Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1866-09-08
CHOICE MISCELLANY.
The First Love.

From dawn to dusk you might have
heard the clang of Merrick Masters ham
mer on the anvil of the Hammersly. Of
ten long after the early dusk of the win
ter day, have | watched the golden
sparks as they flew away into the outer
darkness, through the wide door, like so
many long-imprisoned spirits, just set
free after years of enchanted bottling up
And ever and always, while work was
doing under the sloping roof, could hear
sort of anvil chorus, either whistlcd or
sung by the rich voice Of Merrick Mas
ters.
If it had only so happened that some
musical enthusiast had come across Mer-
rick Masters i'll his boyhood, as such an
one is said to have met with Jenny Lind,
singing by the way-side, there need have
been no anvil work for him, and in place
of toiling for pence and shilling, fortunes
might have been showered upon him.
and critics might have talked about his
"chesnotes," and beautiful members Of
upper tendon have flung boquets to him,
and even penned him love letters on the
sly, as they are fond of doing towel,
no matter whom, of the opera.
No musical enthusiast, however, ever
came to Hammersly, and it is doubtful if
anybody ever suspected Merrick Of being
a musical genius, unless, indeed, it was
the old parson, who had requested him
to make one Of the church choir, where
he beloved as gloriously as any base
prolundo who ever shook the walls OF the
Academy Of Music, and apologized for it
to the owner Of the shril soprano (rathcr
cracked) yclept Miss Squiggs.
'fle didn't mean to 90 drowing Ia
dies voices; but when he got going, he
couldn't help getting too loud. 1t was
the fault, he reckoned, of the blacksmith
ing.
The deep snow was white on the ground
one December eve, and the golden sparks
rushed from the changing anvil faster than
ever, and the song to which the strokes
kept time was louder and clearer, when
somebody leading a horse stopped
at the forge door and looked through
with an eye that took in it's picturesque
beauties at Il glance "By Jove, it's like
some Of those old Dutch pictures, NUT
tered voice under a golden mustache
"I'd paint it if / were an artist"
Then in Il louder tone.
"Here, young fellow, my horse has lost
a shoe, and | want it looked to immedi-
ately".
The "youmg fellow" dropped his ham
mer, and strodc forward to the door, and
in another moment horse and master
stood beneath the forge roof. Then, as
Merrick Masters bent down to look at
the foot Of the splendid animal, the latter
90 c1lp q IN
tered TO the fire and stood basl,ing in its
genial warmth and shaking off the fcath-
cry flakes which clung here aud there to
his shoulders. a light-haired, blue-eyel,
wcllbUilt exquisite, as great a contrast
to the brown Hercules Of the forge rs can
well be imagined, though in his way, Mer-
rick was very handsome, too.
Just as the blacksmith's whistle began
to play about the hoof he was shoeng,
and while the stranger was standing with
his back to the fire, admiriug the light
and shadow on the wall, steps came
tripping through the snow, and girl
with a shawl over her head came dancing
in from the shadows.
''Tca viii be cold, Merlick," she said.
"Your Mother says"
IhSlO nli0 hNoppcu, CONtltu Win CoiI-
fusion at the sight ofa stranger-one, too,
who stood looking at her as unconcern-
edly as he might mt a picture.
Certainly she was well worth looking
at-a pure brunette, with large brown
eyes, and cheek like arose; with lashes
long and curling like apretty child's, and
buxnm form where not an angle was Wis
ible.
1t was only moment that she stood,
with the red shawl slipping from her
black hai, in the full glow Of the fire.
light-the next moment she was gone,
and the stranger turned to the blacksmith.
A pretty girl that---your sisterp
"No, I'm glad to say" replied the black
smith.
80 Glad S;Wby:2" -zsrs's 49,
"Because she's something better than
sister to me-" said Merrick. "We're to
be married in May"
Then out rang the whistle again, shrill
and clear, and the stranger asked no more
questions. He paid Merrick and rode
away few moments afterwards, and, for
all the blacksmith knew or cared, they
had seen the last of each other