The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-08-08
LITTLE NEIGHBOR.

n Our first encounter with our little neigh
boEiuc6 mn when we were looking over
il. The cror ,,etory to taking it. It's
ne largest ever or, ,se, built into the side
lof harms wav great bank comes on
he crop of wheat a1f it, faced with brick
lnts, perhaps 20.s chimneys There is
tler than was expe9ith the house on one
side, The best hcr.1ck wall on'two others,
and on the fourth a privet hedge and the
road, and all up the brick wall run great
ropes Of Ivy. There Is another garden be-
hind on level with the roof, TO which one
goes out of the yard by some brick steps,
and by the gable and chimneys visible over
the fence Of this we first became aware Of
our neighbours existence.
My wife liked the oddness Of the place
1t was house with character of its own.
"This queer little attic garden" said she,
sis delightful will smother it with red
and white poppies next year"
"There Is some ones orchard runs down
TO the wall and overlooks the front Of our
house." said /, $50 that we may have
people looking down our chimneys and in
specting the dinner. That's rather dis
advantage. These are apple and plum
frees."
! went to the palings and found these
were thickly studded with nails along the
top. The fence was too high to see over.
We came down the steep brick steps
again, and Mariana went into ecstasies
about the hall. She would have a yellow
paper and brown paint, and her aunt's
heirlooms, two small water colors by Bir-
kett Foster, along the wall.
At last we drifted into the front garden
again.
"In the place of the flower BEDS" said
!, II would prefer turf"
"It would be easy to recast the garden, T"
said my wife. but we mustn't touch all
that splendid IVY Then she stopped for
moment, and then came queer change
In her voice. George" she said, 1--WE are
overlooked"
glanced at her quickly, and saw she
was looking at the top Of the high wall
that overhung house and garden, and that
she had a startled expression in her eyes.
Following her gaze, had my first glimpse
Of our little neighbor.
He had just been looking down upon us
and was turning away, SO that all caught
was his shoulder, his ears and the top OF
his head as he receded He wore blush
coat-but seemingly old and greasy-and
/ Judged from the curve of his shoulder
! that he was a hunchback. There was a
black skullcap on his head, and it seemed
TO me that he had no hair.
looked at Mariana. Her brows were
knit "Horrid little creaturel" she said
IT scarcely saw him." said L
"He was looking down at us.
~ suppose we're interesting to him as
we're going to be his neighbors.
"But did you see his facet"
To Judge by Mariana's expression it was
not very pleasant face.
apparently" said I, "he's-what is iti
--piebaldp No-albinoP'
"He's horridp said Mariana.
"But this" said l, lis digression. We
we're speaking of turf here and garden
chair"
IT don't like his face" said Mariana,
and looked up again. She was so much
put out that for some time she would not
return to the subject of our arrangements,
but kept repeating that our little neighboi
was an ugly little creature. had to show
signs of vacillation in the matter Of the
sideboard before could get her mind away
from this individual over the wall And
after Mariana had taken the fullest adyan
.tage Of my weakness in that matter she re
turned TO him Immediately.
"You will ask the agent who he isp" she
said--twioe. "Somehow l don't like the
thought of him as neighbor."
So said to the house agent, "Who is
the gentleman in blue that we saw looking
down from the wallY''
The agent started and looked at me.
"That's difficult question" he said. III
hardly comes in my province"
Then l asked him what neighbors WI
had above the wall. a gentleman nam
cd Hanotaux, fancy" said the agent
"A literary gentleman, SO understood. =
"Living aloneg' / asked.
"No; he lives with his brother" sale
the agent and then finding was BEN
upon pressing the point he did not wal
for further questions. 1T may have beer
the brother you saw" he said. "I've seer
him dressed In blue A shortish gentle
man--and bent rather--without scrap O
hair. He's-well he's afflicted He wa
born SO. But he's quite harmless, car
assure you"
"He can't possibly be any annoyance, ,
the gent insisted. tits really very sat
for the poor little creature--cooped up II
tho house and garden--he never comes ou
because the village boys exasperate him
But his brother is very good to him-real
ly very good And he's never done any
harm to single creature.
"All the same don't like him." sait
Mariana again on the way to the railway
station.
At that read Mariana a lecture or
charity, for in one direction at least she Il
hard hearted She cannot endure ugly
misery. The intense pathos Of ungainli
ness is lost upon her. She recoils from un
washed beggars and cripples, from an,
suggestion OF physical suffering. Yet sh'
oan be tender enough over rain soaket
kitten or nice dead canary. / told hel
as much
"You didn't see how he looked at me
or you'd think differently" said Marianl
and ciinched the discussion abruptly witt
that very feminine reply.
| saw the face OF the creature for th,
hrst time when We moved In. The people
from the London furniture warehouse wer'