"There is a jarring discord in my ear,
It setteth all my soul ashake with fear,
Good sir, canst drive it off?"----
OLD PLAY.
All Wimbledon was aroused one cold November morning by a direful
conglomeration of sounds;--strange, discordant shrieks, ominous groans,
a clanking, as of iron chains and fetters, a slow, heavy, elephantine
tread gradually growing on the ear, and a deep, continuous rumbling as of
earthquakes in the bowels of the earth. Mrs. Salsify Mumbles, nervous and
delicate as she was, clung fast to the neck of her liege lord when he
attempted to throw open the sash of his window, to discover the import of
this unusual disturbance of the nocturnal stillness of Wimbledon. Good
Deacon Allen, who was lying on his deaf ear, became restless, and visions
of the final retribution and doom of the wicked harassed his slumbers.
Suddenly he awoke, and dismal groans and unearthly rumblings struck his
terrified ear. "Sally! Sally!" said he, leaping from bed and giving his
sleeping spouse a vigorous shake, "why sleepest thou? arise and don thy
drab camlet and high-crowned cap, and prepare to meet thy Lord; for
behold he cometh!"
"Samuel," said the good wife but half awake, "you are prating in your
sleep. Return to your pillow and be quiet till day-break."
"You speak like a foolish virgin, Sally," returned the excited deacon.
"Do you not hear the roaring of the resurrection thunder and the wailings
of the wicked?"
"I do hear something," said Mrs. Allen, now poking her night-capped head
from beneath the blankets, and listening a moment attentively. "'Tis a
sound of heavy carts drawn by oxen over frozen ground. Ay, I guess it is
the new family, that bought out neighbor Williams, moving their goods.
Just look out the window,--our yards join,--and see if there is not a
stir there." The deacon obeyed.
"O, yes," said he, "I can distinguish several loaded teams and dusky
figures moving to and fro."
"I thought 'twas the new-comers," returned the wife, who possessed more
ready wit and shrewdness than her amiable consort, and, withal, could
hear vastly better. "You had better come to bed again, Samuel;--'tis an
hour to daylight."
"I cannot get to sleep again, I have been so disturbed," said the
husband, fidgetting round in the dark room to find his clothes.
"O, pshaw!--put your deaf ear up and you'll soon fall off," answered the
wife, drawing the covering over her head. Deacon Allen, who had a very
high opinion of his wife's good sense, concluded to follow her advice,
and the happy couple were soon enjoying as pleasant a morning snooze, as
though neither the resurrection nor the "new family" had disturbed their
slumbers.
Jenny Andrews and Amy Seaton, who slept in the room above, never heard a
sound, nor did Charlie in his cosey chamber beyond, and great was the
astonishment of the young people, on opening their casements, to behold
the long line of heavy-loaded teams drawn up in the yard of the splendid
mansion which stood next above Dea. Allen's, the former residence of Esq.
Williams. Teamsters in blue frocks were unfastening the smoking oxen from
the ponderous carts, and as the girls hurried below to impart the
intelligence of the arrival of the new family to Mrs. Allen, they heard
the voice of Mrs. Salsify Mumbles, and entering the sitting-room found
that lady laying aside her bonnet and shawl. Mary Madeline was standing
by the window gazing into the adjoining yard. Jenny and Amy had not seen
their former boarding mistress since they left her house at the close of
the summer term, several months before. But she was so elate about the
arrival of the new family that all memory of their former ill-usage
seemed to have escaped her, and she grasped the hands of both and shook
them cordially. "I am glad to see you," she exclaimed; "why have you not
called on us this fall? Mary Madeline has often said I wish Jenny and Amy
would come in, it would seem so much like old times. Here, my dear," said
she, seizing hold of the young lady's shawl and pulling her from the
window, "don't be so taken up with the new family that you can't speak to
your old friends." Mary Madeline now turned and spoke to her former
schoolmates. Then, drawing a chair close to the window, she resumed her
gaze, with her gloves and handkerchief lying unheeded on the floor and
her gay shawl dragging behind her. "O, mother! mother!" she exclaimed at
length, "there comes the family."
Mrs. Salsify, who was engaged in telling Mrs. Allen of Mr. Salsify's
prosperity, and how he was "rising in his profession," and how he
meditated adding another story to his house and putting a piazza round it
next spring, dropped all, even her snuff-box, and rushed to the window as
a large covered wagon, drawn by a span of elegant black horses, drove
rapidly into the adjoining yard. First alighted a tall man in a black
overcoat,--the master no doubt, the gazers decided,--then a tall man in a
gray overcoat, then a tall man in a brown overcoat. And the man in the
black overcoat and the man in the gray overcoat moved away, the former up
the steps of the mansion and around the terraces, trying the fastenings
of the Venetian blinds, and examining the cornices and pillars of the
porticos; the latter turned in the direction of the stables and
outhouses, while the man in the brown overcoat assisted three ladies to
alight, all grown-up women, one short and fat, the other two tall and
thin. The gazers were a little puzzled by the appearance of the new
family. As far as they could discover there was no great difference in
the respective ages of the six individuals who had alighted from the
wagon, and Mrs. Salsify Mumbles declared it as her opinion that the
family consisted of three brothers who had married three sisters for
their wives. The short, fat woman, who had a rubicund visage and
turned-up nose, and wore a broad-plaided cashmere dress, drew forth a
bunch of keys from a wicker basket that hung on her arm, and with a
pompous tread ascended the marble steps, unlocked the broad,
mahogany-panelled door, turned the massive silver knob, and, swinging it
wide, strode in, the tall ladies in blue cloaks following close behind.
Soon sashes began to be raised, blinds flew open, and the tall ladies
were seen standing on high chairs hanging curtains of rich damask and
exquisitely wrought muslin, before the deep bay windows. The three tall
men threw off their overcoats, and, with the assistance of the
blue-frocked teamsters, commenced the business of unlading the carts.
