Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1917-03-22

laughter and retreated to her kitchen.
Jonathan started back towards his
house to get his hat and coat, and
then for the first time he caught sight
of his own porch, done in flaming
scarlet, which fairly seemed to radiate
heat in the brilliant sunlight. He
stood motionless for nearly minute,
paralyzed. Then the color began to
rise in his neck and face as he NUT
tered under his breath:
Him! I'm on to the whole business
now. I ought to have known that
Hepsey would get the best of me.
guess / won't go down to Crosscut's
after ALL"
Then he walked up to the porch and
touched the scarlet paint with his fin
ger and remarked:
"Set harder than rock, by gum!
She must have used a whole lot OF
See II don't"
dryer. I'll get even with her for this.
In the afternoon Jonathan brought
over some fine apples and presented
them to Hepsey, who was knitting on
her side porch. She. thanked him for
the gift, and the conversation drifted
from one thing to another while she
waited for the expected outburst OF
reproach which she knew would come
sooner or later. But curiously enough,
Jonathan was more CHEEKY and cordial
than usual, and made no allusion what.
ever to the scarlet porch, which was
conspicuously visible from where they
sat. Again and again Hepsey led the
conversation around to the point
where it seemed as if he must break
covert, but he remained oblivlous, aud
changed the subject readily. Not
word on the subject passed his Ups
that afternoon.
Then, from day to day the neigh
bors called and inquired OF her il
Jackson had gone off his head, or
what was the matter. His flaming
porch outraged Durford's sense of de-
cency. She was at her wits end to an.
swer, without actually lying or COM
promising herself; so the only thing
she said was that she had noticed that
he had been acting bit peculiar late.
ly, now they mentioned it. AS time
went on, the scarlet porch became the
talk of the town. 1t was duly discussed
at the sewing society, and the reading
club, and the general sentiment was
practically unanimous that Jackson
must be suffering from incipient cat.
aract or senile dementia, and needed
a guardian. Even Mary MCGUIRE re-
marked to Mrs. Burke that she was
afraid that there front porch would
sure set the house on fire, if it wasr'>
put out before" Everybody agreed
that if his wife had lived, the thing
could never have happened.
Meantime, Jonathan went about his
daily business, serene and happy, ap-
parently oblivious of the fact that
there was anything unusual in the dec
grafton of his house. When his friends
began 10 chaff him about the porch he
seemed surprised, and guessed it was
his privilege TO paint his house any
color he had mind to, and there was
no law ag'in' it; it was nobcdy's bus.
mess but his own. Tastes in color diff
fered and there was no reason in the
world why all houses should be paint.
ed alike. He liked variety himself and
nobody could say that scarlet wasn't
Z real cheerful color on white house.
Occasionally people who were drly-
ing by stopped TO contemplate the
porch; and the Durford Daily Bugle
devoted a long facetious paragraph to
the matter. All of which Mrs. Burke
knew very well and it was having IL
effect on her nerves. The porch was
the most conspicuous object in view
from Hepsey's sitting room windows,
and every time she entered the room
she found herself looking at the fam-
ing terror with increasing exaspera-
ton. Verify, If Jonathan wanted re.
yeage he was getting far more than
he knew: the bitter was badly bit. The
matter came TO a crisis one day, when
Jonathan concluded discussion with
Mrs. Burke about the pasture fence.
She burst out abruptly;
Say, Jonathan Jackson, why in the
name of conscience don't you paint
your porch Christian color? It's SIM
ply a"iui, anu Ill Hot gun u Slt III
! my house and have to look at it all
| winter.''
Jonathan did not seem greatly stir
red and replied in an absent minded
way:
"Why don't you move your sittin'
| room over TO the other side of the
| house, Hepsey? Then you wouldn't
have 10 see it. Don't you like scar
| et?"
mo, don't like it, and il you don't
| paint it out | will"
Don't do nothin' rash, Hepsey. You
know sometimes colors fade in the
moonlight--some colors, that is. May
he that scarlet porchll turn TO light
gray if you let it alone"
| Mrs. Burke could stand it no long,
L I.,., Il