The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1863-06-26
NICK DUDLEY.


returned from C.lifornia-Nick, the ne'et
DO well, who had run away from his
drunken oids fathers hor.e~hip ten years
ago. and now came back rich
All the cos.ips Of the little neighbor-
hood were in a perfect futter. The young
misses donned their brightest smiles and
most captivating calicoe,. The Young fel-
lows were furious with envy The minis
ter introduced a period in his long praftr
with .pacial reference TO !" the wanderers
return - and, in fact, never in New Eng.
and was seen such futter IS pervaled
| this pretty rustic hamlet when it wa. ru-
mored and then confirmed that Nick had
| got home.
The poor Widow Dudley had made
her few preparations for the event in fear
and trembling, for sho scarce expected
from her runaway sen anything save a
repitition OF her reprobats husbands
neglect. vet she spread her little table
with the best her scantv store afforded
aud smoothed her faded gown with trem-
bling fingers. when she hesyd the rumble
Of the stage wheela To Widow Dudley
and to Nick himself, all this hubbub and
commotion was lost; uei!her Of them
minded it whit.
Nick bought back the old farm which
his Daternal ancestor had succeeded IN
mortgaging twice over before he luckily
broke hia neck; bnilt An addition to the
farm house; flung out bay window here
and a piazza there; put up comfortable
row Of stables planted shrubbery drove
bis mother TO meeting in a new wagon,
of rather rakish and sporting appearance,
behind the fastest pair of chestnut mares
ever seen in that county. But he ciyilly
declined all invitations to tea parties, sew
Jig circles, and quilting bees; was iuvinci-
bis at town meetings and fancy fairs; ask
ed no one to visit him returned no calls,
nnd, in fact, as pretty Miss Lan&if5h1 re-
marked con6dentialiy to Lizzie Hopkins,
the deacon's daughter, " behaved more
like a savage [nin, or horrd Old miser
than decent christian. and the hand
soonest fellow in Springdale to boot
One or two of Nick's old school-mstes,
who ventured to Introduce themselves to
his presence, told strange stories Of the in
terviaw, and Of the wonders to be seen in
the apartment where the returned Ca.lfor
nian received them, politely, to be sure.
but coldIv as an animated icicle. They
spoke of walls hung with rifles. Indian
bows and rich furs; of cabinets filed with
out-landish looking bits of rocks. which
sparkled in the sunlight like diamonds
Of silver mounted pistols, barharic spurs
and pits, diabolicsl Mexican idols, carved
of solid gold of gorgeous cIoaks flung
over great elk antlers: Of Indian scalp
triumphantly stretched upon hoops daub-
ed with vermliiou, and oil Nick himself,
strangest Of aIl--,ali aud swart. with his
great beard and dreamy eyes, an ugly red
scar athwart his forehead never flushed
nor disconcerted; his voice as sweet as :.
woman's and full of tenderness whenever
he spoke of or to his old mother.
Folks wonder tina. lie should come
home if be couldn't coniuct himself a
little more soc;abIy and neehbory. and
indeed. many surmiSed that he wouil not
have returned at all, had it not oeen for
his mother
Bnt. st ans rate, there he was. and tfey
must make the best Of him. Rich, too 4;
10 doubt of that, for didn't he lend Squire
Fordham three thousand dollars, all in
double eagles, after the latteE's mill was
burned? But then he took an unconscious
bic rate of interest--seveC per cent, not
2 miI less what a regular old Shyiock
he must be :" And IS set off to his
riches, don't he drink wine every dav at
dinner, with his fathers awful fate before
him AMI amt he forever with pipe
between his teeth aud didn't h8 play
cards and carouse and sing songs all night
and drive about the country all day with
those friends of his who came up from
Boston Old mates in the mines were
they? iumph. Guess gamblers, with
their suporine broadcIoth and their gold
chains and things"
50 went the gossip, and Nick cared for
it al not red cent, but went Oh his way,
turning neither to the right nor the LET, :;
da5bling little in fancy cattle; oftoDer
going off for DAYS shooting o: fishing /;
more oftener going down to Boston for no
body knows what; evidently enjoying life
in his own way, despite all that was sad
Of him and bis eoin.s on.
; At last the war broke out. The Young
mon v,,un,eercd Jv scores by hGnlrel,
by thousands. Weeping mothers pack
el their kits and said, ''Gol bless you"
/ Sad. broken circles INST aroun! homely
boards in the brown farm houses. Poor
old fathers, with stern faces and sad hearts
strained every nerve to mako both ends
meet while the boys were away fight
ing, and sweethearts and wives sa. ther1-
selves down to weep over husbands and
lovers marching away for :he cruel swamps
Of Virginia.
In the midst Of it all report began to
spread that Nick Dudley was secession
ist. And indeed, his conduct was some
what suspicious.
Before the stormng OF Sumter he was
heard 10 say dozen times that he svmpa-
thized with his misguided southern breth-
rem Since that momentous era. he had
held bis tongue, never joining in the ey-
cited harancues Of his neighbors at the
village school house; attending no war
meetings offering no money for the canse
and doing nothing 10 encourage enlist