Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-02-05

h. - - Yes, you are like. him. she. said, al
stractedly, and she remained thus, witt
the watering pot inSher hand, like one II
dream.
"And they told him about you, yor
know, -4pursued~Leuise, "and paps
groaned, and said you would never do
And Uncle Joseph laughed, and said yor
would never do i and Henri, you know
said, Why not? Women do very well il
business when they have brains and no
heart
4 Charlotte was silent; if it were not tina
Ishe changed color little, she looked as i
4 she had not heard the child. 81
And Henri is going. to Uncle Jesep1l's
tonight" continued the little thing; "anG
as he will not be back till Friday, mamma
will ask you to come and spend to-mor
rows holiday with us. They asked Henri
/ if he would mind seeing you--he said no
but it would be awkward for q whole
day"
Still Charlotte was silent.
/ "How hot it is under the skylight |" she
I said, at last; N" come eoutwith me, Louise; :
and d,passing through one oftheout- houses
they came out on the brink of the river
behind it. Charlotte had wooden bench
placed there, and of an evening, when the
shop was shut, she liked to come and sit
! here and breathe aslit tile freshJair 1t was
also a favorite haunt Of Monsieur Lenoir's
who was great angler, and who devoted
to his favorite pursuit everything like
! spare time. They found him there, stand.
ling on a stone, Stiff, straight and still like
an old heron watching fors his prey.
Charlotte sat down on the bench without
speaking to him, and Louise nestled
against her. The evening was very calm
and still. The stream was silvery and
gray; above the willows and aspens on
the opposite bank rose a pale crescent
moon; the lowing of distant cattle came
from remote pastures, and from the neigh
! boring gardens the gay laughter, of the
Roussels. Presently boat shot forth,
| and turned on the Stream. Charlotte saw
that Henri, strange young man, and
Marie, the elder sister of Louise, were in
it. Marie was laughing very gayly, and
half in mirth, half in real fear, she was
clinging to her brother.
Take, care," he said, gently; "take
care" And even as he spoke he saw Char
lotte sitting on the bench, with Louise by
her side. He was bare-headed, but he rose
and bowed very gravely, then sitting down
again he rowed on. The voices 1essened,
then died away, the boat vanished in a
bend of the river, everything was calm
and silent, and the stars came out one by
one in the deepening blue of the sky, and
Charlotte Morel felt very sad and very
lonely. But as she rose, and went in with
Louise, she thought, az would do it over
again"
She took the child. to her own house
She found Monsieur Rousselin the garden.
He asked her to sit down and not having
any fear Of seeing Henri she complied,
whilst her uncle resumed his digging.
"And how are you getting on?" he said,
after awhile, resting on hisrspade to ad
dress her.
am getting on well, uncle, 1 thank
you"
"Get married. he said; "get married,
Charlotte" :
"I am in no hurry, uncle"
Well, you did wonderfully well not to
take Henri, at least" he said ruefully.
"What do you think he came for?"
Charlotte did not answer.
:" "Why, to ask me for seven thousand
five hundred francs. Neither more nor
less. What for p said ]. But that he
could NOT tell he replied. Seven thou
sand, five hundred francs!' exclaimed
boy will not end well, Charlotte"
% Perhaps Charlotte had found to her own
.costthat ones friends are liberal of such
prophecies, for she did not look so horri.
fed as Monsieur Roussel evidently ex-
pected. A
f. /" You do not mean to say you think
that natural 2" he exclaimed, looking in
sjured M
ss1ss think nothing aboutit, uncle. Where
is aunt? ?"
Madame Roussel now joined them. She,
too, was full of the seven thousand five
hundred francs.
"You know what Henri came for?" she
said, plaintiYely.
G'Yss uncle has told me- What a. fine
evening ?"
C"WilIyou come and spend tomorrow
with us? Henri will not be at home"
continued Madame Roussel
"I am not afraid of Henri" rather
,proudly replied Charlotte; but I shall
be glad tocspendI Tomorrow with you,p
she added, with a little sigh, "holidays
seem 50 lonely"
Nefrieres fashion of spending holi-
day is a dull one.
2 A, good dinner, "a walk in the garden,
and round game Of cards in the evening,
| was all the entertainment that Madame
| Roiissel thought needful for cher family.
A thunderstorm interfered with one part
OF the programme the garden was mac
cessible. The dinner and the round game
remained Very long and wearisome
seemed the dinner to Charlotte, who did
not care for goodIcheer; and the evening
was not much better. She soon lost all
herscounters and was henceforth out of
I the game. Whilst the others played on,
she leaned back in her chair, listening to
the wind, which was rising, and to the
rain that now beat wildly against the win
dow-panes. Monsieur Roussel was peer
ing at the cards through his gold specta-
| cles; Marie showed her hand to her moth
er, who nodded and smiled; and little
II Louise, leaning heavily against Charlotte,
/ was falling asleep, Mademoiselle Morei
l looked at them, little wistfully. There is
/ pleasure and also pain in beholding a
family circle when we are ourselves
I alone.
{" If they had not asked me to Join
them" thought Charlotte, g l must have
sat alone in my room this evening; and
because they asked me, he left the house
just as he left Verrieres on my account
four years ago. They do not seem to miss
him much; and yet they surely care more
about him than they care about me?''
] A violent knocking at the front dooi
reused her from her revery. She looked
IN with a start and found the notary. hi: