Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-01-20

4 Il
me. Some Of those facts lie beyond my I'M
derstanding. | do not pretend to explain
them ! only know that they happened as
relate them, and that pledge myself Tor the
truth Of every word Of them.
began life roughly enough, down among
the potteries | was an orphan; and my ear
Hest recollections are of a great porcelain
inauufactorv in the country Of the pOtteries,
where | helped about the yard picked up
what haifpence fell In my way, and slept in
the barness-loft over the stable. Those were
hard times but things bettered themselves
is ] grew older and stronger especially after
George Barnard had come II be foreman of
the ward
George Barnard was a Weslevan-ve were
mostly dissenters IN the potteries-sober,
clear-headed somewhat su!ky and silent, but
good fellow every inch Of him, and my best
friend nj the time when | most needed a good
friend. lie took me out OF the yard, and set
me TO the furnace-work lie entered me on
the books at a fixed rate of wages. He help
ca me TO pay for little cheap schooling four
nights a week and he led me To 90 with him
on Sundays 10 the chapel down by the river
side where ] first saw Leah Payne. She was
his sweetheart, and 50 pretty that l used TO
forget the preacher and everybody else, when
| looked lit her. When she joined in the
singing, / heard no voice but hers II She
E
and trcmbc. / believe | worshipped her, in
nay stupid, ignorant way; and think | wor-
shipped Barnard almost as bliudly though af-
ter f different fashion. | felt ] owed him ey-
crlthiug / knew that he had saved me
body and mind and looked upon him as a
savage might look upon "a missionary.
Leah was the daughter of "a plumber, who
lived close % the chapel She was twenty
and George about seven or eight-and thirty
ffsTia ia
difference III their ages; but she was 50 seri-
Gus minded, and they loved each other so
earnestly and quietly, that, if nothing had
come between them during their cuurtship,
don't believe the question OF disparity would
ever have troubled the happiness of their
married lives. Something did come howcy-
or. and chat something was a Freuchmau
called Lewis Larouhe. lie was a painter on
porcelain. from thc famous works at Scvrcs-
and our master, IL was said, had engaged him
for three years certain, at such wages as
none Of our people, however skilllul, could
hope 90 command. Ii was about the begin
ming or middle of September when he first
came among us. lie looked very young: was
small, dark. and well made; had little white
soft hands, and silk moustache; and spoke
English nearly as wen is / do None OF Us
liked hmm, but that was only natural seeing
how hc Was put over the head OF every Eng
H-Hmau III the place. Besides he was al
WINS smiling and civil, we couldn't help seeing
thar hg thought himself ever SIS much better
than tine rest of us and that was not pleas
ant. Neither WAS it pleasant to see him
stroliIu1 about the town, when working hours
were over, smoking good cigars, when we
were found 90 be content with pipe of com
mon tobacco; hiring i horse on Sunday after
noon when We were trudgiug afoot, and
taking ms pleasure ~ II the world was made
ifiu IT enjoy anal r1 work
Ben, boy, said George, there's some
thing wrong about that Freuchman."
II was on Sunday afternoon. and we were
sitting on pile Ct empty seggars against
tire turnAve-room waiting till the men should
all haze cleared out of theyurd. ScgEerS are
deep earthen boxes in which the pottery ].
put, While being fired in the Kiln.
looked up inquringly
About the Count said l. for that was
the nickname by which he went in the pottery
George nodded, and paused for a moment
with his chin resting on his palms.
Tie has an evil eye" said he and a
false smile. There Is something wrong about
hmm.
dren nearer, and listened to George as il
he had been an oracle
Besides, added he, IN his slow. quiet
way, with his eyes fixed straight before him
IS II he was thinking aloud " there's Young
look about him that isn't natural Take hin
Just al sight, and you'd think lie was almost q
boy but look close at hiul-sce the little
fine wrinkles under his ewes, and the hare
lines about his mouth, and then tell me hi:
age, Il you can, Why, Ben, boy, he's aS ole
IL | am, pretty near; av and As strong, too
Iou stare but l tell You that slight as Ia,
looks he could fling Won over his shoulder
rs ii YOU were feather And. as for Tai,
hands httlc and white Is they are, there arr
muscles Of iron inside them. take my worJ
tor it
But, George, how can YOU know -
Because / have i warming against him,
replied George, very gravelv Because
whenever he Is hy, ! feel as il my ewes saw
,..arrr. and nv heard keener thau s.
other times, Maybe its presumption, but
sometimes feel As # had call to guar,
myself and others against him. Look at tht
children, Ben, how they shrink away from
ham and see there now. Ask Captain wha
BE thinks OF him. Ben, that dog likes hin
10 better than do
looked, and saw Captain crouching by hi
kennel With his ears laid back growing audi
tly. the Frenchman came slowly down til,
steps leading from his own workshop NJ the
upper end of the yard. on the last step Il,
paused, lighted a cigar, glanced around rs l.
81 -ec whether amy one was br. ana rher
walked straight over 10 within couple 81
E3Ft> OF the kennel. Captain gave a short
aiI-TE snarl, and laid his mule close down
upon ats paws, ready for a spring Til,
Freneamau folded uiS arms deliberately. fxot
ms eyes on tae oo- and stood CALMLY smok
Tug lie knew exactly how far he dared %
and kept just that one foot out of harm,
way All Ut once he stoned putfad !
moUthtuI of smoke in the doE'S ewes hurs
into a mockiug langh, turned lightly on III.
heels ana walked aw :. leaving Capta:r
stgajusn- n his chain and barking after hin
like a mad creature.
DAYS went bv, and /. IT work in my ovr
department., saw no more of the Count sun
dan came-tae ;aird l think, after | Ia,
talked with George iii the yard. Going Wit
. 6eorEe to the chapel in the morning, l no
tEgoa that there was something strange ant
aux -o4~ in lis face, ana thar he scarcely
opened al~ lips Ia me on the way. Still
said nothing. lt was not my place 10 CUES
ton him, and remember thinking TO mvsel
that the cloud would all clear eff as soon a.
liz found himself ~ Leahs side. holding tht
same book and joining the same hxmn- II
did not, however for no Leah was there.
looked every moment at tile door. expecting
to see her sweet face coming in. but George
never lifted his ewes from his book or seemed
70 notice that her place was empty. Thus