried it to the kitchen or storeroom,
but inquiry failed to confirm the
hypothesis. An examination showed
that the window had not been fastened
tho night before. piece OF negligence
not inirequent in this family. But
Mrs. AppIeby would not admit the pos
sibility OF theft until she had examined
every possible and impossible place
several times. Then she sat down and
wept.
Suspicion fell at once upon a certain
boy of the neighborhood, who,
day or two before, had tried to negoti-
ate trade with ono OF the Appleby
boys. He had made the tempting offer
OF an old broken.bladed knife, three
glass alleys and dozen ''coneys," and
had had been rather rudely repulsed.
Meaning to use it for Jack-o-lantern
he could not very well conceal his
booty; but reasoning that all pumpkins
were pretty much alike, and that iden-
titication would be very difficult, he
boldly exhibited it, claiming that he
Ind got it at tho market. Market in-
deed! This was an insult almost more
eXasperating than the theft.
Naturally the boys parents believed
him. They had never known him to
steal or lie, they said, with some indig-
nation. The Applebys retorted, truth
fully but unwisely, that everybody else
in the ueighborhood had. The result
was bad blood, hasty epithets, the in
tervention of a policeman, who marched
the boy TO the police conrt, followed by
the corpus deficit, the angry parents and
Iaa miscellaneous and expectant crowd.
LAWYERS were summoned and there was
great display OF forensic ability.
Tho defence made tremendous effort
to snow that this was case OF mistaken
identity, but all in vain. Mrs. Appleby
knew every. wart, spot and wrinkle as
well as the birth marks on her children,
and the other members OF the family
were equally positive. No cross-exami-
nation could shake them in the smallest
particular. The whole history of the
plant was narrated, and it is from the
court record that Ihave taken many OF
the details OF this story.
OF course there could DO but one con-
clusion. A small fine was imposed on
the bad boy, which his father, inveigh.
ing against the injustice OF the law,
gloomily paid,
The Applebys meant to be modest,
but they could not repress some signs
of elation. They were about to take
their property and retire when tho just