Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1871-09-29


| fort as a commander-in-chief before a
battle. He pondered deeply few mo-
ments, took up my napkin, and finally
made an exchange with one opposite
| to Miss Dallas.
"You can sit here now, sah," said
| Sam when the arrangement was COM
pleted. every much obliged to you,
sab, indeed
This mastery maneuver being COM
pleted, [ left the dlning-room and paced
the piazza with an unlighted cigar in
my teeth.
In fifteen minutes the gong sounded,
and Sam, still grinning, stepped out on
the porch, hammering his Internal ma
chine.
"That will do, Sam," says l, stop
ping my cars. "aHave they come
down p
eyes sah,'' said Sam. They'se just
taking their seats now"
tossed my cigar out into the road,
strolled into the dining-room and took
my way toward my chair. Sure enough
there on the other side of the table sat
my lovely friend, and beside her a
white haired old gentleman and a
pleasant faced lady. l seated myself
with slight grating of my chair. In
an instant found myself looking into
her deep liquid eyes, while a glad sur
prise shone in her face. She whispered
few words to the old gentleman, and
he looked up and smiled at me.
Chow do you do, sir?" he exclaimed.
" really must thank you sincerely for
your bold act. Let me shake hands
with YOU"
He extended his arm frankly across
the table, and raised mine to respond.
Then occurred one of those unfore-
seen accidents which forever remain
unexplicable. | do not know how it
happened. Peyton's loaded revolver
was still in my breast pocket. ! lifted
the muzzle of it in raising my arm, and
in moment there was an explosion
within nv vest which seemed to tear
me to atoms. | felt a leaden weight in
my chest, and my chair tipped over
backward tried in vain to stop it,
but Just before it reached the ground
the agony of feeling seemed emerged
into deeper pain, and | foated on
into space. Then my pulses closed
their gates with shock on my heart"
the ceiling spun around, and all thought
stopped.
Suddenly | found myself oppressed
by painful problem. Cerebration was
commencing again. The problem was,
what had happened after a great acci-
dent befell me once upon time. |
caught up two or three threads of
thought, and dropped them again,
hopelessly, [ could not fix my mind.
At least, like The rapid unrolling of a
panorama, the whole explanation
dawned u pom me. remembered the
whole course of accidents, and found
myself lying in bed with bandages
tightly corded around me. Then l open
my eyes slowly and looked.
The first object that met my : aze was
Miss Dallas. She was sitting near by,
and had evidently been watching me,
though Just now she was looking at the
clock
"Five," | heard her murmur, land
the doctor said he would become con.
scious about this time. | wonder how
soon? Poor brave fellow"
My heart gave a great throb of joy,
and ] closed my eyes as she turned to-
ward me. She laid her cool hand
By the way, reader, [ have utterly
neglected to inform you that was al
ready, in slang phrase, "gone gozlin."
l now parenthetically impart to you the
astounding secret that had been utter
ly and hopelessly in love with this fair
creature since the moment that thrust
the ten foot pole between her and
cruel fate.
She laid her cool, supple hand on my
forehead, and then on my wrist. |
could bear it no longer, and SO l looked
and gazed full in her face. She released
my hand with a cry that was half aston
ishment, halfjoy.
Miss Dallas ?" 1 asked, with diff
Guilty.
Yes, Mr.. Sheldon" she replied.
How do you feel, sir ?"
Every weak" l said. " Is this wound
mortal?''
ooh, no, sir" she said, her lips turn
ing pale, "only very dangerous. We
are to take good care of you; that's
ALL"
'.Are you," said. "Well, I'll ask
favor. Please give me your hand"
Certainly" she said, putting it out
frankly.
1t was not until my eager fingers
closed upon it that she understood my
meaning. She made a faint effort to
disengage herself.
The color shot in her cheek, playing
across her fine face like the changing
flush of Northern lights. She trembled
as she felt herself thus suddenly chal-
lenged to the new departure" 1t was
the climax of her youthful life, and she
stood confused and silent upon its
perilous verge. Still holding her hand
in my passionate grasp, | drew her fair
head down and planted the first kiss of
love upon her lips. Then she fed from
the room in fright.
That kiss was a powerful tonic. AS
Aunt Hetty would say of her elecam-
pane, it was both heatin' and coolin'
and desperate strengthenin." ;" The doc
tor was agreeably astonished at the
rapid healing of my wound. He grave
ly agreed that there was nothing like
good nursing. I felt the truth of this
last opinion, but | never passed such
an insuferably long two months in my
life.
I knew that, according to the good
old proverb, Minnie Dallas and | should
have "repented at leisure" So, per-
haps, we did that we hadn't known
each other sooner"