Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-06-18
travel, you see, and I brought my baby

here" ,@9fAsF ts>sfSA
With a woman's intuitive tact and poe
try, she had as she spoke slowly SHIFTED
: her position so as to bring the mute ngur'
of the ruined man between her and ne
audience-hiding in the sha1oW behind
las if she offered it as tact apology TO
ther actions. Silent and expresslo less,
vet spoke for her; helpless, crushed ant
smitten with the Divine thunderboit, /
still stretched an invisible arm aroIn(
her. s-- as,
Hidden in the darkness, but still hold
ing his hand, she went on ,,gss
'ETffIt. wasa long time beforeI could ge
Ethe hang of things about yer, for l was
used to company and excitement. could
Mt get anv wefnarf to help me- and mar
I dursen't trust; but what with the Indi
ans hereabout, who'd do ood jobs for me
and having everything sent from the
| North Fork, Jim and manage to worry
through. The doctor would run up from
Sacramento once in awhile. He'd ask tc
see 'Migsles' baby as he called Jim, and
when he'd go away, he'd say, Miggles
i you're trump-God bless you;' and il
Edidn,t seem so lonely after that. But the
last time he was here he said, as he opened
the door to go; DO you know, Miggles
/, your baby will grow up to be man yel
4 and an honor to his mother but not here
Miggles, not here ? and thought he went
away sad-and-and" and here Mig
giles voice and head were somehow both
| lost com pletely in the shadow.
"The folks about here are very kind,
said Miggles, after pause, coming little
| into the light again. "The men from the
Fork used to hang around here, until they
found theyswasn't wanted, and the women
are kind-and don't call. was pretty
lonely until I picked up Joaquin in the
woods yonder one day, when he wasn't
so high, and taught him to beg for his
dinner; and then thar's Polly-that's the
magpie-she knows no end of tricks, and
makes it quite sociable of evenings with
her talk, and so don't feel like as was
the only living being about the ranch
And Jim here" said Miggles, with her old
laugh again, and coming out quite into
the freight, "Jim-why, boys, you would
admire to see how much he knows for a
man like him. Sometimes [ bring him
flowers, and he looks at 'em just as natural
as if be knew 'em and times, when we're
sitting here alone, read him those things
on the wall Why Lord !" said Miggles
With her frank laugh, "Pve read him that
whole side of the house this winter.
There never was such man for reading
IS jim"
"Why," asked the Judge, do you not
marry this man to whom you have devoted
your Youthful life ?" 2 ~ zss.e 8
"Well, you see," said Miggles, sit
would be playing it rather low down On
Jim, to take advantage of his being so
helpless. And then, too, Il we were man
and wife, now, we'd both know that I was
bound to do what do now of my own
accord"
---"Bqt YOU are young yet and at
tractive-"
cts getting late" said Miggles, grave
ly, "and you'd better all turn in. Good
night, boys" and throwing the blanket
over her head, Miggles laid herself down
beside Jim's. chair, her head pillewed on
The low stool that held his feet, and spoke
no more. The fire slowly faded from the
hesrth; we each sought our blankets in
silence; and, presently, there vas no
sound in the long room but the pattering
of the rain upon the roof, and the heavy
breathing of the sleepers.
p L. was nearly morning when l awoke
from a troubled dream. The storm had
passed, the stars were shining, and
through the shutterless window the full
moon, lifting itself over the solemn pines
without, looked into the room. 1t touched
the lonely figure in the chair with an in
finite compassion, and seemed to baptiZe
with a shining food the lowly head of the
woman whose hair, as in the sweet old
story, bathed the feet of him she loved.
1t even lent a kindly poetry to the rugged
outline of Yuba Bill, half reclining on his
selbow between them and his passengers,
with savagely patient eyes keeping watch
and ward. And then [ fell asleep, and
only woke at broad day, with fYuba Bill
standing over me, and Gail aboard" ring
ing in my ears. .:,...
bn Coffee was waiting for us on the table,
but, ,Miggles was gone. We wandered
about the House and fingered long after
the horses were harnessed but she did not
return. 1t was evident that she wished to
avoid a formal leave-taking, and had so
left us to depart as we had come. After
we had helped the ladies into the coach,
we returned to the house and solemnly
shook hands with the paralytic Jim, as
solemnly settling him back into position
after each hand shake. Then we looked
for the dast time around the long, low
room, at the stool where Miggles had sat
| and slowly took our seaIs in the waiting
| coach The whip cracked, and we were
| off! =. rn y/YtfJrae ri
But as we reached the high read BilPs
dezterous hand laid the six horses back on
I then launches, and the stage stopped with
| Jerk. For there, on little eminence be
side the road, stood Miggles, her, haiI
| flying, her eyes sparkling, her white hand
kerchief waving, and her white teeth
| flashing last "good bye" We waved
our hats in return, And then Yuba Bill
as if fearful of further fascination, madly
| lashed his horses forward and we sank
back in our seats. We exchanged not a
word until we reached the North Fork
and the stage drew up at the Independ
ence House. Then, the Judge leading, we
| walked into the bar-room and took our
glasses gravely at the bar. --'
care your glasses charged, gentle
men?" said the Judge, solemnly taking of
his white hat.
They were.
"Well, then, here's to Miggles, Con
| BLESS Herr
Perhaps he had. Who knows?-O Ooer
land Monthly, for June r.
Et1 jeff. Davis Successor.
f4.- tsE