Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1895-05-09
TAURMONT, Frederick County, Maryland, Thursday May g. 1885,

was operated from the start through the
children.
There were two Deakin children, Law
renee, or Larry. aged ten, and little
Willie, who, at the tender age of three,
had learned to regard the Burnett tribe
with scorn and hatred and suffer, to
some degree, under the indignities heap.
ed upon his family by that arch fend Of
Ijuvenility, Morton Burnett.
For when the Deakins sat around the
supper table and cast up the accounts
of the day it was Larry who posed as
the persecuted ond abused child, while
Morton Burnett was pictured as an in
fant of dark intents, headed straight for
the Bridewell,
,IfI was a man, Tom Deakin, said
tho wife, I'll warrant you I'd 60 over
to that house and give notice that things
are simply going too far. Today that
boy got up on the fence and called Law.
renee ell kinds of names.'
He said that his mother said that ma
didn't haye clothes fit to wear sugges'
ted Lawrence,who had begun to breathe
hard during the recital Of his grieY-
ances.
Anyway don't try to make myself
look like peacock every time start
to church, said Mrs. Deakin.
This comparison of Mrs. Burnett tick
led the children and they laughed i'm.
moderately. Tom Deakin restrained
them with quiet "tut. tut and said
that the proper way to get along was
to pay no attention to the neighbors.
I'D like to know how you can do it,
said his wife. THAT boy is up to some
mischief every hour Of the day. and his
mother seems to encourage him in every.
thing be does. He throws things in our
yard, leases Willie and makes faces at
me-
Next time see him pick on Willie
I'll give him another licking, Suggested
Larry.
You'll do nothing Of the kind ex.
claimed his mother. Don't you remem.
Der the talking to gave you the other
time you had the fight with himT
Lawrence remembered the mild re-
buke and his inward resolution was not
changed. Tom Deakin went for his pipe
with the thought that he had been very
uulucky in his selection Of neighbors.
These complaints had come to him
day after day from the down.trodden
members OF his family.
The feud had grown from thousand
aggravating circumstances.
Suppose Morton Burnett we're on the
fence. His mother would open the back
door and say loud enough to make her.
self heard through the open windows of
the Deakin house: 'Morty, get down
from that fence. Haven't I told you
about thatT
Mrs. Dsakin would hear and under
stand. Then she would wait her oppor.
tunity to appear on the back stoop and
retaliate.
In summertime when both women
were out of doors much of tho time,
they occasionally exchanged glances
which were more significant than any
thing they could have said.
When Mrs. Burnett put out her wash
| ing she knew that Mrs. Deakin was
watching her and counting the number
of pillow slips and table cloths.
When Mrs. Burnett came to the back
door and called out, Come, Alice, dear,
and practice your music lesson it was
equivalent to saying to Mrs. Deakln:
Aha, we have cottake organ in our
house, but you havn't any in yours
Mrs. Deakin had frequently informed
Tom that the Burnett organ was cheap
second. hand thing.
One day, when Mrs. Deakin came
home from funeral in covered car
riape. there was CONSERVATION in the
Burnett family, and accounts were not
fairly balanced until the new coat of
paint was put on the Burnett house.
The Deakin children told the Bur
nett children all that their mother had
said about the probable character of
Mrs. Burnett. Likewise the Burnett
children repeated to the Deakin children
all that they heard at the supper table.
Mrs. Burnett knew that she was being
reported to Mrs. Deakin, and Mrs. Dea
kin telt it to be her duty to learn what
the viperish thing had been saying.
Frank Burnett and Tom Deakin became
convinced each that the others family
was probably more to blame over the
tence clothes. line and garbage.box issue.
Allie Burnett started to run across
the street one day in front of delivery
wagon. She fell. scrambled to her feet
L L