Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1865-11-23

complainingly; "you never will be like 9th
er girls"
Esther cut and cut upon her bread, but
made no answer.
"Any body else but you would ha' gone to
| the apple-pearin' down to the deacon's to-
night, and been glad of the chance" contin-
ued hsr mother, rounding off her toe with an
emphasis
Esther went to the closet for the cups and
! saucers.
! Sand any body but you would go about
like other folks, and go sleighin' with the
deacons Jim, and"
"Mother :"
claws massey! what's the matter now ?"
Mrs. Searle dropped her knitting at the
sharp, appealing voice.
Mother mother"
The girl stood just as she had stood, the
plate half in her hand, half upon the table.
| The cry, perhaps, was Involuntary.
"Struck dumb? What ais you, for the
lands sake, Esther p
She came then and sank down at her
mothers knee. There was a certain plead
| ing in her outstretched hands, for compass
/ sion, for help, for love, for something, that
was pitiful to see.
Mother, if you only won't talk to meto
night--not tonight"
Mrs. Searle took up her knitting and
coughed. Hard-hearted? Not in the least.
| Simply astonished, puzzled, wondering !;
no more capable of understanding this
| her child than the very dumb mood of the
chair she sat on. Not an ungentle mother if
the girl were sick, loving her in her own way
as mothers can (; but she was-well, just
! what she was You know. 1t is the old
story Why God ever made these two moth
er and child, was one of his mysteries.
| Esther, with her face hidden, sat there a
moment, quivering, Then she rose, went
back to the table, and stood so, her back
turned. This momentary something that
had swept like a wave over her was gone.
She turned around with smile, and if you
treasure rare smiles in your memory, you
would have found place for this:
{" Kiss me, mother, please?'
"Well, [ never" said Mrs. Searle, and put
her arms around her neck. Then she went
ON with her knitting, and by way of CONVEX
sation, inquired if Esther had seen Meta
! Hunts wedding dress, how many petticoats
she wore with it, and how much the veil
cost.
Esther set the table, and drew the water
and made coffee, as she did on every other
night, with the soft step that never grew
rough, and the low voice that never was i'm
patient and the smile still upon her face.
For Esther thought perhaps she was wrong,
since sheneve philosophical. Esther thought
this was what it meant-the New Years eve,
and the long, long year. twas all God had
left her. What had he left her-to sweep
and dust and help her mother bake, and
light her fathers pipe--it was hers to glori-
fly, even as she would have glorifed her own
happy home, by the patient voice and willing
hand. All if that were possible, possible !
put Esther kept the smile upon her face,
and drew her water, and made the coffee,
and set the table, and listened to her moth
er's talk, and never knew she was a hero.
Down, deep in her heart she crushed the
pictures that came with the New Years eve,
and called and cried for her to look at them,
and would not go away. All how they
came and came, the sorrowful pictures
Robbie--his face, his voice, his smi!e-over
and over /! Always Robbie Coming home
at night she waiting for him as she now
waited for her father; sitting beside her at
their own little table, on which she should
have laid the plates as she was laying them
now; drawing his chair up to her beside the
the fire, looking into her eyes the long, long
evening. Oh J the sweet, sorrowful pictures,
the clamorous pictures that came and came,
and would not go away
But still Esther kept the smile upon her
face, and drew her water, and made the
coffee, and set the table, and listened to her
mothers talk, and never knew she was
hero.
Presently her father came in, and Esther
hung up his hat and lighted his pipe
Terrible cold out !" said the old man
ENORMOUSLY. esther, gal, do put more
wood on that fire." He never thought to
thank her, you see it never occurred to
him. Why should it 1t was little thing,
very little thing. But to spend ones life
suffocating among those little things, to spend
ones life in hanging up bats, and lighting
pipes, ones life not the mere bare years,
but the brain and the heart the hot young
energies, the passionate loving and longing
and zone to speak the grateful word and kiss
away the tears, and rest the aching head!
1t is pitiful, isn't it
This, you see, was Esther's life, and this
is what it meant. When she looked upon
her future, and said it was well.
Supper was over and cleared away. There
was no one to notice that Esther did not eat !;
the father had taken his almanac, the moth
err gone back to her knitting, and Esther, her
face somewhat pale in the lamp-light, was
STOPPING low over her sewing to hide it, when
there came little knock at the door, and
Meta came in. Meta, you know, was Rob-
bie's sister, and Esthers face flushed ten
Derby.
"Meta it is so good in you. did not
expect you tonight
81 thought must run over minute,
Esther-the last time, you know" The girl
sat down full in the lamp-light. 1t was a
pretty, tender face, bright with its timid
hopes and fresh young love, very, very
bright-far younger than the face beside it,
with the prayer in her eyes you might have
counted the difference by five years. Yet of
the two girls, Meta Hunt had lived the lon
ger in the world-this curious world
$50 you capclate on bein' married about
twelve clock, hear tell, " said Mrs Searle
looking up. If the mournful contrast of
those two faces in the lamp light struck her
at all, it only struck her with sort of impa-
thence that Esther had lost her beauty, and
never would look like other girls.
$50 George says" said Meta, with little
happy blush.
Esther put her arm around her and kissed
her, making more and more mournful that
mournful contrast.
g He always said we should be married
on New Years day, it is so pleasant, some
how. Esther, did you decide to wear your
white dress ~
Anything you please, Meta
She stood smiling down into the girls up
turned, happy eyes--smiling smiling down
But somehow the upturned, happy eyes
saddened at that smile, and Meta hand stole
softly into hers.
"If ever see couple set sight on each