"All the furniture is bagged," said Mrs. Salsify, impatiently; "one
cannot get a glimpse to know whether 'tis walnut, or rosewood, or
mahogany. They mean to make us think 'tis pretty nice, whether 'tis or
not; but we shall find out some time, for they can't always be so shy.
Well, Mary Madeline," she added, turning to her daughter, "we may as well
go home, I guess;--there's nothing to be seen here but chairs and sofas
sewed up in canvas. I thought I would run over a few minutes, Mrs. Allen,
as I knew your windows looked right into the yard of the new comers, and
we could get a good view. Of course, we wanted to know what sort of folks
we were going to have for neighbors. I hope they'll be different from the
Williams'."
"Why?" asked Mrs. Allen, looking up from the brown patch she was engaged
in sewing on the elbow of the deacon's black satinet coat. "I only hope
they will prove as good neighbors and I will be perfectly satisfied."
"O, I don't know but what the Williams' were good enough, but they were
too exclusive, too aristocratic for me. Mrs. W. never thought Mary
Madeline fit for her Ellen to associate with."
"How do you know she thought so?" asked Mrs. Allen; "for my part, I lived
Mrs. Williams' nearest neighbor for ten years or more, and always
considered her a very kind-hearted, unassuming woman, wholly untainted
with the pride and haughtiness which too often disfigure the characters
of those who possess large store of this world's goods and move in the
upper circles."
"Well, you were more acquainted with Mrs. Williams than I was, of course;
but she was not the kind of woman to suit my taste. There's Mrs. Pimble
and Mrs. Lawson now, both rich and splendid, keep their carriages and
servants, but they are not above speaking to common people."
"I am not personally acquainted with those ladies," answered Mrs. Allen.
"They are reformers," said Mrs. Mumbles, in a reverential tone; "you
should hear their awful speeches. Daniel Webster could never equal them,
folks tell me."
"I have understood that they belonged to the fanatical class of female
lecturers that have arisen in our country within the last few years."
"O, they hold conventions everywhere, and such terrible gesticulations as
they pronounce against the tyranny and oppression of the female sex by
the monster man!" said Mrs. Salsify. "I declare I wish they would have
one of their indignation meetings here, for I think the men are getting
the upper hand among us."
"Doubtless you would join their ranks should they do so," observed Mrs.
Allen, with a quiet smile, as she arose, gave the deacon's coat a shake,
and hung it on a peg behind the door.
"Well, I don't know but I should," returned Mrs. S.; "but come, Maddie,
how we are wasting time! I declare, two carts are already unloaded, and
there goes the seminary bell. 'Tis nine o'clock." Jenny, Amy and Charlie,
ran down stairs all equipped for school, as Mrs. Mumbles and her daughter
stepped into the hall, and all went forth together. Mrs. M. repeated her
invitation for the young ladies and Charlie to visit her, and the girls
laughingly promised to do so at their first leisure. Mary Madeline went
to Edson's store on an errand, and her mother proceeded directly home.
Great was her anger to behold the back kitchen door swinging wide. She
shut it behind her with a slam, muttering some impatient exclamation
about Mr. Salsify's stupid carelessness. As she stood by the stove
warming her chilled fingers, a noise from the pantry startled her ears,
and, opening the door, she beheld the great, shaggy watch-dog, that
belonged to the store of Edson & Co., lying on his haunches with a nice
fat pullet between his paws, which he was devouring with evident relish
and gusto. He turned his head towards her, uttered a low growl, and went
on with his breakfast again. Mrs. Salsify looked up to a peg on which she
had hung six nicely-dressed chickens the night before. Alas! the last one
was between the bloody devourer's paws. She glanced toward a pot she had
left full of cream, under the shelves. It was empty; and toward her
rolling-board, where she had left a pan of rich pie-crust, with which she
was intending to cover her thanksgiving pies. All had disappeared. She
trembled with rage.
"Get out, you thievish rascal!" she exclaimed, bringing her foot
violently to the floor.
The dog sprang toward her, and, seizing the skirt of her gay-striped,
bombazine dress with his glistening ivories, rent it from the waist, flew
through the parlor window, and rushed through streets, by-lanes and
alleys, rending the flaring fabric, and dragging it through mud-holes
till it looked like some fiery-colored flag borne away by the enemy in
disgrace.
Mrs. Salsify rushed down into her husband's shop in awful plight, her
hair standing on end, and her great, green eyes almost starting from
their sockets. Mr. Salsify looked with amazement on his lady, as did also
the half-score of customers that stood around his counters. Her
saffron-colored skirt was rent in divers places, revealing the black one
she wore beneath, and the gay-striped waist she still wore was hung round
with ragged fragments of the vanished skirt.
"Lord, love us, what is the matter?" exclaimed Mr. Salsify, rushing
toward his wife.
"Edson's dog has eat up six chickens, a cream-pot, a rolling-board,
pie-crust, and all!" exclaimed Mrs. Mumbles, with a frantic air, as she
fell into her husband's outstretched arms, wholly unmindful of the
laughter her appearance and words had excited among her good man's
customers.
"Edson's dog,--how could he get into the house?" demanded Mr. Mumbles.
"I saw him out with Dick Giblet, this morning, when he was leaving
packages," said little Joe Bowles, with a mischievous leer in his black
eyes.
The husband and wife exchanged a glance. The whole truth flashed upon
them,--'twas a trick of Dick's. Mr. Salsify ordered his customers to
leave the shop, and locking the door, he led his terrified, trembling
wife up stairs, where they found Mary Madeline lying on the floor in a
fainting fit, with the fragments of her mother's skirt clenched tightly
in her cold hands.