Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-01-03
Nv "A SORE STRAIT.

I'VE must have a lemon or two, Sam,
she says; land so, though I'd just set dowl
TO my pipe and drop Of beer, / got W
again and I says, "Now, / tell you what i
is lass, it's just two miles to the town, an(
it SHOWS like fury, so if you can think o
anything else you want, just say so, ant
I'll getit the same time"
90; atisn't worth while to 90 if j
SHOWS" she says ''neyer mind, and II
make shift without But Or she cried
all at once, fathers coming tomorrow
and you've no tobacco"
Well, I'd never thought about that, fol-
when I'd had my fingers in the little jar
there seemed enough even if next day
was Christmas day; but with company
why, there would not be half enough. Sc
that settled it, and | got my stick and hat
when Polly declared | couldn't go out a
night like that without something round
my neck, so she tied a comforter round
twice, close up to my nose and cars.
''Now, don't be silly, SAM" she says.
"Why, wot's silly" / says.
"Why, your being such an old goose
and making so much fuss after being mar
ried all these months Now, let go, do,
she says. But | didn't, of course, but held
her for just few moments while / looked
down in her laughing eyes that seemed to
have grown brighter since we'd married
and then I smoothed,-no, didn't, for nc
hair could have been smoother,-l passed
my rough chopped-about old hand down
the bright shiny hair that / felt so proud
of and then kissed both her pink cheeks,
and felt somehow half glad, half sorrow
full, for it seemed to me that | was too
happy for it to last
|1'here, now" she says at last, snake
haste, there's dear, good boy and get
back; perhaps ! shall be done by that
time, and then we'll have snug bit of
supper"
Butt couldn't get away, somehow, but
watched her busy fingers getting ready the
things for the next days dinner,-chop-
ping sqet, stoning plums, mincing PEEL
and all in such nice, neat, clean way, that
it was quite enjoyable.
Nov, do go, Sam she says, pretending
to pout, ''for do want you back so bad"
So made start of it; unattached the
door, when the wind came roaring in, la
den with flakes of snow the sparks rushed
up the chimney, the candle flickered, while
Polly gave me just one bright look and
nod, and then | shut the door. . But, there
l couldn't get away even then, but went
and stood by the window minute, where
glistening green and with scarlet berries
amongst the prickly leaves; and there l
stood looking in at the snug, bright, warm
kitchen, with Polly making it look ten
times more warm and bright 1t wasn't
that it was handsome place, or well fur
nished,--for those sort of things don't al
ways make a happy home,-but plain,
humble, and poor as it was, it seemed to
me like palace; and after watching my
lass for few minutes as she was buster
than ever,--now frowning, now making
little face at her work,-now with bright
light in her eye, as something seemed to
please her,-I all at once thought to N.Y.
self, and, what's more [ says to myself
Sam Darrell" | says, "why, what a dom
KEY you are, not to get what you want,
and make haste bacfw which, when you
consider that it was showing hard, blowing
harder, and that where | stood the snow
drift was over my knees, while inside there
was everything u reasonable workingman
could wish for, you'll say was just about
the truth.
Sol gives myselfa pull together, bitches
up my shoulders, sets my head down to
face the wind and the binding snow, and
then with my hands right at the bottom of
my pockets, off [ goes.
Now, we'd been together into the town
that night to bring home good basketful
of Christmas cheer for even if you do
live in the black country amongst the coal
mines and furnaces, and work as pit car
penter at making brattices and the differ
ent wood work wanted, that's no reason
why you shouldn't spend merry Christ
mas and happy one But now there was
his tobacco and the lemons to get and
from where we lived right across the
heath to the town being two miles and me
being alone, l made up my mind to cut
off corner so as to get back sooner. So
| turned out of the road as soon as | was
out of the colliery village, makes sure of
the town lights, and then taking my stick
under my arm, set off at a trot to the left
of the old pits.
The wind was behind me now, and
though the snow made it hard work walk
inc, [ wasn't long before | was trudging
like white statty right through the town
street then thronged with people, when
goes into a shop and after a good deal of
waiting gets my lemons and tobacco, pays
for EN- and starts off home.
As soon as was out Of the town again,
I gets out of the road to take that short
cut and now | began to find out what
kind Of a night it was; for the wind svas
TlS0b uedtl III my tCctAl, NliAlC VIC way III
which the snow cut into your eyes was
something terrible. But fought my way
on, setting up an opposition whistle to the
wind and thinking about the warm fire
side at home with the snug supper table ;
and then l thought of what blessing it
was in hard winter to live close to the
pits mouth and plenty of coal for next to
nothing. We could afford a good fire
tbere Such as would cheer the heart of
the London poor, while wages were not so
bad
Every now and then had to stop and
kick the snow off my boot soles, for it col
lected in hard balls so as to make walking
harder; then, not having the town lights
to guide me, l found I'd wandered bit
out of the track so that the ground grew
rougher and rougher, and more than once
| stumbled The wind beat worse than
ever; the snow so blinded me that could