Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-09-06

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wave and shine against his temples, and
his eyes are the real hazel, so large and
soft and tender. The finest gentleman
might envy him his silken moustache and
the beard that ripples over his chin.
Ben is an orphan. When father NOV
| ed into Hilbro' he had an easy place
offered him in the largest cotton mill.
| Ben, seeing him there, took fancy to his
quiet ways, because he thought he was
like his own father who was killed by a
frightful accident. Whoever Ben liked,
! liked him; ne was the most coveted piece
of humanity in the Hilbro' mills; the girls
were always talking of him, and long be-
| fore | saw him, | wondered about him,
and tried to think how he looked.
Father was determined to keep his
girls out of the mills as long as possible;
he thought them bad place for young
people, so mother and did plain sewing.
"Four of the children died-little
Matty was the last. 1t seemed hard to
shut down the coffin-lid over those glori-
Gus eyes, but we did, and I often think
how beautiful she must be in heaven.
There was baby; John, my oldest
brother, worked in the mill, and little
Annie, who had been lamed by fall, had
to be helped about more or less by mother
and me, for, poor child, she would never
walk like the rest Of US, the doctor said.
shall never forget the day | met
Lottie Hill and Ben Munsen. 1t was
strange [ should have seen them nearly
at the same time and recognized them
both without knowing either.
eff ever you see Lottie Hill, you'll see
a perfect beauty; she's not Lottie Hill,
now, but m coming to that. | was drag
ging little Annie in queer box on wheels,
when this girl, bit of marble family
flushed Owe seen that somewhere, being
great reader), stopped close to my poor
sister, who was leaning back and smiling
up to the blue sky.
Dear little thing! she's sick, isn't
she?' she said, in such tender voice that
my heart warmed to her.
She is lame, / answered, saying to
myself, you are Lottie Hill
CA tiny creature she was, dressed in a
pretty spotted muslin, that made her look
pure and sweet. One or two little rings
of pale gold hair trembled on her fore
head, under her hat. Her eyes were large
and sunny, though there was sadness in
her smile, but that only made it more be-
witching.
Poor little birdie! what pityp she
said again, and gave the child a rose.
You can't think how it made me love
her.
II had just turned the corner after she
had gone, when somebody came hurrying
by with quick, light step, and jostled
the carriage as he passed.
"'And Y0u are Ben Munsen,' | thought,
as he turned back to apologize.
'"There stood [, staring with all my
might; and | shouldn't wonder if he had
read my thought in my face-'yOu are
Ben Munsen, and you love Lottie Hill
He has often said since that fell in
love with him just on that spot. Maybe
/ did. If feeling strange and lonesome
after one is gone is an indication, why
then fell in love; but you see | was so
busy putting it this way-that girl as
beautiful as Lottie Hill, and young man
as noble and handsome as Ben, even in
his dusty mill clothes, must of necessity
be in love with each other, that, if l did
fall in love, it was after queer fashion.
1 was from that time always putting my
self in her place. | believe [ never
thought of him at first, but | imagined I
was Lottie Hill; l, plain gray goose that
| was.
"Would you believe-that very evening
father brought Ben to the house.
"'Now y0u are the one l need he said,
smiling, showing such splendid teeth.
You had a child with you, in a sort of
CRADLE
g 1T wasn't cradle, spoke up poor lit
tie Annie, eager to defend her fathers
taste, it's wagon, and daddy made it
hisself; didn't you, daddy?'
Papa smiled his tired smile, Ben fold
ed his arms, tilted back his chair and
made himself quite at home, while hur-
ried to help mother with the supper. Papa
never seemed to think it was any matter
that we were poor, when he invited folks,
but mother worried | was always ten
der of mother. Someway, there was a
feeling came to me that she wouldn't stay
with us very long, and she had worked
hard all her life-poor mother So l
made her sit down and take the baby,
though she didn't want to, for had been
at it all day, washing, and my hands
were red and tender.
"Well, | put on the company-cloth-I
was always proud of that-we had two
handsome linen covers that my grand
mother left us. Twasn't much we had
else, to be sure, but even bit of cold
corned beef tastes good to hard working
people. took my few boarded pennies
and bought treat of cakes, and
couldn't help being ashamed of the chill
dren, who showed plain enough, poor
things, that they seldom had anything of
the kind.
"When supper was ready I took the
baby, and waited upon table, too mother
seldom had any rest except at her meals,
and that I was always determined she
should have, and she knew it.
'Jessy, dear, you're tired, mother said,
putting her arms out to take the child,
but I wouldn't let her.
"'Jessy's my darling girl, and the
mainstay Of the family said father, look
ing at me as / never saw him look before.
That was enough for me. [ don't know
when he had spoken a word of praise
like that before, and it was sweeter to me
than meat and drink.
''Let me see, was little over sixteen
then, though such tiny thing. Ben is
five years older, but never should have
taken him then for twenty-one.
81 had never had a lover-that is, a
real one. To be sure had my fancies, as
all girls have, and so it made me feel
strange to see Ben's eyes on me whenever
I looked up, for, though didn't know it,
to be sure, till afterward, he was more to
me even then than my life.
81 never saw such sensitive, pas
sionate creature as | always was. l think
time and trouble have somewhat sifted
me, but if / loved any one, or any
thing, it was as if I were swal-
lowed up by it. Even the thought that
father or mother might die sent me al
most into spasms of trembling terror. SO
now the love got hold of me with a strong
clutch, though didn't realize it till after
Ward. All that evening, and days be-
side, l felt the haunting of his looks. and
still was sure that he loved Lottie Hill,
! and she loved him,