The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1895-05-01
was to pay no attention to the neigh


his pipe, oppressed with the thought
that he had been very unlucky 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 q 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 fenceI Haven't L
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
haven't 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 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 1t 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.
Allie Burnett started to run across
the street one day in front of deliv-
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-
ly to the front door of the Burnett
house.
Mrs. Burnett screamed and then
began to cry.
''Run for a doctor, you loony, Z"
said Mrs. Deakin to the driver as she
placed the limp little body on a bed
and then ran for cold water aud 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 little jolted up and bumped
her head when she fell, but it was
mostly shock" he said.
"Law mel" gssped Mrs. Deakiu,
"when saw that child fall my heart
just went into my throat. Don't cry,
Allie, you amt bit hurt. The doe
tor says can put some more poultice
on your bad old bump"
''Pll get it, " said Mrs. Burnett.
''No, you sit still. You are as pale
az a ghost.
That is how it happened that Frank
Burnett, coming home from the works
by the back way, found in his kitchen
the hated vixen, the trainer of GRIM
inals, the woman without character
Mrs. Deakin.
She told him what had happened
and begged him not to frighten his
wife, as there wasn't any real dan
ger.
Mr.. .Deakin was likewise surprised
upon arriving home. Supper was not
ready and his wife had gone over to
the enemy. He went after and was
taken in.
Mrs. Deakin told him she couldn't
come home because Mrs. Burnett was
all upset, and some one would have to
take care of the child. So Mr.. Deakin
and his two boys ate acold lunch with
Mr.. Burnett and his boy.
Mr.. Burnett sent Morton out to get
two cigars, and while the women
sat by the bed in the front
room the men sat in the back room
and smoked, while the three boys,
awed by the revolution, kept very
quiet.
"lf Morton ever bothers you, Mr..
Deakin," said Mr.. Burnett, "you
just let me know, and I'll tend to
him.
81 was just going to say to you that
Larry's apt to be too gay now and
then, and if 1 ever hear of him pick
ing on your children I'll make hum
remember it.
In the front room Mrs. Burnett was
thanking Mrs. Deakin, who was hop
ing that her children had never both
cred Mrs. Burnett very much. The
little girl went to sleep and the Deak-
in family went home.