NEWS FROM A KNOT-HOLE

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Feb 19, 1880

NEWS FROM A KNOT-HOLE.

Mrs. Jenkins lived in the other part of Rev. Mr. Caper's house, and thought herself fortunate in the enjoyment of so great a privilege. Most good people like to be as near the minister as they can. Mrs. Jenkins did. Her part was merely an L, built on the main structure. Her little attic, therefore, was neighbor to the minister's study. Just in the corner of the minister's study floor was a knot-hole; a trifling sort of thing in itself, but when once found to open into Mrs. Jenkin's attic, of the widest importance in its consequences.

When Mrs. Jenkins finally became aware of so close a connection with the minister's family, she sat down to fold her hands and congratulate herself. Next she formed her resolution not to let any good opportunity pass unimproved to inform herself of matters that would otherwise remain dark to her. Day after day, therefore, her ear and that knot-hole renewed their acquaintance with each other. Sometimes she picked up quite a little bunch of news; and sometimes she went off down stairs as hungry as ever. There was as much variation every day as there is in the price of stocks or exchange.

Going up into her little attic, one afternoon, to hear if anything special was doing in the adjoining apartment, she was delighted beyond expression to catch the sound of a voice. Mr. Capers was in conversation with his wife. Up she climbed, walked tiptoe across the floor, got down on her knees and put her ear as close to the knot-hole as she could get it. She even shut her eyes, lest some of the good things should escape by that way.

For a while she did not understand anything clearly. Now she heard Mrs. Capers laugh; and then Mr. Capers stopped a minute and laughed, too. This served to excite her curiosity the more, and she pressed her head so hard against the partition, that when she came to go away she carried off splinters in plenty in her hair.

Finally she heard something with distinctness. Mr. Capers was telling his wife, who appeared to be in great glee, of a man who had been saying hard things to his wife. Said he in course of his remarks:—

"Mr. Jones got to abusing his family at last. He declared his wife should not go out visiting, and threatened to shut her up if she disobeyed him. As for going to these evening meetings, he declared he meant to put a stop to it; he had enough of it. It did not do her any sort of good and made a great deal of trouble and expense to him. He should put an end to it at any and all hazards !"

Mrs. Jenkins started up in blank surprise. "Now, I want to know," said she to herself, "if our minister says that of Mr. Jones !"

Without waiting to hear any more, Mrs. Jenkins folded her arms tightly and defiantly about her and started down stairs. The next thing that she did was to throw on her "things," and start off at a high speed for her friend's, Mrs. Tautog.

"Now I want to know," said the latter, as Mrs. Jenkins came through the back entrance. "Do tell if that's you! sit down, do. What's the word this afternoon? Heard anything very new lately?"

"Oh, well, no—I do'no, either; p'raps it may be new to you, though."

"Why, what is it?" said she. "I dare say 'tis. I'm not in the way of hearing anything till everybody else has picked it up all clean. What is it now?"

"Oh, well, nothin' really worth mentioning. But then you may as well know as me. It's nothing, though, that I care to have go from me, you know I don't wish to be mixed up in this scrape."

"No, your name shan't be mentioned. But what is it, Mrs. Jenkins? What is it? Do pray tell suddin', for I am dyin' to know."

"It's no great affair after all, though. Still it's something. But this is all there is to it—Mr. Jones has got to abusin' his wife most dreadfully; and he declares if she thinks o'going out a visitin' he'll surely shut her up where she can't get out so soon."

"Of all things in the world !"

"Yes, and more'n that; he's even gone and forbid her goin' to evenin' meetings. What do you think of such a man as that?"

"I think he's a monster !"

"And so do I. But that ain't quite all. He jaws her all the time, abuses her, threatens her, and keeps her in mortal fear of her life. Only think of it."

"How did you hear about it?" I wonder if folks generally know it? How did you hear about it I'd like to know?"

"Well, I'd as lief tell you as not, Mrs. Tautog, but you must promise not to tell anybody else about it."

"Oh, to be sure not. What should I be gaddin' about the neighborhood for, tellin' hard stories about respectable folks? Who did tell you, though?"

"Nobody told me, exactly; but I happened to know. It come, in the first place, from the minister."

"You don't say so !"

Mrs. Jenkins nodded in silence.

"Well, I do declare now! Who'd ever thought of such a thing of Mr. Jones! But I've seemed to take notice, back along, that his wife was a good deal down-hearted and sort o'melancholy like. And that must be the reason, I know that explains it all."

