Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-05
CHAPTER IN.

There was burt one topic discussed in the
countryside that day, and that was the life
and character Of Agatha Webb.
Her history had not been a happy one.
She and Philemon had come from Port
chester some twenty or more years before
TO escape the sorrows associated with their
native town. They had left behind them
six small! graves in Portchester churchyard,
but though evidences of their afhiction were
always to be seen in the countenances OF
either, they had entered with so much pur-
pose into the life of their adopted town that
they had become persons of note there till
Philemon's health began to fail, when
Agatha quit all outside work and devoted
herself exclusively to him. OF her character
and winsome personality we can gather some
idea from the various conversations carried
on that day from Portchester Green to the
shipyards in Sutherlandtown.
In Deacon Brainerd's cottage the discus
sion was concerning Agatha's lack OF vanity,
a virtue not very common at that time
among tho women of this busy seaport.
For a woman so handsome" the good
deacon was ~saying-(and 1 think / can
safely call her the finest featured woman
who ever trod these streets) she showed as
little interest in dress as any one ] ever
knew. Calico at home and calico at church,
vet she looked as much of a lady in her
dark s~prigged gowns as Mrs. Webster in her
silks or Mrs. Parsons i'm her thousand
dollar sealsltin."
As this was a topic within the scope of
his eldest daughters intelligence she at once
spoke up: 81 never thought she needed TO
dress so plainly. / don't believe i'm such a show
OF poverty myself. If one is too poor to go
decent, all right, but they say she had more
money than most any one in town. 1 Won
der who is going to get the benefit of tt"'
why, Philemon, Of course; that Is, as
long as he lives. He doubtless had the max
ing of it,"
rs 1T true that he's gone clean out of his
head since her death % interposed a neighbor
who had happened in.
80 they say. l believe Widow Jones has
taken him into her house
"Do you Think asked a second daughter
with becoming hesitation, that he had any
thing to do with her death? Some of the
%neighbors say he struck her while i'm one
of his crazy fits, while others declare she was
killed by some stranger, equally old and
almost as in4rm."
I'VE won't discuss the subject" OBJ
;acted the deacon. Time will show who
robbed us of the greatest-hearted and most
capable woman in these parts"
anu Will Illilt SHOW WIN hlllt pdtoy
1t was a morsel of a girl who spoke; the
least one of the family, but the brightest
I'm sorry for Batsy; she always gave me
cookies when | went to see Mrs. Webb
"Batsy was q good girl for a Swede,'
allowed the deacon's wife, who had not
spoken till now. When she first came into
town on the spars of that wrecked ship we
all remember, there was some struggle be-
tween Agatha and me as to which OF uf
should have her. But i didn't like the task
of teaching her the name of every pot and
pan she had to use in the kitchen, so l gave
her up to Agatha; and it was fortunate ]
did, for I've never been able to understand
her talk to this day"
IT could talk with her right we'll" lisped
the little one. 'She never called things by
their Swedish names unless she was worried
and ! never worried her"
Il wonder If she would have worshipped
the ground under your feet, as she did that
under Agatha?' asked the deacon, cycling his
wife with Just the suspicion of a malicious
twinkle in his eye.
II am not the greatest-hearted and most
capable woman in town. retorted his wife,
clicking her needles as she went on knitting
In Mr.. Sprague's house on the opposite
side of the road Squire Fisher was relating
some old tales of bygone Portchester days.
Il knew Agatha Wnen she was a gill; ne
avowed. she had the grandest manners
and the most enchanting smile of any rich
or poor mans daughter between the coast
and Springfield. She did not dress in calico
then. She wore the gayest clothes her
father could buy her, and old Jacob was not
without means to make his daughter the
leading figure in town. HOW we young
fellows did adore her, and to what lengths we
went to win one of her glorious smiles
Two Of us, John and Jacob label, have lived
bachelors for her sake to this very day, but
j hadn't courage enough for that; | mar
ried and Something between a sigh and
q chuckle filled out the sentence.
What made Philemon carry off the
prize? His good loOks?"
Eyes, or his good luck. 1t wasn't his
snap; of that you may be sure. James Zabel
had the snap, and he was her first choice
too, but he got into some dificulty-I never
knew just what It was, but 1t was regarded
as serious at the time-and that match was
broken off. Afterward she married Phile-
mon. You see, ! was out Of 1t altogether;
had never been in it, perhaps, hut there were
three goods years of my life in which
thought of little else than Agatha. / ad-