Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1873-07-04
the loud ticking of the kitchen clock,
were the only sounds in the house.

|
discover. Mrs. Lindsay, white and still
as a statue, her face little dropping, sat
a few feet at the left of her husband, while
Della retained her old position by her
mothers chair, troubled shadow in her
SOFT brown eyes, and over the sweet young
face. Harry, awed and perplexed, hid his
face in the folds Of her dress, while in a
| group at the open window, were gathered
the rest of the children.
How unnaturally still it was. How in
| contrast to the freshness and brightness of
the sky and air! Looking from the open
window, one saw long zreachesaof softly
undulating prairie bathed in golden hight,
while away to the right, a blue, sparkling
] river, sentineled with cottonwoodsa and
sycamores and overhung with pale, trans
lucent mists, flashed and rippled between
its Yelyety banks.
| No wonder Dean Lindsay shrank from
the thought of his fair heritage being
compromised; but there was no help for
| it, and he had got to make up his mind to
| think of it as no longer really his, but sub
| ject to Amos Wilson's authority. He
| could hardly keep from groaning aloud as
he ran over in his mind the half score or
more of fine farms which belonged to
| Wilson, all of which had first been mort
gagged to him, as his was being now, to
raise the necessary money to keep them
from being given up altogether. And
then, one after another, they had been
| given up, and Amos Wilson was the pos
SCISSOR. Would his 90 in the same way?
Would there be a few years of struggle
with ill-luck-blight, and drouth, and mil
dew-and then his wife and children be
homeless? He started with a nervous
| shudder and glanced up. Amos Wilson
was leaning a little forward, looking
steadily at Della, with strange fire light
ing his sleepy eyer. t*'Gt,
''The deed is ready for your signature,
Mr., Lindsay" Seldom said briskly,
''yours and Mrs. Lindsay's."
His voice broke the weird spell which
had seemed to hold them, and Paul Leices-
ter got up from his seat by the kitchen
door, and came and stood by the table
while the deed was signed and the
money seven hundred dollars, counted
and given to Mr.. Lindsay, who in turn
handed over the mortgage Of the home
stead to Mr. Wilson. Then he turned
abruptly and went out Mr.. Seldom looked
after him with his quick, bright eyes, but
no one else appeared to notice as being
anything unusual that a hired man should
intrude his presence upon such an occasion.
And now the business is over, L will
take the opportunity of saying word
about this same Paul Leicester.
First, he was stranger in Dalton; that
is, he had been there but little over two
months, having come early in April He
had seemed so anxious for employment,
and offered to work SO cheaply withal,
and upon such easy termS-not asking for
payment until Christmas-that Mr.. Lind
say had thought it best to take him. He
could not work the large farm alone, and
was specially anxious to do good deal
this season, to try to recover himself &
Mr. Leicester was not very much used
to farm work, it was quite evident, but
persistent about everything he undertook,
that Mr.. Lindsay was delighted with his
bargain. He was extremely reticent at
first, but by degrees he had grown more
free, and once or twice supplied them
with such genial flow Of wit and spirits
that Mr. Lindsay had declared himself
lgunable to see what sent him there, man
of his abilities.
And now word in regard to Mr.. Lind
says embaTassments. For three consec-
utive seasons the harvests had been ex-
tremely light. in this section, scarcely
paying for the outlaying of money and
labor, to say nothing Of profit. Then the
expense Of living was considerable, for
ten persons required no small amount of
food, to make no mention of garments
that will wax old. Added to this was
long and severe illness, lasting all winter,
and running him behind to such an eX-
tent, that he saw no other way to 90 on
with his work than to hiremoney. This
it was next to impossible to do, and after
some pretty severe struggles with his
pride, he so far overcame it as to write to
Julian Richardson, a second cousin, living
in New Orleans, and reputed very wealthy.
lie had never seen him, but had heard
that he was unmarried and somewhat
eccentric. And so, in this strait, he
ventured to appeal to him. He wrote the
first letter in February, but it was unan-
swered After waiting in a state of nerv-
Gus anxiety and suspense for two or three
weeks, he wrote again. This time his
letter was returned, after being opened,
butMithout line or word in answer. He
struggled along a month or two more,
and then he went to see Amos Wilson,
with the final result I have heretofore de-
scribed.
The days slipped away like golden sands
and the summer grew in beauty and
brightness to Della Lindsay The sun
shine fell into her heart as softly as it cap
ped the green, blossomy hills. The daily
drudgery of toll became suddenly tighten
ed and Illuminated by this same golden
glow, and the world grew dear, and life
looked only sweet and beautiful dream.
Into this supreme atmosphere, one day,
sudden cloud broke. 1t had been no
larger than mans hand; for weeks she
had not discovered it, and was therefore
totally unprepared for the great darkness
that came upon her. She had returned
from long ramble over the prairie, her
hands loaded with, blossoms, and stood by
the door describingSthe names and habits
to Paul Leicester, whose grave face was
softeRed into rare, tender smile, when
ever the pretty brown eyes and wild-rose
cheeks were lifted to his face.
"Della, my dear, / want you a mo-
ment," her father said, coming out of the
entry.
Without word she followed him in,
the blossoms still in her hands, and some
of them dropped 10 The floor as she walk
ed.
"Come in this way, my child" Mr..
Lindsay said, passing before her and open
ing the door into the parlor, where, sharp
ly outlined against the sunset sky, stood
Amos Wilson, his back to the window,and
his great, ungainly form showing in bold
relief against the light
Somehow the feeling of depression
which had so weighed her down on the
day the homestead was mortgaged came
upon her again, and she felt her face grow
white and rigid.
MI Lindsay closed the door carefully,
ana air came forward to his daughters side
.Deila," he said, struggling to appear
| CAIN, MI Wilson his done me the honor
10 ask permission to pay his court to my