The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-06-14
DADDY D0DD.
Light at Evening.
From All dc Year Round.l


wit smiles. Martha thought hs was going
to present baby with the silver spoons
When the old man had settled himself il
a chair and recovered his breath, he said,
with pleasant chuckle: fR& Gs
've got something to tell you, Martha
What is it, father ? r. ,f----es4-s..-.
We'll, Martha, I've been looking in the
top drawer, and --Lf
Yes, father, yes, said Martha eagerly
making quite sure now that baby was to
have the spoons.
1've been looking in the top drawer,
the old man repeated and-and-
The spoons Martha suggested, as duti-
fully helping her poor old father in diff
Guilty.
No not the spoons, Martha he said. the
money
What about the money, father?
Its all gone, Martha?
All gone! The money you've got to
live upon, father, cried Martha, hysteric.
ally, all gomez
EVERY farden,' said the old man.
Martha could not believe it. She gave
baby to neighbor to mind, and insisted
upon the old man going back with her to
his lodging Immediately. He gave her the
key, and she tore open the top drawer in
frantic way. She seized the canvass bag
in which the old man kept his money 0or
be had an unconquerable distrust of banks, J
and plunged her hand into it. She could
feel nothing like coin. She turned the bag
inside out and shook it nothing fell out of
it. She rumaged among the useless odds
and ends in the drawer, and not farthing
could she find. Suddenly she paused and
said
You have been robbed, father Some
body's been at the drawer.
No, no, my dear, you mustn't say that,
nobodys been at the drawer bat me- I've
spent it all. There wasn't much of it, only
eighty pounds Of it altogether and it
wouldn't last forever It's me that's lived
too long, Martha and the old man sat
down in chair and began to whimper and
weep.
Martha could only sit down and weep
too. She was overwhelmed at the thought
of her fathers restitution and the prospect
which lay before him IN his weak old age.
His money was all gone, aud his few sticks
of furniture, with the silver spoons which
were were the only portion of his plate
which remained, would scarcely realize
enough to bury him. Hf'..A.'g
This was sad news to tell John when he
came in (from a moving job to his dinner.
Martha, by way of breaking it gently to
him, Historically shrieked out the tidings
at the top of her voice as John was coming
in at the door:
oh, John, fathers moneys all gone =
she cried
Seeing that Martha was in dreadful
state of excitement about the matter, John, |
with proper appreciation of artistic con-
coolly.
WELL he said, 'in that case we must
keep hun. He has nobody else to look to-
And 80 one day John went over to dad |
dy's house, sent for broker, and disposed |
of all the things except the old mans bed, |
which he dispatched by the truck to the |
sent the key to the landlord, and taking
the old man by the hand, led him to the
shelter of the broken-backed roof Putting |
him into the old armchair by the fire, and |
patting him kindly on his bald head, he |
said;
There daddy, consider yourself at
home-provided for for the rest of your
life
So it happened that John and Martha
were burdened with old Daddy Dodd, in adj |
dition to their numerous offspring. And
daddy was a burden, though neither John |
nor Martha never said so, even to each |
other He was an expensive old man. for
though he did not eat much, and was we'll |
content to share BEDROOM with the bows.
he had, considering his circumstances. an
unreasonable passion for snuff; and glass
of six ale punctually every morning at
eleven o'clock, was absolutely necessary to
his existence. The glass of ale he would
have, and he would have it nowhere but in
the public house, standing at the pewter
bar, according to a custom which he had
most religiously observed more than forty
years. One of the inconvenience of this re-
quirement was that the old man had to be
provided every morning with three half
pence in current coin of the realm; and an.
other, which followed in the course of time.
when the old man became decrepid and fee.
BILE was that some one hao to take him to
the particular public house on which alone
he would bestow his patronage, (half mile
distant, and bring him back again.
Still no word of complaint escaped either
John or Martha, until their family increased
to that extent, when every half penny be-
came,, as Martha said, an object The cri-
sis had arrived that night when John in
general but significant terms asked his
wife what was to be done. 5a#
1T is not fair to you, john Martha said.
and you shan't be burdened with him apv
longer And, while the old man sat do5.
ing in his chair, all Unconscious, it was r..
solved between them, after a hard struooIe
on Johns part and many silent tears on Mar
thas part that Johu should next day nut
old daddy in the workhouse The resolu
ton was taken, and the old man slept ON
Neither John nor Martha had the courage to
wake him. They were afraid that he
might read their terrible intentions towards
him in their guilty faces. j cannot do it.
Martha John said and he made an ex-
cuse to go out Of doors and smoke his pine
Martha could not do it either, and sat wait
ing for the old man to wake, and presently
he woke and called for her She had to
withdraw into the shade, and he could not
see her with his dim old eyes.
MARTHA he said. where are You i? Come
here and let me tell you what Fve been
dreaming about, Such pleasant dream.
my dear, about the old days when you were
all at home thought saw you all
around the table eating your Christmas
dinners; and there was turkey and plum
pudding, and all the nice things that we
used to have, you know ; and then dreamt
that was taking you TO the boarding
school, where you was for a twelve month,
you know; and, land as we were driving
down the Edgeware road in the chaise'
John came up and wanted to borrow five
pounds, just as he used to do, You know,
and lent it to him, just as used to do,
and-and-but what's the matter with YOU
Martha, you're not crying surely?'
Poor old man he little knew what thorns
he was planting in his daughters breast
She was crying, but she hid her tears,
and said kindly it was time for him to go
to bed.
So, taking him by the hand, and leading
him to his room. she put him to bed and