Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1907-12-12
A SPOlLT BEAUTY.
BY ST. JOHN BYER.


ton must fall short Of doing it full
Justice. I: was a large, corpulent
nose, but co Id not he clsssed as either
Roman or Greciau and was certainly
lar away from the pug or retroussez-
there was no reticence about 1t. 1t
stool forth in such a ,ming evidence
AZ to dwarf all the surrounding fea-
lures, and its prominence was the
pride of its owner, who in those days
when the coloring Of meerechaum pipes
was a fashionable fad, took to the tint
ing of the nose with thirsty alacrity.
However, it had not a smooth surface
to show the polish. but was plmpled
and pockmarkel aye, in fact the re-
mark was made that it had holes
enough to hold two weeks rain, for
its point resembled the perforated end
of red china pepper box, and the
redness was not confined TO the nose,
bu. flushed all over the pock-pitted
face. When this called forth re-
mark about it's being well painted, the
grutf old pinter Bowen curtly OBJ
jected. "You don't call that good
Job. do your Why, the pit holes were
never puttied up, as any good painter
would have doue, even had 1t taken a
whole pound Of putty"
Yes, that nose could well have been
worn by Bardolph when F4lstaf told
him, that seeing h1a light upon It
put him in mind of "a poor sinner
perisbipg in hell fire." and also it
might we'll have been a light house
lantern, warning others not to travel
that way, for it was the route of
wreck and ruin.
Besides furnishing this lumiuary to
his part OF the town, Fawcett tried
other plans for its edl6cation./ He
was a mason, and erected several rows
Of tenement-houses. Tnese he rented
out as large landlord, generally for
stipulated money rent, but one base
ment he leased to Aunt Molly-her
other name being Washington-for
the good reason that she took In wash
ing for livelinoo alike mAny other
Of the colored geutlewomen. The rent
was that she should tend
a garden patch thereby, for the afore'
said Fawcett, hoeIng, wedding and
other garden chores-that ne might
realize upon the cabbage, taters and
The kindly fruits of the earth. The
amount Of such work was not get down
definitely, and became fruitful source
Of acute argument betwixt the par
lies
E.rly on beautiful May morning,
The then mayor of the town and his
young son, whence comes this narrA-
ton, were going on fishing lark;
having pouuced upon a box OF early
worms. they now were stealing forth
at break of day to surprise the fish in
their river bed before they should
wake up. II was good, healthy e1
ercise for the fishermen and did not
hurt the 6-h, who winked at each
other with Que eye as they took the
profered worms of the hooks Of those
two innocent anglers. But hope In
things unseen will ever bloom forth
again, go be g were these unlucky
fishermen ready to try it, even though
it cost that sweet morning nap. A.
they came by Fawcetts row at the
end Of town near the river, there Was
\ strange sight for the bright, fresh,
dewy May morning. The landlord.
Mr.. Fawcett, with face all mashed
and bio ody. was carrying from this
basement pots. pans, bedding and
household appurtenances, and throw
ing them with no gentle ban across
the gutter. beyond the sidewalk Quite
a pile wss now lying there in rough
disorder. As the honorable mayor
came up, FA xcett. psrchsnce thinking
that some explanation was due him
about this summary writ Of elsction
be was serving without due notice,
turned. with q big bel rail in his
hands, his small blue, Or, rather. black
and blue eyes sparkling with wrath
Ne they peepsd out over the bloody
ruins Of me- broken nose. he blurted
out az well as his boiling, impetuous
humor would allow: "And-and-l
only went in to remark to her that it
was a 6ne morning to hoe cabbage
and 'tsters, when dommed if che didn't
up with the re o~l-iug pm and smote
me across the face.
No corroborating evidence was nec-
re-owl ing pin had GER
tainly .'suote" him; hal male its
mark and done its work of ruin thor
onshly. N, one would have dreamed