The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-07-21

L.
ring danes told each individual visi
tor what all the others had said; and
every day the muddle grew worse.
The whole village was drawn into
the whirlpool and before a week DR..
Strong lost half his patients and Mrs
Lane was shocked TO find that several
of her friends looked the other way
when they met her in the street. The
village of Murrayville was utterly de
moralized from one end to the other.
In the village school there Were
wars and rumors of war. The Perkins
faction and the Phillips faction glared
at each other across the school room,
or from opposite sides OF the play.
ground, or made scornful and un
grammatical remarks at each other,
which were very accurate reflection
Of the sentiments they heard at home,
and sometimes there were heated per-
sonal encounters, resulting In many
black eyes and bruised bones. The
teacher, after wrestling with the prob
lem unsuccessfully for several weeks,
found that he had urgent business
back in his native town and closed
the school, carrying with him the
humiliating consciousness of defeat.
Mr.. Perkins and Mr.. Phillips had
made it point to say nothing since
the beginning of the contest. But
the two cronies had no more chats
across the fence and when they met
in the street or in the post office they
passed without speaking. This was
their silent tribute to the generalship
of their warlike wives
Among the citizens of the little
town were two or three that were
deeply grieved at the condition of
things, and they determined to do al
in their power to change it. First,
there was the minister's soft voiced,
little wife, Mrs. Bland, who could not,
for the life of her, see why people
should quarrel when it was SO much
pleasanter and more profitable to live
IN peace.
1t was Mrs. Bland's firm belief that
no two people could possibly remain
at enmity when they had once met
and talked things over and she De
termined To catch these two comba
tants with guile. She would invite
them both to her house, and when
they were face to face would SO ap
pe;d to their better feelings that they
would instantly fall on each others
necks and be reconciled The mild
little woman pictured the affecting
scene until the tears stood in her own
eyes, and she could hardly wait till
the Wednesday afternoon that was to
witness the success Of her plans.
And when the day came. and Mrs
Perkins, attired in her new lawn, sat
talking and laughing in the pa:lor,
another knock sounded at the door,
and the little lady went TO admit the
new conner. Now for the reconcili-
alton
"Well, Mrs. Blandw exclaimed Mrs.
Phillips angrlly: Il thought | could
come to one place where l wouldn't
be likely to see folks as | wouldn't
keer to meet, bein', as was, invited
herew
An as far as that's concerned" re
torted the other indignant lady, Il
was invited here myself, but if FL
a-knOwed whom | was agoin to meet,
ia stayed at home! I've seen the
last | ever want to see of folks that
can demean themselves to insult folks
that's as good as them, any day
"Well, my land!' exclaimed the
other high pitched voice; folks that's
alters a-braggln about how good they
ar never amounts to much when you
come to size 'em up.
And with this parting ding, Mrs.
Phillips took her departure, leaving
high tragedy behind her, and poor
little Mrs RIan1 sat down and cried
in her sheer disappointment.
The great Murrayville feud had
been in progress for a number of
weeks, and had wholly unsettled
everything in the social ahd religious
world of the village. The quarrels,
the estrangements, the vlndictive
speeches and the unfQrgiveable ut
terahces We're already as the sands of
the seashOre. and still the work went
on, and the end was not yet.
How it happened that somebody
had the temerlty to propose fishing
excursion to Boggy Bayou in these
depressing times, no one knows, but
certain it is that II was proposed and
that it met with general favor Mrs
Perkins, watching her flock drive
away, remarked to herself with win
dictive satisfaction:
"N ell, | reckon that'll be one place
where the Shillipses won't go, for DR..
Strong says Mrs. Phillips is laid up
with a sprained ankle"
She sat down with her sewing in
the window that overlooked the Phil
lips farm and watched little, in a
general way, to see that the Phillip
ses" really remained at home; but
in few minutes Farmer Harris drove
up, from mile down the road, and
all of the youpye4 generation of the
Phillips family, with the exception of
the baby, mounted into the wagon in
their holiday garb and went Mefrily
off.
"Wellr' muttered Mrs. Perkins,
that does beat all! An there goes
Phillips waldin' off down .own!
Oh, well, ! reckin they're only too
glad to git outer the sound o Mrs
Fhillps's voice onct in a while. Ora
cious knows, l do feel sorry for that
man Phillips! If anybody would be
excusabIe for committin' suicide, |
reckln it would be that man.
And with this pious utterance Mrs.
Perkins settled herself to hen sewing
A half hour had passed and Mrs.
ferklns, growing dfowsy with the un
accustomed stiffness, was going off
into brief periods of unconsciousness,
from each of which she awoke with a
start, As people will do. Rousing up
on one Of these occasions and looking
across. merely fro'n the force of ha
bit, to the Phillips cottage. she became
conscious that something was happen
ing there ont of the usual order
! The next minute she saw what If WAS