The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-04-20
ny DaugAtsr Minnie.

1
agement Of the later comera, even down
to little Pigeon" the latest and tiniest
Of them all
The picture Of Minnie In just AZ fresh in
my memory a. though the forty years
which have siInmered and evapOratcd
since had been weeks instead. But Il IL
fathers eye that looks over these years
ct Minnie, and the beauty may be half
fancy, = sort Of SfiectiOnal illusion. Those
We love ere transparent, you know we
who love them look through into the heart
and then imagine II is surface. tint and
suriace-light Of which vs. are thinking.
This much Lknow, Minnie was the best,
most affectionate and widest OF daughters
-one Of those spirited but industrious
little creatures upon whoke enterprise and
tact the greatest and strongest Of us will
invOlnntarily lean.
"Minnie, dear, shall I want five or six
breadths 10 this skirty" her mother would
say.
Looking M. with just little knitting
Of the forehead, after moments thought,
Minnie would answer:
~ think five will do, mother" and tivc
Il was.
can hear, even now, the voice Of Min.
nic's mother-She has been gone twenty
years, dear heart calling from the head
Of tho stairs:
"Minnie Say, Minnie !"
"What, mothrry'
"WhAt shall We have for dinner, to-
day
"You are tired, mother; let's have lit.
tie ham and some eggs, with sOme peas
from the garden, and bread" That set.
tied the bill Of fare.
And SO Il was through the livelong day;
for in oil the domestic pOlity, Minnie,
though only prime minister, possessed
fully regal power.
At this time-this forty years ago-l
was Of course In the prime oflife, and full
Of the cares and responsibilities which
cluster and cling to ones manhood. l
was largely engaged in active business,
received some slight evidences Of public
confidence, saw large family coming up
about me-ir0m oil Of which my natural
pOsitiveness and force Of character re.
ceived more OF less strengthening.
One night, when the last candle had
been extinguishcd and all was hushcd,
my wife said, with some anxiety Of tone
Husband, feel uneasy about our
Minnie"
"Minniei Why, what's the matter
is she sick Y"
"NO, she isn't sick, but"
"But what, wifer"
"Why, Minnie isl mean, she seems
to be-Well, I'm afraid she likes Jenny
Brun."
r" Jenny BruMI She'd better not"
And I leaPed to the floor and walked to
the window. "Jemmy Brun and our
Minnie Ia pretty match!"
I" / was afraid you would be disturbed,
dear; but don't take it too much TO heart,
husband. ! dare say we can put stop
to it." And mOtherly SObs came FROM the
the pillow.
"Put stop to it! I guess l ,eM put
. stop to It," s-
And who was Jenny BrunH A young
man Of some two years. residence in tho
neighbOrhoOd, Of good habits, SO far as l
knew, but altogether and diametrically
opposed to my taste, to my ideal Of man.
illness. l had always wOrshipped business
tact and enterprise. IL had taken me,
when pennileSs boy, and brought mc up
through numberlrss difficulties to q posi-.
ton Of influence That which was found
In my nature when young, was thus nour.
ished and rooted through all afler years
Of struggle ripsning into triumph.
The young man was Of literary turn
Of mind; had taught in an academy; was
. writer, II was said, for one or two peri.
Odicala. There was an air OF sentiment
about him, In bis looks and manners, that
came precisely within the scope Of my
contempt. ] had known it in others-in
strong business men-this utter contempt
for the least possible manifestation Of sen.
timent; for those unthriity fellows who
have never an eye for business, but hang
upon the skirts Of thought, clasp imagery,
and ride upon rhythm. You may Sse 1t
now every day 10 commercial houses II
springs, I think, from the absolute antag-
onism Of fact and fancy-Of the figures
which dot the pages Of the ledger and
those which illume the lines Of the poet.
"The Muses. frowned on me, " said Ger.
man poet, "for keeping account books"
Undoubtedly; nor Is the knight Of the
balance sheet less intOlerant toward those
miserable fellows whose entire stock in
trade can be stored within q very little
cavity just behind tho frontal bone.
Ny good wife had time Of it cooling
me down, and preventing the adoption Of
most violent measures. Even when had
formally surrendered to her superior dis.
cTetion, chafed by times like q bear in
harness. II vile had not been almost .
Rarcy in tact, should certainly have
broken into plungings even sooner than I
did.
Minnie was taken one day into solemn
conference by her mother, with only pussy
in the doorway As auditor. But the child,
though she blushed very much, moved
about from seat to seat, and tore pieces Of
paper into bits, declared that she was heart
whole yet-"as why shouldn't she be !
for Jenny Brun had never said word to
her which any man might not have said
to any maiden"
So wife and got easy again.
But what should | zee one evening At
twilight, while sauntsring out under the
shadows Of my own grove Of forest oaks
not far from the house, but two figures
fitting slowly hithsf and thiIher among
the distant trec& Like knavo - | was,
I sat on the ground and watched them
watched them RervOusly, glaringly, till
saw Jenny Brun give Minnie kiss on
her lips, and look lovingly aftsr her as she
slipped away.
] was reclining upon the sward by heT
path. Determined % meet and confront
her there, eat and watched her coming,
Certainly MinnieS ace never wore that
expression before Itwas not gleefGl, bul
Il Was radiant and Der eysA which wers
bent on the ground, and hence only visible
az she came very near me. bad light and
} depth that ] never ~ before She pass
Cd me; 90 utterly wee The child absorbed
in her own emOli0Aa ~
"Minnlel" aid, Ia O tone which star
tied myself scarcely less than the child
"Ohi" aud she Rprang from the path ii