Show an old story in a ne new dress avery A very longtime long iong time ago in the western part of england there lived an aged couple whose time had bad passed away since early youth in the very day round of farm life and who had bad never been known to baye bare the be least ill feeling towards each other since the time when good old parson heriot herlot had united them in the holy bonds of wedlock twenty five years before so well was the fact of their conjugal happiness known that they were spoken of far tar and near as the happiest pair known now the devil excuse the abu abrupt pt mention of his name had been trying for twenty years to create what is so commonly called a fuss in the family between those old companions but much to his mortification he had not been able to induce the old gentleman to grumble about breakfast being late once or the old lauy to give a single eingle curtain lecture after repeated repeat id efforts the devil became discouraged and had he not been a person of gret determination be he would doubtless have given up the work in despair one day as he walked along in a very surly mood after another attempt to get the old lady to quarrel about the pigs getting into the y yard ar be met an old woman a near neighbor ig abor of f the to aged g ed couple As mr air devil and the neighbor were very particular friends they must roust needs stop on the way to chat a little good morning sir air said she and pray what on earth makes you look EO so badly this beautiful morning the controversy between the churches doln doin doing g good service yes deacon t plenty of bad whisk fl yes dyes well awell what is the matter my honored master basterl ma sterl everything else is going on well enough replied the devil but hut 1 and here he looked as cour tour as a monkey on a crabapple crab apple tree oid old sold blueford and his life wife over here are injuring the cause terribly by their bad example and after trying for years to induce them to do better I 1 must say I 1 consider them hopeless the old hag beg stood for a moment in deep thought are ate you sure then you have ened every wayll way I 1 every one that I 1 can think of are you certai certain rill V yes well weil replied she if you will promise to make me a present of a new pair of shoes in case I 1 succeed I 1 will make the attempt myself and see eee if I 1 cant raise a quarrel between thern them to this reasonable request the de ia gladly con dented the old hag went her way to neighbor rlue Blue fords house and found 0 old oid I 1 d urs airs blueford very busily engaged in getting gettin w things ready for her husbands comfort on his cis return from work after the usual compliments had passed the following lo 10 i 1 dialogue took place I 1 weil well v 1 gli friend B you and mr B have lived a iong jong time together 1 five giveand end and twenty years come next november replied mrs airs B and in all this time you have never bad had the least quarrel not one 41 1 l am truly glad to hear bear it continued the harp hary hal has consider it my duty to warn you that though this is the case yet you must not expect it to be so always have you not observed of late mr air B has grown peevish and sullen at times A very little so observed mrs airs blueford 1 I 1 know it continued the hag bag add and land let me warn you in time to be on your bour guard mrs B did think she had better do so and asked advice as to how she ought to manage the kase case have you not noticed sa sad bad d the hae hag that y your our husband has a bunch of long coarse hair growing on a mole under his chin on the side of his throat yes yeo this is the cause of his bis trouble and as long as it remains you had better look out now as a friend I 1 would advise you ou to cut it off the first time you get a chance and thus end the trouble if you say do so I 1 will replied the creda boire us old lady soon after this the bag started for home and made it convenient to meet mr B on the way much the same talk in relation lalion re to his domestic happiness passed between them as did between her ber and the old woman but friend blueford said she 41 1 I think it my duty as a christian to warn you to be on your guard for I 1 tell you that your wife intends your ruin old mr B was very much astonished yet he be could not wholly discredit her words when he reached home he be threw himself upon a bed in great perplexity and fe feigning loning sleep studied over the matter in his mind his wife t thinking hinkin binkin tah this a good opportunity for cutting off the obnoxious hair took her husbands razor and crept softly to his side now the old lady was very much frightened at holding a razor so close to her bus bands neck and her hand band was not so steady as it once was so between the two she went to work very awkwardly and pulled the hairs instead of cutting them off mr B opened his eyes and there stood his hia wife with a razor at his throaty after what hat had bad been told him and seeing this he could not doubt that she intended to murder marder him bim ile lle Hesp sprang from the bed in horror and no explanation or entreaty could convince him to the contrary so from hat that time forth there was no more peace for that house it was jaw jaw qu quarrel arrel and wrangling all the time with delight the devil heard odthe of the success of the faithful emissary and sent her word that if she would meet mett him at the end of the lawn at a certain time he lie would pay her the shoes at the ap appointed oin oln ted time she the repaired to the a and nd found pl i the ibe ie devil at the place lace he put shoes on the end of a long poli pole pole and standing on the opposite side of the fence handed the them to her she was very much pleas pleased edwith with them then they were exactly the article but there is one thing N mr devil that I 1 like to have explained that is why you hand them to me on that stick slick very easy to explain 2 replied he lany cany ny one who has the cunning and meanness to do as you have done dont get nearer than twenty feet teet of me so gayl Bayl nghe fled in terror after af t er a while the old woman died and when she applied for admittance admi tance to the lower regi region ont oni the devil would not let her ing ind in for fear she might dethrone him as she was so much his superior so the woman is yet compelled to wander over the world creating quarrel qu airel and strife in peaceful families and neighborhoods would you know her name it is madam scandal when sha died her children the young Scandalize rig rc were left orphans but the devil in coh cou consideration of past service done by the mother adopted them and so you see he is the father of that respectable class called scandal bongers mongers mon gers |