"Yes," said Mrs. Jenkins, "that's it."

The latter did not stay very long after unbosoming herself of her heavy secret, when off posted Mrs. Tautog, armed and equipped for the brave business she had in hand. The first house she dropped into was Mrs. Mallory's.

"Mrs. Mallory," said she, almost as soon as she was seated, "have you heard the news?"

"Why no," answered the astonished lady. "What is it pray?"

And forthwith Mrs. Tautog narrated all that Mrs. Jenkins had been kind enough to tell her, and a good deal more—saying nothing about the embellishments she laid on in the course of her story.

Mrs. Mallory was astonished, of course. And as soon as her visitor had withdrawn, she dons her bonnet and shawl, and whips across to Mrs. Dinks. There the story was repeated, with variations, and considerable additions. Then Mrs. Dinks took it up. And then Mrs. Murry got interested, in it, and then Mrs. Filpot, and so on, till every-body got hold of it, and had talked it and had passed judgment on the man who was guilty of such gross malpractice toward his family. If it had stopped right there, perhaps it would have answered, but it didn't. It spread like a circle in the water, till, in the end, Mrs. Jones herself heard of it; and heard, of course, that the author of the story was the minister's own self.

The next thing to be done was for Mr. Jones and his family to leave Mr. Capers' church and go somewhere else. The clergyman was a good deal troubled about it, and his wife went over to see if she could discover the cause. Mrs. Jones received her with a good deal of coldness and seemed hardly civil. Unable to endure it longer, Mrs. Capers asked the aggrieved lady frankly what the trouble was. Mrs. Jones as frankly told; that was well, for now the latter knew exactly what the matter was, and what it was necessary to do.

Going home and imparting the intelligence to her husband, he manifested quite as much astonishment as she. He sat and thought it over a little while in order the better to collect himself before taking a single step, and then started on direct for Mr. Jones himself. He told Mr. Jones what he had heard, and declared the whole of it an untruth from beginning to end. Mr. Jones went on with all the minutest particulars connected with the affair, and making the most of the case in his power against the minister. Still the latter positively denied his guilt, and declared his determination to ferret out the author of this base a slander, if it was within human possibility. And he hurried back home and sat about it.

For some weeks it was a mystery still; he could get no clue to anything. It perplexed him beyond conception. Finally his wife came running down stairs one day, her face flushed and excited, and said to him in her unsteady breath:—

"Mr. Capers, have you ever noticed that knot-hole in your study floor?"

"Why no," said he; "where is it, and what of it?"

"Just come up stairs and see."

And they went up stairs together. She pointed to the tell-tale spot, and remarked in a whisper: "I just caught Mrs. Jenkins with her ear to that very hole."

That was the first step toward the unravelment of the mystery. In a few days more, the whole of it came out. He had sent his wife round to make a few innocent inquiries, and she had brought back the intelligence just as he had expected and required. And putting this thing and that thing together, and recalling certain ideas, that up to that time had passed out his mind altogether, he thought the matter was explained at last. So he went over to Mr. Jones once more.

"Come," said he, "If you will consent to go home with me for a short time, I think I can explain some things that hitherto stood in the way of our friendship."

Mr. Jones did not happen to love malice well enough to refuse, and accordingly took a walk with the minister over to his residence. The latter at once took him up into his study and shut the door.

"In the first place," said he, "I suppose you know that Mrs. Jenkins lives in the L."

"Yes."

"Well, and you observe that knot-hole?"

"O certainly."

"And this is my study?"

"Yes."

"And where my wife often takes the liberty to come and sit with me?"

"Now then," continued the clergyman, "I am in the habit of frequently reading aloud to her. And once upon a time I happened to be reading this very book, (picking up a volume from the table) and here is something out of the same book that I am going to read to you." And he went on to read to Mr. Jones several paragraphs, in which occured the following:—

"Mr. Jones got to abusing his family at last. He declared his wife should not go out visiting, and threatened to shut her up if she dared to disobey him. As for going to these evening meetings he meant to put a stop to it, he had enough of it. It did not do her any sort of good and made a great deal of trouble and expense to him. He should put an end to it at any and all hazards !"

Mr. Jones burst out laughing. "Is that all?" said he, his face as red as the setting sun.

"That and the knot-hole," said Mr. Capers, smiling good naturedly.

Mr. Jones offered his hand. From that moment they were friends again. He went back to church next Sabbath as he should have done.

"The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips; but the just shall come out of trouble."