Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-05-24
LITTLE NEIGHBOR.

Our first encounter with our little neigh
Dor happened when we were looking over
the house preparatory to taking it. It's
a peculiar little house, built into the side
of the hill so that great bank comes on
the north and east of it, faced with brick
and higher than the chimneys. There is
a garden in front, with the house on one
side, this high brick wall on two others,
and on the fourth 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 a house with character Of it's own.
"This queer little attic garden, said she,
sis delightful. will smother it with red
and white peoples next year"
"There is some ones orchard runs down
to the wall and overlooks the front of our
house." said l, $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
trees.
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 yellow
paper and brown paint, and her aunt's
heirlooms, two small water colors by Biz
kett Foster along the wall.
AT last we drifted into the front garden
again.
I'm the place of the flower beds" said
/, 81 would prefer turf"
st would be easy to recast the garden, "
said my wife. but we mustn't touch all
that splendid ivy Then she stopped for
a moment and then came queer change
in her voice. George" she said I'VE 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 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 1 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
L JuuBGu lFOul JllG CuFNG Vi HIS SuOulOer
that he was a hunchback. There was a
black skullcap on his head, and it seemed
to me that he had no hair.
l looked at Mariana. Her brows were
knit. "Horrid little creature!" she said
II scarcely saw him." said 1.
HE was looking down at u.s."
81 suppose we're interesting to him as
we're going to be his neighbors."
"But did you see his face?"
To Judge by Mariana's expression it was
not a very pleasant face.
Apparently" said l. "he's-what is it?
-piebald? No-albinoW
Hes horrid" said Mariana.
"But this, said 1, sis DEPRESSION We
were speaking of turf here and garden
chair"
II 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 neighbor
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 advan-
tage of my weakness in that matter she re-
turned to him Immediately.
"You will ask the agent who he isP' she
said-twice. Somehow 1 don't like the
thought of him as a neighbor."
So said to the house agent, "Who is
the gentleman in blue that we saw looking
down from the wallP'
The agent started and looked at me.
That's difficult question, he said. ut
hardly comes in my province"
Then l asked him what neighbors we
had above the wall "a gentleman nam
led Hanotaux, fancy" said the agent.
IA literary gentleman, SO 1 understood"
Living alone?" asked.
"No; he lives with his brother" said
the agent, and then finding l was bent
upon pressing the point he did not wait
for further questions. at may have been
the brother you saw" he said. "I've seen
him dressed in blue. A shortish gentle
man-and bent rather-without scrap of
hair. Hes-well, he's afflicted He was
born so. But he's quite harmless, can
assure you"
HE can't possibly be any annoyance"
the a gent insisted. Its really very sad |
for the poor little creature-cooped up in |
the house and garden-he never comes out |
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 a single creature"
IAN the same, don't like him." said |
Mariana again on the way to the railway |
station.
At that 1 read Mariana a lecture on |
charity, for in one direction at least she is |
hard hearted. She cannot endure ugly |
misery. The intense pathos Of ungainli- |
pess is lost upon her She recoils from I'M
washed beggars and cripples, from any |
suggestion of physical suffering. Yet she |
can be tender enough over rain soaked |
kitten or a nice dead canary. told her |
hs much.
You didn't see how he looked at me,
pr you'd think differently" said Mariana
md clinched the discussion abruptly with |
fhat very feminine reply.
l saw the face of the creature for the |
1rst time when we moved in. The people |
rom the London furniture warehouse were