Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1895-05-23

DOrS.
"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 everything he does. He throws
things over into our yard, leases Willie
and makes faces at me."
Next time l see him pick on Willie
III give him another licking, sug-
gested Larry.
You'll do nothing of the kind,
exclaimed his mother Don't you
remember the talking to | gave you
the other time you had that fight with
him ?"
Lawrence remembered the mild re-
buke, and his inward resolution was
not changed. Tom Deakin went for
his pipe, oppressed with the thought
that he had been very unluclsy in his
selection of neighbors.
These complaints had come to him
day after day from the downtrodden
members of his family.
The feud had grown from thousand
aggravating circumstances.
Suppose Morton Burnett TO be on
the fence. His mother would open
the back door and say loud enough to
make herself heard through the open
windows of the Deakin house: "Morty,
get down from that fence Haven't |
told you about that?"
Mrs. Deakin would hear and UNDER
stand. Then she would wait her op-
portunity to appear on the back stOop
and retaliate.
In summer time, when both women
were out of doors much of the time,
they occasionally exchanged glances
which were more significant than any
thing they could have said.
When Mrs. Burnett put out her
washing 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. Deakin: "Aha, we have a cot
tage organ in our house, but you have
Mt any in yours.
Mrs. Deakin had frequently in
formed Tom that the Burnett organ
was cheap, secondhand thing.
One day, when Mrs Deakin came
home from a funeral in a covered car
riage, 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 chill
dren all that they heard at the supper
table. Mrs. Burnett knew that she
was being reported to Mrs. Deakin,
and Mrs. Deakin felt 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 fence, clothes line
and garbage-box issues.
Alice Burnett started to run across
the street one day in front Of dellv-
cry wagon. She fell, scrambled to her
feet again and horses knee struck
her in the back again. She fell on the
block pavement and lay quiet.
Mrs. Deakin saw it all from her
front window. She ran into the street
and gathered the muddy child in her
arms. The frightened driver had left
his wagon, and he followed her timid-
" to the front door of the Burnett
house.
Mrs. Burnett screamed and then
began to cry.
Run for a doctor, you loony, said
Mrs. Deakin to the driver as she
placed the limp little body on a bed
and then ran for cold water and cloths.
When the girl opened her eyes she
found her mother on one side, Mrs.
Deakin on the other, while a reassur-
ing physician smiled at her over the
footboard.
"She's a little jolted up and bumped
her head when she fell, but it was
mostly shock" he said.
Law me-" gasped Mrs Deakin,
"when I saw that child fall my heart
Just went into my throat. Don't cry
Alice, you amt a bit hurt. The doc
tor says I can put some more pOultice