Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-02-01

Mary. The old goose So,- nothing but
marrying will serve his turn-and all out Of
spite too Well, he is bringing fine lot Of
cares On his shoulders, and SO he'll find
There's an end to his quiet life now
The trouble of wife" Hsre my father
checked himself, seeing, perhaps something
in my mothers face.
NO Mary l didn't mean that. You
know did not. You and have pulled to-
gether without rub for thirty five years.
Why Polly, what are you thinking of %
She did not speak, but I always thought
my mothers smile was better by far
than words. My father thought so too
| Her smile was known to all of US to be the
sunlight under which the sour part Of his
nature ripened to sweet.
! 81 wonder what she is like p queried
Tom, unluckily giving utterance to the
thought that was seething in oar girlish
minds.
'Stuff, sir! What does it matter ?" said
ny father effervescing again. "a design
ing woman, no doubt. Designing women
are all alike"
''She must be uncommonly sharp said
| Tom.
The moment my father left the table, our
pent-up feelings had full play, and we re-
lieved ourselves by much conversation, my
mother acting as moderator.
81 think your uncle had right to please
| himself" said my mother, as she left the
room to attend to her household duties.
Perhaps he had. People are not to be de-
prived Of their rights because they are old
and rich, and have circle of nephews
| and nieces expectant of solid remembrances
| in his will. No, certainly not but still 1t
cannot be denied that this news fell hardly
upon us; we had made go sure you see.
But have not described Uncle Jacob. This
is easily done, though, there being very
little of him to describe. He was little
man, not over five feet six, certainly, with
little, neat, long figure, surmounted by
rather long head. Uucle Jacob was q
long headed man in every sense OF the
word. His features were hard and small.
| mean they looked physically hardwood
en-, for the expression Of his face was good.
His hands were small and hard, too; in fact
the second finger Of his right hand, where
the pen leans, seemed turned to the very
bone He was my fathers only brother,
and had been sent out early in life, with fiji
teen hundred pounds in his pockets, to
make his own way in the world, while
my father as the eldest brother, had inher-
tied the freehold farm we live on.
With my father, time had stood still, so
speak. lie was no richer and no poorer
now at the age of sixty-seyen than he had
been forty years before; but with my I'M
Gle things had been different. He might sit
down at the ink-stained desk in the little,
mouldy office in Mincing Lane, and take
his hard pen in his hard, small fingers, and
write his hard name in the crabbedest Of
hands, and the checque he wrote on would
be worth three hundred and twenty thous-
and pounds. SO Mr.. Sneck, his clerk would
say with triumphant look to his familiars
AS for Uncle jacob, he never spoke about
the state Of his affairs his mind was tight
and trim and self contained like himself.
Now, Uncle Jacob never spoke Of leaving
US sixpence, but we built our hope on the
circumstances of the case, and very reason
ably too, | think. He had not single re-
lation tn the world outside of our house.
He had always been kind to us in his way,
paying Toms school bills, and sending my
mother presents of the quaintest ornaments
that could well be seen. He was really
very fond of her in his undemonstrative
way, and had told my father confidentially
woman" On one occasion, too, my father
had been lamenting in his presence that we
girls could have no forum es.
"Tom must have the farm Of course and
then if he marries," my father had said
And Uncle Jacob had said ''Don't fret your
self about their fortunes"
There was no promise in the words, GER
tainly-that is no promise expressed-but
did not an implied one Turk there so slightly
hidden as too be Scent We thought SO, and
reioiced and made merry over it, and felt
sure of our fortunes from that time for
ward.
81 wonder If he will ask us to the we'd
ding?" said Nettie, the youngest and liyeli-
est OF us all, as we sat together over the fire
in the workroom.
''He may spare himself the trou Die" said
Jane.
sin any case il would not be wise to Of
fend him, said |.
at doesn't signify whether no is offend
ed or not, said Jane with % toss. 'His wife
will take care of him now"
81 should dearly like to be asked" said
Nettie.
"Why?"
''Why, Kate, it would be such rare fun"
Gum" said [. l do believe you think
of nothing but fun, Nettie, and after all,
it will be very poor fun for US, this mar
riage"
'He will look so odd Think of the lit
tie wee man in his reen coat, with his
shining bald head, with his bridegroom
white gloves on, and rose in his button
hole, putting ring on her finger Che must
have his spectacles on to do it properly, J
and saying all those things he will have to
say. ., how romantic he will look How
can she ever find it in her heart to marry
him ?" And Nettie broke into one of her
merry peals of laughter "Such an old
fright How can she 70
''She sees him through golden mist
Jane said.
81 should SO dearly like to see 1.-THE
wedding" 81
eff you go, you may go by yourself, said
Jane. 81 do think you are like child in
some things yet, Nettie and yet you are
twenty-five"
81 shall never forget that fact, DEAR you
remind me so often; bat when l think of
your age, fell quite like child; thirty
/ five sounds quite important after my two
and-twenty. No Jane, never mind, I'm sor-
ny said it +; it was spiteful of me. Don't
be yexed this time, and I'll never say a word
about your age again" And Nettie put her
mouth in such a pleading shape that Jane
could not have been angry if she lad tried
A learned prelate tells us in an erratic off.
spring of his genius, that little neg re
tyousse has had power before this TO reverse
the destinies of an empire. Iwonder what
! his verdict ON Nettie's Mouth would have
! been. know that she ruled us like a little
queen-my father included; and l think
her power was in her mouth. There was
! silence for a while, and our needles sped
fast