Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-03-14

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bors there were none, save at Hiram
Wycllffe,s. red farm house In the valley
some few miles Below !; and it was only in
the blue TRANSPARENCY Of the clearest days
that [ could see the dim wreaths of smoke
curling up from his chirnneys.
Yet the solitude was not unpleasant to
me- I had needed employment, and here
it was ready to my hand. L had been
struggling to ward off the iron grasp OF
actual poverty, here was a competence
decent, although barely sufficient MOI
was l discontinued. :.
[ had not, however. been the only aspi-
rant for the situation of sswitch-te tender at
the Branhill Station John Walker had
also applied for it, and Ihad heard float
= ing rumor, half Needed at the time and to
tally disbelieved afterward, that pretty
Barbara Wycliffe had herself gone to the
city and used her influences with the
attaches of the railroad company in Walk
ers behalf ~ T. admired Barbara Wycliffe
myself-there was something in the tropic
glow of her dark Spanish beauty, and the
sparkle of her black-lashed, abrOwn..e eyes,
that was strangely attractive to me- Some
how | did not fancy her becoming the wife
of .sullen, retcient fellow like john
Walker; and whenever the vision o. pos
Sible- home ofy,my own rose before me,
! Barbara Wycife' s glowing face lighted up
its underlined walls.
The sun was creeping slowly up the Leaf
less woods and sombre stretches of black,
green pines that covered the eastern hill
one sparkling March afternoon, as i came
leisurely in after half an hours brisk work
3. at wood cutting down in the hollow The
instant I entered [ became conscious, by
that peculiar magnetic influence which all
have experienced, of the presence OF some
- one else in the little OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
mistaken. j John Walker was lounging in
the rocking chair by the one window, read.
ing week old newspaper
''Hallo, Walker! how came yoN here? =
Through the back-door. I've just
strolled up from Wycliffe's Il And how are
YOU getting along, old fellow?" isaS n3s
ooh, first-rate. What are you doing ;"
"Nothing just at present. | am looking
=, fora place on the E. road as brakeman
until something better turns up. Upon
here, Reuben. Does the Company give
you the place." 81
Comfortable, though not gorgeous, !"
he said. ""Nice warm walls, chimney big
enough to roast an oxTtwo If you want
z 'em furniture neat CLOCK on the shelf
what's that for, eh?"
/ smiled ash l. confessed the clocks
utility.
"Not having yet attained the dignity Of
a watch, l depend on a clock to inform me
of the time" 3ss0 oaa Gala sad III
ooh, that's it Pretty hard work?
Switches changed often?'S-E- "a L.
OnlyAtwice- a. day when. the down
Lightning" meets the Accommodation
on the branch road, and the Way Mail on
the branch leaves the main track"
= Ieould not but think him impeltinent
and looked rather suddenly at him; but he
was not at all disturbed by my gaze. What
a lounging, insolent sort Of way he had as
he put the questions indifferently to me-
as if even the petty details of my daily life
were preferable to no amusement at alls
But resolutely checked my rising .choler
BY remembering that in a certain sense, he
/ was, for the time being, my, guest-r7though
an unweleome one-and answered, pleas
antIy: IN. M m~ was mza Rm
~Well yes,late and early at nine insthe
morning for the branch road, and seven in
the evening for the Lightning"
"I should think you led pretty easy
life,of it, Eyre, Prsaid Walker, wTinrklliinglhis
ugly eyebrows Internationally!
"You are right; it is not hard, only one
has to be promptly on the spot
"Yes''} he said, absently; 9yes, to be
sure. See much Of old Wyclitfe'4, folks
j here, eh ?''lalaa32 7illuq ID bnn ,sfsaeis02
saa !" Occasionally t'asq9 brg b9tieya1 iall
We chatted on for five or ten minutes
longer, and I was Enthusiastically relieved at
length to see him rise to depart. All the
time he had been talking, his cold, gray
ewes had wandered about the apartment
not uneasily, it is true, but seemingly en-
deavoring to avoid meeting mine and he
never once looked at me with the frank,
Z fearless gaze that was most appropriate be
tween man and man.
tas .tWell,' old fellow, I'm off Don't make
love to pretty Barha if | go on the E.
road sEi 10 la asa
I smiled forced smile but could have
cheerfully knocked the coarse jester down
and watched his retreating footsteps with
feeling of hearty qualification IL had
never liked or trusted that man and the
very idea of his presliming to take Barbara
Wycliffe's name in his mouth was indie
scribably revolving to me. ia9iI ,ss4i ,'
The next. day was one of, those brilliant
q bits OF sunshine and brightness that .occa
sionally diversity the early weeks of our
Northern spring, GUd1t c0ur5ers of soft
eyed April and blossoming May The air
was blue as liquid sapphire the folded
leafbuds seemed visibly to stir and swell,
and here and there, in sunny, sheltered
hooks, the velvet grass glowed greenly be-
meath dead, rustling leaves. had been
down in the woods piling up and trimming
the logs / had yesterday cut, and on return
ing up the narrow glen path 4 saw the
light fiutter of a scarlet shawl cross the
window of my little dwelling from the
inside. ~ t@~
more company" l thought, with a
quick, electric bound at my heart; for
knew there was but one woman for miles
around who would be hkelyto visit me,
and then, besides, Barbara Wycliffe's sweet
eyes were like lodestarS to me, and | felt it
must be her. sprang up the slope with
movement as light as my heart, and entered
at the wide-open door -t
Barbara" l said, holding out both my
hands, this is an unexpected pleasure"
She had been crimson when nv footstep
first sounded on the threshold; now she
turned deadly pale with a whiteness that
startled me.
"Oh, is it you, Reuben-Mr. Eyre? I'm
so glad you have come IL" She
stammered and suffered painfully, and
was much confused. II was looking for
our stray guinea-fowls in the woods above,
and /, went further. than L had any idea of.
/ was very tired, and L thought 1 would
stop in minute and rest"
''And you are as welcome as flowers In
May, Barbara; but you knoao you are -
For she had smiled up in my face with
arab. .bal ao,, III f,,Jl polvvv There TyQS no