Middletown transcript., 1895-01-12

(4lgANWN was tolerabl,
NN@l well off, or hel
habit of appropriating other peoples
property would have got her into trou-
BILE. But Cumminseed was used to
Miss Dinker. When she visited the
village store, and put a piece of tape
up her sleeve, the watchful shopman
added its price TO her bill. When she
took neighbours forks the neighbor
mt polite message to Miss Jane
Dinker to have them restored; and
Miss Jane, who was old Miss Dinker's
niece, would ind them up the chimney
or down the cellar, and restore them.
Old Miss Dinker knew that she was
deserving of blame in thus indulging
her desire for stolen fruit, but as she
often remarked, when reasoned with,
"she couldn't help it,"
She was generous old lady, too,
and kindly, and if she taught Jane that
man was a deceiver, and that spinster-
hood was blessing she meant well.
Captain Richard Murphy told an
other story when his ship lay in port,
and he himself rested at little hotel
in Cumminseed. And Jane, won over
by his merry voice and jolly ways, for
got her aunt's precepts, and one day
ran away with him, leaving penilenI
little note for her aunt, ard begging
her forgiveness.
The old lady was naturally Indignant
but when, three days after, the captain
brought Jane back under his arm, es-
tablished her in beautiful little house
which he had purchased, and sent for
''the old lady to make up" Miss
Dinker relented, took tea with her
niece, and deigned to approve of her
choice; and So the village scandal was
silenced for while, and people called
on Mrs. Cal tain Murphy.
They lived together for five years in
great cohtentment, and little boy was
born to them, and all went prosper
ously; but at the end of that time, the
sword that always hangs by a hair ever
the head Of a seafaring mans wife,
fell at last. The captains vessel was
a wreck, and the captain and crew
perished III mid-ocean, and Jane, aft er
hoping against hope, and refusing to
believe when no one else doubted, and
listening night and day for a step that
came not and could never come, ac-
cepted the truth at last, and put on her
widows cap and took the awful truth
in place of suspense, and tried to live
and bear it for her boys sake. Then
there came from some far-off place
man ho proved himself the captains
brother, and who claimed his property,
alleging that Jane Dinker had never
been married to him at all. Jane was
furious, but she could only vow that
clergyman of the Episcopal Church had
married her. She could not remember
the name of the church nor Of its pas
tor, nor had she what the brother called
''er lines" The marriage certificate,
as she declared, the captain always
kept among his private pa oers, and had
taken to sea with him. She advertise d
in New York paper for the clergy
man who had performed the service,
but no answer came; and finally the
law and popular opinion declared that
the widow had never been wife, and
she was left p0verty-stricken and help-
less, and not a friend in the world but
old Miss Dinker. She came out nobly,
though Jane had been away with the
captain to New York and was not to
be accounted for for three days; and
though she could not prove her mar
riage, old Miss Dnker insisted upon it
that "she couldn't help being decent,
with her bringing up"
Alas! all the rest Of Cumminseed
held a contrary opinion. They re-
membered 'having thought it wasn't
right" They shuddered at the lhought
of having associated with such crea-
ture, and wondered how she had dared
to impose upon them so. They sent
her to Coventry, and tabooed her. l
think some of the dear creatures would
have tarred and feathered her if they
could. Jane Dinker bad the comforta-
bic Yankee pride of 'trespectability"
IN its Yankee sense strong within her
soul, and this scorn quite crushed her.
She hid herself from human eyes as
much as possible, and went thankfully
home with old Miss Dinker whose in
come had grown smaller in these years
and really showed great generosity in
taking her disgraced niece to her
bosom.
But Jane, thankful as she felt, could
not be glad to go. The old home
seemed gloomier than ever, and the
change Was terrible. Then, after hay-
ing plenty and to spare, to be a poor
dependent, was very, very hard; to
have nothing for her little boy s amuse-
ment, aud to know that she would
never be able to dress him as she had
hoped; all this was hard to bear,
though nothing like the shame and