Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-09-30

4 the mantcl, which seemed to take delight
i'm ticking the minutes and striking the
hours. TO such busting, cheerful little
| mistress.
Little Hans, the poor, halfstarved, for
lorn German boy, whom Robin had taken
1 TO milk the cow and hoe the flower garden,
and run of crrands to the village, grew
! bright and cheerful under the influence OF
her smile while his face, grown wider
and fuller every day, till it resembed
nothing so much rs one Of his own care
4 fully tended sunnowers, bore witness to
| her marvellous skill in cooking.
| Mother DaniOrth-a good sort OF wo.
man in melancholy way, who was much
given to frequent sighngs and complain
1 ings, whose most cheerful recreation was
funeral now and then, and to walk up
/ to Eagle Crag to inspect, after the time.
/ honored fashion of mothers-ln-law, the do
| ings of It's little mistress--was iain to con
/ fess that even to her critical eye the house
/ hold management was perfect
"IIer cookery is iaultless, and every
| thing Is sumptuously neat" she acknowl-
edged to her neytdoor neighbor, Mrs
/ Gray. But she doesn't seem to pine
after John Bit But then, what else
could one expect from such child? out
of sight out Of mind + suppose if John
! is pleased, ! ought to be. But I'm sure it
was never my way, when Dantorth was on
a voyage Mays the night ] have cried
all night, and the house was more like n
funeral than any thing else all the time he
was gone
Mrs. Gray, wise woman that she was,
carefully abstaincd from limiting that this
might be the reason of Johns preference
for merry, cheerful Robin, whose untailing
good spirits were to him constant source
of wonder and delight.
81 thought she always seemed very fond
of John" she Contcnted herself with say
ing, rs Mrs Danforth rose to take her
leave
Seemed echoed Widow Danforth,
with her deepest sigh let me tell you,
Mrs. Gray, when you have lived in this
wicked world MS long as | have, YOU will
find that things are not by any means all
that they seem"
And with this unintcntiona parody Of
the sublime song of the poet, Mrs Dan
forth went her lugubrious way homeward.
So the summers came and went in fra.
GRANGE and song to the little cottage ON
the Crag and the white ships sailed
stately and grand, or flew like frightened
birds TO their "heaven under the hill v
and the Ocean Bird, commanded by Cap.
tain John Daniorth, touching now at this
port, now at that, sometimes driven by
prosperous gales, sometimes bulleting adj
verse winds, set sail for home.
And in the heart Of the brave man, who
sometimes in shine, sometimes in storm,
always checriully and hopefully paced her
deck there dwelt a picture of face which,
whether bright with piquant smiles or sad
with April tears had always been eloquent
with love for him, and which was lairer
and dearer to his eyes than all the world
beside,
Dream ON, honest Captain Danforth,
For you the Joy and the brightness of love
are oycr-tor You storm is gathering
which will scatter your loye-dreams as
easily as the wind which sweeps over the
deck of the Ocean Bird settlers the foam
that Crests the wave whCreon she rides.
The Dutch clock ticks merrily away
surveying the neatncsS and cosness Of the
little room with face shining with APP.
probation The fire burns cheerily in the
replace the canary do2cs slecpily on his
perch, and the old cat purrS loudly in the
corner. Meanwhile, the little mistress,
dainuly attired in q mernO dress, with
lace ut the throat and wrists, sits before
the sparkling fire and gazes dreamily
mtoit.
Her work lies idly upon her lap; the
ball of worstcd has rolled, mnotced, upon
the floor; SO deeply is she immersed in
her royerie chat She needs not the fact
that Hans has gone to sleep in his chair in
his usual fashion, and sits with his round
head bobbng up and down like Chinese
mandarin in a toy.shop. Without, the
wind whistles drearily, as only the Novem
Der wind knows how, and the moan of
the surf upon the shore chants its monitor.
Gus dirgc,
Outside the cottage, close to the window,
stands man needless of the bitter wind
deaf to the roar of the angry sea, gazing
gazing, with hungry heart and a happy
smile, upon the picture within.
How beautiful she is ~ he whispers to
himself and a proud and loving look
comes over the htonzed face, rs he gazes
ON the little figure IN the merino dress,
Ii was thus that he had pictured her.
many timc--the bright fire, the shining
little clock, even the pattern Of the chinz
curtain, had blended together in harmo
NOUS whole, labeled in his mental picture
gallery, Home
But The Slight girliSh figure, bent a lit
lo forward, the falling brown hair, the
shining, truthful ewes, This had been the
brightest, because the dearest of all
She was thinking of him, perhaps, little
dreaming Of the happy surprise in store
for her in his unexpected return. What is
tMty
Az start John Dantorth, and reel rs II
struck 10y q sudden blow Is this the wife
yoU have seen in dotiug dreams, for whom
you have kept Your soul pure and un
stained That 10 might hold cuShrinyd her
SNcrod images
An inner door is opened, aQuick, manly
step upon the floor and a man, mutllcd
&.