Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-05-24

Oyl-she stopped me as l was walking
across the floor She was behind me, at
the other side of the room. / could not tell
what was holding me, until she laughed
and willed me to 90 on. did not like any
one. even Annie, to hold such power over
me as that, so begged her to exercise it no
more"
"No,' said Mr.. Thornton, solemnly,
/" free wiU is Gods great gift-it is as sinful
as it is dangerous for US to yield up this
noblest of our privileges. Who would be
the slave-the mental, worse than the bodily
slave-of another? But you told me, did
you not, Miss Helen, that your cousin cured
your headache the afternoon of our friends
party
Eyes, and that was the last time. I
wished to go so much that begged of her
to charm my head into better behavior"
"Well. Miss Kirkland said Mr.. Thorn
ton, rising to his feet and looking her
steadily in the eyes, 81 know not what evil
purpose you had in bringing such unplea-
SAINT notoriety upon your friend and cousin;
but this know, and now assert before these
witnesses that it was your will, controlling
that of Helen's, which caused her singular
conduct at Mrs Kole Oyfs. l watched
YOU upon that occasion. | saw the steady,
concentrated look you kept upon her. It
would have been natural that you should
have been d stressed and nervous-that
you would have gone to her and taken her
down from the chair Instead of that, you
remained motonless, directing her words
and actions The moment | spoke to you
forced you, by my earnestness, to attend to
me-the spell was broken; YOU Vlctlm left
off her play, came to you and asked you
what she had been doing You partly re-
gained your control of her, causing her face
to resume its silly expression; and, when
you got her to the dressing room, you plum
ged her into mesmeric sleep which you
were kind enough to allow to pass for the
stupor of intoxication.
C Mrs. Kole Oyl, having deep interest
in this young lady, who has promised soon
to become my wife, have traced this mat
ter up, and this is what | have made of it.
You have only to look in the face Of Miss
Kirkland to be assured of her guilt. What
ever power she has over others, she has not
power to repress the blush of shame. Ma
ture, there, is stronger than her will. You
will not need the assurance of Miss Mar
shall, when you recall her manners and
character, that, upon that unfortunate even
ing, she did not touch wine at all. 1t was
not until yesterday that she understood the
nature of the charges being made against
her Her mother did not understand them,
and Miss Annie chose not to explain them.
She has suffered much through the mischief
loving-or shall / say malicious ?-experi-
ments of one who ought to have been the
last to cause her any pain-and need not
ask, Mrs. Kole Oyl, that you will do what
comes in your way in righting this wrong
with your friends. II you are mereiful
enough to represent it merely as the fun
loving freak OF thoughtless girl, am will
ling to let it pass for that Mrs. Marshall
must inflct her own punishment
Annie Kirkland burst into tears OF morti
fcation and thwarted revenge. 1t is pro-
bahle that Mr. Thornton understood her
motives better than any other person, as he
was not only unusually quick in bis reading
of character. but had perceived that the
preference she had once plainly shown for
him had changed to dislike upon his avowal
of love for her cousin.
Annie retired to her room, without an at
tempt to deny the charge; and after pleas
ant hour of conversation, Mr.. Thornton es-
corted Mrs. Kole Oyl home, satisfied that
her qualification at being the first 10 publicly
announce the engagement, would be snfi
cient inducement for her to labor to restore
things to- their usu l order.
And he was not in error Mrs. Kole Oyl
was only too eager to report the engagement,
and, after few days, the pretty Miss Mar
shalls shadow passed away forever.