Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-01-25

and even comfortably, in that cheapest
of neighborhoods, these two always
gave the impression of being half
starved, and ! do not believe that either
of them purchased u new article of
clothing the whole time they lived in
r. From this people began to infer
that they we're misers, and as time went
on many things happened to strengthen
the inference. All along they had dis
covered the greatest anxiety and ap-
prehension when anyone tried to gain
access to their hovel. Indeed, my uncle
has often told me that The expression of
the old peoples faces when he called
there, and one or other of them peered
round the chained door at him, was
really quite comical in its suspicious
trepidation; and the older they grew,
the moro pronounced did their precau.
tions to prevent outsiders entering be-
tome.
"At first they had sometimes ventured
to lock up their house and make an ex-
cursion together into F." (Hc
named the adjoining market town,
which I will not further particularize.)
But by and by they gave up such reck-
lessness entirely, and whenever one of
them went out, the other always re-
manned on guard at home. The precau-
ton was quite necessary. All the poor
in the neighborhood were by this time
fully convinced that there was some
thing 'unked' about them; and no one
in R, or for miles round, would
have willingly crossed their threshold,
even II the door had been left open.
But these old misers were altogether
too suspicious TO reason, and seemed
30 live in an ever-increasing fear OF
having their privacy invaded.
My uncle (as he himself told me
shortly before his death) was greatly
exercised about his two strange par
ishioners. Many rectors would have
considered themselves absolved Of all
obligations toward people who not
merely never attended church, but re-
fused even to admit their clergyman
into their house when he called. But
that was not my uncle's way. Every
poor man who lived in his parish he
held to be under his pastoral protection,
and he felt himself bound to look after
his interests. In regard to these two
old misers, however, it was difficult to
know what was the kindest course. To
let them live on in their present half
starved condition, and in that fearfully
insanitary hovel, undisturbed, seemed
no real kindness. And yet he was loath
TO set the parish or the sanitary officer
upon their track. He held very strong
ly to the opinion that an Englishman's
house-even if it be nothing better than
pig sty-is his castle; and, in his heart,
by no means approved of the wide com
pulsory power then lately given to the
local authorities.
Besides, after all, what could such
authorities do? Compel them 10 evacu-
ate their miserable shanty, no doubt
But the old people would then simply
change their local habitation, not their
mode of life. And as regards starving
themselves, not all the boards of guard
ians in Somerset could make people eat
who did not choose to do SO. twas pos
sble, indeed, that they might be
medically found of unsound mind; and,
in that case, they could be removed TO
the workhouse infirmary or the county
asylum But even supposing that feast
BILE, it was a course from which my un-
was that he let things remain in statu
quo.
"Whcn l succeeded him here, went
to call, now and then, on the old peo-
pie; meeting, however, with the same
treatment that my uncle had always
experienced. Sometimes, they would
not open the door at all; at others, they
did so with the chain up, and conversed
with me through a narrow aperture. In
reply TO my inquiries whether could do
anything, or give them any assistance,
| always had negative returned; until
ut last | gave up trying to make head
way in so hopeless direction, and left
the two hermits pretty much to them
selves.
"The man came to me regularly every
half year to get his pension papers
signed; and l took advantage of these
opportunities to give him some friendly
advice, and to demonstrate with him
on his folly in starving himself and
wearing such inadequate clothing in
the coolest weather. At first had made
him present of some old coats, trousers
and flannel shirts. But l soon gave up
that, for he never wore them; and /
formed the impression that he had prob
ably converted them into cash. IL
fact, l asked him one day what he had
done with them all. He only looked cum
ming, affected stupidity, and made some
unintelligible signs. Despite his dumb
ness, he could make me understand
things very well when he liked--es-
pecially anything connected with his
pension papers. 1t was only when he
did not wish to make himself under
stood that his signs had no meaning in
them.
'ln this matter OF coming to have his
his papers signed, he was, as | have said,
always absolutely punctual On March
20 and September 20 he appeared al
the rectory as regularly as clockworlt,
taking me on the way to r, where