Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-09-11
D0DGEvILLE WISCONSIN FRIDAY SEPTEMBER il, 1868

"Little pigs, indeed" I exclaimed
"Where is the--the farm, Letty?"
cover there" she replied, nodding to-
distance. Mr.. Scott will be here on Tues
day. dare say he will ride over with
you next day, and show it to you"
Indeed he WON'T" said I.
"Well but, James, you can't mean that
| you are going to cast me off," said Lefty,
coaxingly.
"No, Lefty" l replied +" only I can't
approve"
There, hush about that?" cried Lefty.
You don't know9a bit what you are talk
ing of; and give you notice, I shall tell
Stephen every word you say about him.
a"As you please" said T. Nov I think
| of it, however, shan't be here on Tues
day"
e Not here p said Lefty ed4 5e s
to do" .HoiJij9.' '4il1 =
Where, James?" she asked. q At
Liverpool" replied sas ra5t9 atI,
Lefty considered little, and when she
turned to me there was look Of mischief
in her face that did not understand. ~
Liverpool" she repeated. "Well, but
yon will be back on Tuesday night" 0.l'
ns'" I shall, if my business is done" said l..
But it will be done" said Lefty " 1t
must be done Promise me that YOU win
be back on Tuesday night, James"
"What makes you wish itso very much?"
I asked. r ~rr~ ca 4 s~Y-r (v-
1t is sufficient that / do wish it," re-
piled Lefty. Promise. If you are 60
ing to cut me by and-by, isn't it natural
that should wish to be with you now ?''
+" | didn't say anything about cutting
YOU" said l., "But there, I'll come back
if find it possible"
"By the 7:30 train 2" inquired Lefty.
If can," replied.
did find it possible, as knew before
hand should. But we none fus dislike to
hold back under entreaty to make the
thing entreated for more important. @
got my business over and went down
to the landing stage, and from there on
board the packet for Birkenhead There
were good many passengers, and either
[ got slight push from one of them, or
else my foot struck against something on
the deck; anyhow, Istumbled awk wardly.
l never shall forget the supreme indiffer-
ence, the lazy strength of the action, which
saved me from falling outright. The gen.
tleman who perpetrated this action was
half-sitting, haiflounging against the side
of the steamer, and the only portion of
his body that moved was his right arm,
which he flung back indolently TO set me
upright again, just as he might have turn
ed over q fly that had got on its back.
turned and looked at him-a tall, broad
shouldered, well-built fellow, little SUM-
burnt with fair hair and darker beard,
and the LATEST blue eyes had ever seen,
OF irfo bah
/ thought, most unmistakably a lazy gen.
tleman. a-cg-t-
I l expressed my thanks, raising my hat,
upon which he raised his, and murmured
something inaudible, for he was too lazy to
speak or even to remove the cigar from his
lips.
| Iretreated little, but kept my eye upon
him secretly. Then a lady's bonnet came
between us, and looking at that with some
impatience, l was attracted toward its
owner by the blind fatuity with which she
corrected her son, a laa of fifteen or six
teen, for leaning over the side Of the pack
ct and f1inging pebbles out of his pocket
into the water. The young gentleman
himself evidently resented the slight upon
his manhood, for he leaned over farther
still, and grew more recklessly daring in
his movements at every rebuke.
[ think we were about halfway across
the Mersey when this young gentleman
received his punishment. There was a
sudden, sharp cry of terror from the lady,
a rush toward the side, and then shout
echoed from mouth to mouth of "a man
overheard"
Many men were amongst the throng that
rushed to the spot where the mother stood,
but they only looked with helpless eyes
after the unlucky lad. They could not
swim, perhaps; or, if they could, they
knew how next to impossible it would be
to save him. and how fearful risk to
themselves the attempt would be. .
| say nothing of my own sensations.
was no swimmer, to begin with, and before
Iknew thoroughly what had happened,
and the boys danger, had again caught
sight of the lazy gentleman lounging on
the boat side. He had taken off his coat,
hardly standing upright to do it; and, as
my eye fell upon him, he threw himself
over the side as cody and with the same
air of glazy grace with which he had flung
out his arm when I stumbled. 'A" =
The next time / saw him he was in the
wake of the steamer, her engine being re-
versed for stoppage, and his one arm sup
ported the boys head above water while
he swan with the other He seemed to
have no intention of exhausting his won
derful strength; the very strokes with
which he supported himself in the water
had look of lazy comfort; and, if he did
feel little anxious as to the progress of
the boat which was nearing him, he took
care that no one should discover it. ~ sn
The whole thing occupied but a few
minutes Indeed, it appeared to me as if
the alarm had only just been raised, when
saw the boy delivered, dripping and peni-
tent, to his mother, and the lazy gentle
man lounging in his old place. His cigar
was in his mouth when he dropped into
the river after the lad, and it was in his
mouth when he came back think he
must have had an idea that it was still
alight, for he tried if it would draw, took
it from his lips, looked at it, muttered
"Psha it's wet" land tossed it away. Pre-
surning on his service to myself, l offered
him my case. He took cigar from it, and
said Thanks" l felt foolish enthusi-
asm, which, perhaps, English gentlemen
often feel, but seldom give way to. On
this occasion, however, did give way to
it. II should like very much to shake
hands with you," I said. 5 7'-So49@ f4ml
Willingly" responded the stranger,
and the ceremony was performed.
l kept near to him when he landed,
walked behind him up the floating glass
covered pier, and through the toll-gate. /
| could have. traced him up the pier by the
drops of salt water that trickled from his
clothes. At the toll gate / lost him, and
conjectured that he had probably gone
into the Monastery" with his portman-