The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-04-21
MISS DOLLY CORNEREp.

MISS DOLLY CORNERED.
al shouldn't bo surprised any day,
Dolly, to see David Wiggin tying his
horse at your gate," said Mr.. BlOunt,
roguishly, gathering up the reins.
Nonsense, brother any thing the
matter with his own hitching-post ?"
rctorted Miss Dolly, turning into the
doorway.
Mr.. Blount laughed. Every body felt
bound to laugh at Miss DOlly's crisp
sayings, She had kept her friends in
good humor these forty years.
"And when David does call on you,''
pursued Mr.. Blount, more seriously,
al do hope, Dolly, you'll give him u
chance to do his errand. Tint II be no
moron fair, aud the man won't be easy
till he has freed his mind"
"What mischief arc you tho fore
runner Of now, James Bloumt?' cried
Miss Dolly, facing about like soldier
in drill. "What upon earth have / to
to with David's errands?"
"Well, his wifc's been dead year or
so" said Mr.. Blount, ,suggestively, shut
ting one eye, and squirting with the
other down the length OF his whip.stock,
"and lately he's been asking abontyou.
You can put that and that together to
suit yourself"
"Fiddle.sticks r. said Miss Dolly,
energetically.
"f sha'n't say have him, or don't
have ehim-but there isn't a likelier man
living than David-but l do say, Dolly,
you ought to give him n hearing" And
having convinced himself beyond a
reasonable doubt that tho whip was oil
right, Mr.. Blount tickled his sleepy
horse with it, and drove away.
"oh, my sorrows |" calculated Miss
Dolly, closing the door with all afflicted
countenancO, and sitting down so quiet
ly for once that photographer might
have copied her then and there,
Not that he could have done her jus.
tice, for her expression was too quick
and varied to be caught by any trick oil
chemicals, and without it Miss Dolly's
physiognomy would have been rather
characterless but for her prominent
Roman nose. This organ gave tone to
her face. By which l would not be
understood literally, Gs saying that she
talked through it in n nasal whine. ]
mean simply thRt in metaplorical
sense this bold feature spoke loudly Of
energy. And Miss Dolly had always
had abundant needof onergy-elsc why
the nose?
Every two years during her childhood
she had been tip-toed into the east bed
room to SEQ q new baby, till, at her
mothers death, fyelittle brothers fell to
her charge to be coaxed md scolded in
to manhood. "You can't bring up them
boys" crooked n dolorous aunt, "They'll
run square over you, Dorothy Al
media"
Dorothy Almeda was Miss Dolly's
baptismal name, but it was 30 manifest
" too big for her that most Of her
friends would as soon have thought Of
labelling tiny homeopathic vial with q
quAck.medicine advertisement as oi
calling her by 1t. j..
'Let EN- run over me so long ms ii
doesn't hurt emf laughed Miss Dolly,
skewering her Aaxen hair with goose.
quill, and tying o tow apron over her
calico long.short, preparatory to "bring'
ing up" said youths.
From that day forward she went
cheerily on, making the best Of every.
thing, though 1t must bo confessed she
often had odds and ends to work with,
as people usually do hayo who are born
with a faculty. Somehow she found
time for all her duties excepting matri.
mony. II that was q duty, it was one
she couldn't and wouldn't attend TO
while her father and the children need.
ed her. Divers young men thought
this great pity, among them David
Wiggin. ,n
dDon't be silly, Davidl" said Dolly,
when he hinted as much TO her, where.
upon David went of straightway and
married Olive Searle, the plainest girl
in the parish. This happened thirty
years ago, and now David was again
wifeless, and again the current Of his
thoughts turned toward Mlss OohS,
who still lived at the old homestead
near the foot Of Bryants Falls, Her
father had died some months before.
OF the boys, james and Ezekiel had set
tied on neighboring farms, and the re-
naming three were In the West. Da-
yil's benevolent heart warmed with
compassion as he remembered Dolly,i
lonely condition, and he felt that II
would be exceedingly kind in him tc
offer her q home, especially rs lie owned
as good n place as you'd find on the
river, while the Blount cottage was fast
falling TO decay. He wouldn't let hei
former refusal Of him tell against her
for, now he looked back, lereally didn't
see how she could have married any
body at that period. She ought to bt
rewarded for the devotion she had
shown to the family, and, for his part
ho felt magnanimous enough to give
her . second chance TO accept him,
such was the worthy widower's state O.
mind when he asked James Blount, Will