Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-10-18
Miscellany.
q AMOS DYKES FORTUNE.

THE time of our little tale shall be
some sixty years ago, before express
trains tore along at the rate of fifty miles
an hour, before chimney-pOt hats were in
fashion, and when there were many
quaint old ways and customs in dress
which have now faded quite away.
And the hero of our tale shall be Amos
Dyke; the son of a Hollington carrier
Old Peter Dyke, the Hollington carrier,
lived in a little side place Of the main
street of the town, and commenced life
with only few shillings in his pocket.
BY honest industry he had accumulated
enough to establish good business, and
at last he became the HOllinSton carrier
Old Peter died, leaving son about ten
years of age, and enough for him to start
well in life, and something more. Butas
he was so young, it was necessary that he
should have some one to look after him
and his property; and who so fit as the
miller Crust to under take this task? Crust
was nothing 10th; he promised to defend
the boy and do the best he could for him;
and as Crust was an honest man, every
thing promised fair for Amos. Old Peter
Dykes business was sold at his death, ac-
COrding to his express wish; and accord
ing to arrangement made between the
miller and the old man, the proceeds were
all invested in the mill-a fourishing
cOncern-and one out of which all the
neighbors said a fortune must sooner or
later be made. The prospects of Amos
Dyke, then, were about as bright as those
of any young man in his rank of life all
the country round. The miller did not
neglects his young charges education.
He gave him the very best the neighbor-
hood afforded, and acted honorably by
him in every way. Thus grew up Amos
Dyke to manhood; and side by side with
him grew Mary Crust. And often, if the
truth were known, the worthy miller look
ed with satisfaction upon them, as they
sat one on each side of this table, and
thought that perhaps some day, when he
was gone, Amos and Mary would be in
their.places at the head and foot of the
table, and perhaps the mill would be more
flourishing than ever. There was one
drawback to this agreeable prospect.
Amos Dyke was rather of a dreamy ma
ture-he was often absent as though his
thoughts were far away, and he had to
own that many time when he should
have been attending to what he was at,
he was building castles in the air, instead.
Time passed on, as it will always keep
doing, and Amos was now twenty, and
Mary was eighteen-and in another year,
age, and would come in for his share of
the mill. He hoped also to come in for
his share of Mary. But alas! there was
heavy cloud looming over the Hollington
mill. The worthy miller entered into a
large-toO large-contract to supply flour
at a given price for several months; he
thought he knew what he was about, and
ii others had been as true to him as he
was in his dealings, all would have been
well; but the contract proved his ruin.
One dreadful morning the post brought
him the announcement that he was a
bankrupt-he, and Amos, and Maryland
all of them were undone.
Honest John Crust could have borne
his own losses well enough, if he had no
one else to think of but himself Time
was when he had only bread and cheese;
and on bread and cheese he could live
again; but there were others to think of
too. All! the "Others'-these are what
makes 1ife's trials and losses often so hard
to bear To. see them pinched; this soon
doubles trials and losses.
And the weight of it proved too much
for honest John; the trouble struck him
with a deadly chill, and he did not sur
vive long. 1,A @FtA5T
Amos tended the miller, along with
Mary, during his short illness; and as the
time drew near when it was plain that
the good man could not last long, hs
gave them both his last directions.
Amos, said. the dying man, eff this
trouble had not come you would sooner
or later have had all the Hollington mill
your own share and mine too; for Mary is
all have in the world, and she would have
been yours, and with her whatever T had !:
but now it is allsgone. But whatever has
gone our good name has not; and, be-
lieve me, good name is worth money
'Tis worth respect and honor and trust,
which are better than money, but these
often bring money too. 'Tis an
awfulg thing when parents leave, their
children a bad name; my poor school-fel-
low, Bence Porter usedto say that it took
him seven years to wipe off his fathers
name from him--ay--seven years tard
work, had he, as an honest man, b fore
any one for miles round would trust MIN
with a shilling, though he was as nones'
as the sun. And, now, Amos, give up