Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-09-11
Selefted Miseellanu.
HOW 1 CAME TO GIVE HER AWAY.

HOW 1 CAME TO GIVE HER AWAY.
oea Twas going to write tale. When en-
tered my study for that purpose knew no
more than you do what the tale was to be
about, or what sort Of tale it was to be,
or how much I" copy" it would be desira-
BILE to compress or exc it out into. / had
I worked up all the plots or subjects on my
list and had no one to begin with. For
all that, L took my seat at the accustomed
place, and meant to write tale. had a
very urgent reason for meaning to do so
on this especial night. A trouble had sud
denly fallen upon me; nothing could
remedy it; nothing could cure my heart,
ache. But, trouble multiplies its piercing
shafts to an idle man so /, wounded and
manned, so to speak, went to my study
with the full purpose of forcing myself to
understanding Goodness knows what
| might have perpetrated, or how many
sensational incidents floated in the atmo-
sphere of my room, and presented them
selves insinuatingly, one by one, only to
be rejected. They had all been done be-
r fore, better than / could do them l
wasn't great at sensation moreover, was
not quite sure that it would be right to add
ever SO small and obscure a contribution
to that rabid style of literature. I felt that
i couldn't make man marry his grand
mother by mistake, or show forth the de-
licious horrors of "14 people poisoned by
a young and beautiful girl" >
% / was ruminating in this undecided sort
of way when my eye chanced to fall upon
2 apcture on the wall, and in moment
knew what it was [ should write. An in
cident from real life-my own life that is
TO say, an incident in which l was con-
cerned. One objection, however, occurred
to me; the hero of my story might proba
bly, recognize his portrait, and "cut up
rough" about it for the thing was of re-
cent occurrence; but, after all, if changed
the names, Edid not see that it could mat
ter to him, even if he CHANGED to see it.
Some short time ago, then, you must
understand, | left town to pay visit to
the paternal mansion--I ought to say
maternal-since my mother was a widow.
| had been summoned thither by an ur-
gent appeal, and ON an occasion of the
greatest importance. My youngest sister
was going to be married. OF course it is
very wicked to have favorite sister, but ]
confess the wickedness on my own part
i had q favorite sister, and this was the
gest-Letty-o whom / had heard
that she was about to commit matrimony.
In the first place, / felt little injured on
the subject. | had been building castle,
in which my pet sister reigned queen, by
my own firesde; and now that was
knocked to pieces. In the next place, my
conscience reproached me. l began to
think that | ought to have managed to
be more at home, seeing that my sisters
were orphans, and my mother was a
widow.--T They were not penniless they
might even, | thought, be considered
catches by adventurous wolves on the
lookout for prey and there were many
such adventurers prowling about the
world, Ought not, therefore, to have
Kept closer guard over the sheepfold?
And then, women are so easily taken inl
All these reflections made me uneasy,
and when | got out at the small country
= station and found no one to meet me,
though had specified my train, was not
in an amiable frame of mind. ,fet
The Send up your portmanty, sir,
presently" of the porter only elected a
or nod instead of the expected gratuity
2 Which, to be sure, he would get all the
same when his errand was done but that
didn't matter. was injured. They
ought to have sent to meet me. They
were all too much taken up with this fool
ish affair to think of anything else. A
nice, comfortable sort Of time was going
H., TO have of it o52sJaf 3+.
l.at "Never to let me know the mans name,
% nor what he is, nor any thing!'l
Wy grumbled to myself, lashing up my
SD grievance. "Never to give me hint OF
,u it till the thing is settled, and the day ac-
~ tually fixed mot, perhaps, beyond recall
though. If | seebthat he"
+ And here | found myself in the act OF
repulsing a very old freud, a black and
tan retriever, named by a wonderful
Z anomaly, Shepherd He jumped upon
me with a vocierous welcome, flung his
cpaws on my shoulders, and whisked his
tail in my face, as though he thought il
was the incest thing he could offer me as
| STONED TO undo the fastening at the
gate. t8s Fl..8L1 sT9
b - " Down, Shepherdr I cried. "You old
simpleton, be quiet! What was the use to
giyeyou such a name as that, lehf You
are but false shepherd. Wolves have
got in, Shep. What have you been
\ raboutsp h DF09t{g 8
But Shepherd didn't care. He licked
his chops, and slobbered at me as affec-
a tionately as if | had been praising him,
Then went up the drive, and saw my
dear old mother at the drawing room win
dow, looking out for me. The sight oil
that good old face, smiling, and little
,sa agitated, ought to have dissipated my i'll
humor, but it didn't do anything of the
sort. 1t rather gave me an additional
stab. Lefty always used to come out to
meet me, and why didn't she do so now
it was too bad too early to cast off hel
7,i old friends indifferently, simply because 6
wolf had got into the fold, and meant tc
devour her. She did come to meet me al
& the door, however; she kissed me just a:
heartily as if had not been feeling cross
and put out, and injured st sd
J5:T s'They're all in the drawing. .room,p sale
Lefty. "Come" '7 9tf ,,2
Il hesitated. Did sal" mean that the
wolf was there j hoped not.
"Who are all, Letty?" I asked.
Mamma, and Caroline, and Dick, sh,
replied. -