Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-08-14
Written for tbs Cedar Falls Gazette
THE GOBLIN OF THE GATE

\ lNrtten tOr tvs Ceuar Fails Gazette
THE GOBLIN OF THE GATE;
The Misadventurcs Of . Night.
| BY DAN DE GUILE.
| "Boys," said Uncle Ben, "as you insist
upon my telling you another of my courting
scrapes, | suppose must oblige you; but
I'd much rather tell you story of hunting
or Indians. These courting stories, you see,
boys, take us back to our young days, and
as we ramble through the hong unvisited
thickcts Of our memories, besides soaring up
horsc-laughs, we often start up whole droves
Of sighs. The laughs are of course all yours,
but the signs are for me. Did l ever tell
you OF my falling dead in love with Squire
Clark's Betty? No; well, l knew that I
never did; but you shall have it all now,
though it stirs up whole covcys of tender
little hcart-futters to 60 back to those times.
Squire Clark was the richest farmer in all
the Wabash region of Indiana, and his daugh-
ter Betty the sweetest little mink ever turned
loose by nature to rack the souls of men.
Her brown hair hung about her neck in the
squirmingcst curls-Oh though her hair is
gray enough now, and l am old must
sigh here; for even now can feel them
the golden-tippcd curls-reaching out like
the tcndrils Of vine to cling about the bat
tered lattice Of my foolish old heart. And
then, how snowy was the neck and shoulders
over which those curls danced and swayed ;
how like the sun-kissed side of peach her
checks lips--Ah! Then a form, slender,
round, elastic. But. see, she opens her
great, brown, dreamy eyes upon mo /! When
those eyeslook yat you, curls, snowy neck,
rosy cheeks, round tapering arms--cvery-
thing else seems to vanish from your sight
and mind. You only sec those wells of eyes.
And as you hold your breath and look into
their liquid depths, they seem not eyes but
worlds, or twin lakelets in which are mir.
rored cool green fields, fountains overhung
by willows, birds of gay plumage, calm blue
skles--you sec Heaven! Boys that may
seem to you wild expression; but | don,
know how else to paint what would have
you see in those wonderful eyes. Then, if
Heaven was not TO be seen in Nfm, it is Ger
txia thousand things we're visible there
that should be seen in Heaven Love, truth,
pity. charity. Should l try till tomorrow
morning. | could not make you understand
all feel Of the sweet and holy mysteries that
made their home in the unlathomabe depths
OF those eyes; nor paint to you the color and
shape of the glorious rays that seem con-
stantly darting out from them to pierce one.
Welt heigho think, boys, I've been dream
ing. suppose my story will suit you bet
ten though preferny dreams. In the out
set, however, feel that it is my duty to in
form you that mine is no pretty love story,
full Of sweet dialogues, telling what said
and how Betty rested her head on my DO.
SON and sighed: no, it's only ridiculous
story Of some Of my ridiculous scrapes.
On his fine farm. Squire Clark had great
fine house, all fnished off and furnished like
thc palaces We sometimes read OF. with
large grassy door yard in front. A nice
graveled walk led down from the house
across this grassy lawn, to gate tall enough
for the gate of castle, at least the posts
were. Everything about the farm was nea,
and properly kept; in short the 'squirc's
was the tnodel farm Of the Wabash valley.
I've SO often told you Of my bashfuiness
when was young man. that need not
now spend time in telling you what diff
cult matter it was for me to muster sufficient
courage to get within the doors of the
'Squire's dwelling; suffice it to say that on
certain Sunday evening my deep love for
the gentle Betty carried me through it all,
and seated me among the ladies in the par.
lor. Now, besides my atored Betty, the
Squire had five unmarried daughters at
home; each almost Betty's equal in beauty,
though none had her eyes. Some o: these
were older and some younger than Betty. II
had hoped to find some of the girls away
from home, or engaged with beaux of their
own, but Twas disappointed. They were all
there, and formed perfect battery Of mis-
chicvous eyes The Squire had no sons.
On this particular evening, he was himself
away on business to distant part Of the
State, and was not expected at home for q
week. A young man with brass in his face |
would have cared nothing for this, but did. |
There were too many women for me. II
would have preferred having at least one pair |
Of less mischie*ous eyes near me, to gazcI
upon when it became Necessary for me 10 |
speak. Betty's eyes could have looked |
into forever, had there been mono about me |
more fosuish Aad prying. had neyer vis- |
tied the Sqshe's on Sunday s1eaisg, or in |
courting rig nor did any Of the girls, not
even Betty herself, know to which Of them |
all my heart was inclined though Betty