Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-05-30

aunty as one who could say som' -
she would; but we never Iar> .,hing if
subject fo9 ne" lied such a
she eommuned with :, thoughts when
chamber, ana wa ner own heart in her
from thas hour = still" We had both,
admiration F., an. increased respect and
romano lor one who had lived whole
siler' :, in her quiet life, and wandered
lily through life in the wide world OF
.Ier own thoughts. After brief silence,
she resumed: a-<-,-s
al saw pretty soon which way the wind
blew, and where He was drifting. He had
no occasion to speak to me. read MIN
Just as well as if He had spoken-better,
perhaps, for mems words are not always 10
be depended on. don't know, girls, any
thing about the wonders people pretend to
know as nediums But He was dead to me,
and | was dead and buried by proxy, and
vet I knew every thought OF that man
heart.
$50 wasn't the least bit surprised when
letter came for me one morning. For
knew it must come But as soon as set
ewes on that handwriting l thought
IshouId have tainted / got up stairs some
how. and turned the key in the door.
didn't want any human counsel, and was
determined that no human should share my
perplexlty. just laid the letter down at a
safe distance; for it did seem to me was a
kind of afraid of it. / asked myself Shall
read it? And caution answered, No!
| Then | felt as if it was all settled,
and | started up, and put the room to rights
;, and washed the red and the tears Oft of my
face, and unlocked the door, Down | goes
to dinner as clipper and pert as if nothing
| had happened but first locked the letter
in that drawer. ..aa; fs5 +. ~ .c -.f
81 knew that mother and brother mis-
| trusted something; but mother in particu-
lar looked kind of worried. She was the
more worried that l seemed so bright
| more bright than was natural and | sup
| pose she was afraid of something | might
| be going to do. AS soon as the dinner
things were cleared awayI was back to nv
room There was kind of a charm. a
drawing to that old bureau, and L had to
open the drawer. There lay the letter, and
jumped back as if | was afraid it would
up and kiss me, or something as awful; or
would speak, at any rate. It did as good as
speak, Come read mer . No, | WON'T
says |; and wrapped it up in one paper,
anu then IN another. | tied the packet
with tape, and sealed it, and marked it
Private: burn without opening For I
didn't know but / might die, you know"
Il could have sent it straight back to
him." said Jerusha. n
eyes, and had him come himself and
plead harder than forty letters. That is
the way most girls would have done, |
know. And if l had, there would have
been one old maid less in the world, sup
pose. That's mostly the way such things
go. | wouldn't even read it. daresn't.
"After while mother came up Clara
says she, you got letter to-day What
was in it?' Don't KNOW says l, Haven't
read it, and don't expect to at present.
But says she, he will look for an answer
| had written one, and a great deal better
than | should if | had read his meander-
were just as well as if | had read them, and
spelled out every word, and got Jerusha
here to parse them | showed mother nv
letter. 1t was respectful, kind, clear, and
to the point; not spiteful bit, but positive
as nay, nay. never heard from him
again" ......-.,
"And did you ne0er read his letter ?" I
asked 'j,s lsE
eyes, after he was dead and bnried and
was nobody's husband in this world, and
nobOdy's widOwer either. | read it again
and again, for it seemed like spiritual
communication, and deal more sensible
than ever was spelled out by table-rappers.
l read it till had the words by heart and
the paper was worn to rags And then |
burned it; and when the ashes flickered |
and danced and flew up the chimney felt
as if l had sent his letter back to him again. |
And that's the whole story And now,
girls, hope you are satisfied"
There's great many more trinkets in |
that drawer" said Jerusha.
"And there's Mts," said I, taking her
left hand and holding it up with the ring
upon it. ... rs
"Dear met" said Aunt Clara, "was
there ever such couple of plaques The
picture tells the whole story of my life.
AS to this ring-why, to-day is my birth
day; and it was the day we laid out to be
married on before she came. And / am a
great sight better off than if / had mar
rled. For the matter of that I should not
be here at all. For she died And that
was the way it aoas to be with his wife.
And am in the same case with 10 Jones,
who hired substitute to go the wars. The
sub was killed and 10 is living yet. But
my sub pushed herself in when the princi-
pal never asked and never wanted her"
The afternoon was far spent. Jerusha
and rose to go down stairs, not knowing
exactly what Aunt Clara would expect us
20 say to the tale which she had recounted
with a kind of sad drollery She took
hand of each of us; and the next thing we
III knew our three heads were together,
Ind we were sobbing in concert.
"Girls !" said Aunt Clara, "never do
you mention these things to me again.
Never do you think hard of Aunt Clara if !
he is kind of moping sometimes. I've
,een mother to you Goth when your own
mother was clean done and tuckered out
Never do you twit and fling at old maids.
heir hearts know their own bitterness. !
But the world could not get on without ,
hem. They do their own good, and have
heir own place and use." - ~sa
So they do, and so they haze God bless
hem every one m, tsU Ill.
Josh Billings on EIinch.Pins- II