Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1873-03-07
LOLA: AN IDYL.

LOLA: AN lDYL.
THE house was one of nest-like sort,
low-roofed, thatched, with latticed win
dows buried in greenery, with dove-cote
on the gable, and rustic porch and YER
anda. It stood in a forest country, and,
with its garden, orchard, and scraps of
velvety pasturage, was surrounded on
many sides by trees climbing on heights,
trees dipping and courtesying in hollows,
trees Wading into the river where the red
sided cattle loved to drink, trees lying in
soft heaps against the silver-grays Of
cloudland with a mysteri us blue mist be-
hind their bOles.
The morning glitter was on everything
as the master of the house, going out
with his dog, stopped and spoke over the
low garden wall to his wife, who, with
hands in her apron pockets, was standing
gazing attentively at her bee-hives.
"Let Fan have the satin fer this time,
but she must try to DO with less. Our
living is too expensive"
"I have just been thinking of where
we can economize," replied the wife, in
an irritated tone. "We are too many in
the house for one thing. 1t is time that
girl Lola was earning her bread"
HumphI" said the husband; 81
think she earns it already. She saves you
a nursery gOverness.
81 can teach the children myself, was
the reply; and their sisters must learn to
help. Lola gets nothing from us but food
and shelter. 1t would be only fair to let
her go into the world"
"Shes a shy thing, and is better where
she is. Besides, what would become of
Granny's children?"
The husband and wife had walked
slowly from the bee,hives to the house,
and stood under a lattice window, which
lay open.
"Talking of Granny said the husband,
" how long is Gray going to stay at Rose,
lands? He's good deal here, isn't ne?"
He's very pleasant company"
"And our girls are attractive"
"Nonsense! eHow little you know of
your own children! have brought up
my girls to have their feelings under pru
dent control. There is no mistake about
his footing in this family"
"Well, Pm glad you're ali so prudent,
for he'd be the better of good wife.
He's good fellow, and clever fellow,
though poor as job"
The porch swallowed the mistress of
the house, and the master went off whis-
tling; and then face leaned forward and
looked out of the lattice window, pale,
but with a sort of ~underglOw, giving a
warm charm to its dimpled softness, with
darkness and depth about the eyes, and
brightness about the hair which the sun
shine now illuminated with a genius for
love in every curve of it, and sort of
golden light wavering across the steady
eyes and grave though happy mouth.
"Thank God, am not young lady"
murmured Lola, taking her fingers out of
her ears, where she had placed them all
too late. "What would they think if they
knew what he said to me yesterday?'
She rose up quivering at the recollec-
ton, nearly touching the slant roof with
her head in her pride. The room was
dark, and scarcely large enough to hold
Lola and glass of flowers and some
woodcuts framed with plated twigs on the
dimly-lighted walls.
"He'd be the better of a good wife,"
said Lola, echoing the words that had
come up to her through the ivy, "but he's
poor as Job, and so the fine ladies leave
him to me. | wonder what it would be
like, being a good wife to man as poor
as job There would be good deal of
scrubbing and rubbing, l dare say; but
I'm ready for it if I'm wanted. Thank
Heaven | am not delicate!" feeling her
firm plant wrists with her clasping
fingers "Td as soon cook the dinner as
do worsted work any day. It's well [
have no elegant tastes; making common
things look pretty is the finest have.
have rather a good appetite" (ruefully),
''but then | could live on bread and milk
I can cook; can wash; and can make
clothes. The smallest, tiniest cottage, an
easy-chair and plain one; wine for him,
milk for me; an evening lamp, bookcase,
garden, good humor, plenty of flowers
Lola's thoughts wandered away, and
lost themselves in the delights of the
home she was sketching. She shook her
self out of her dream with low laugh of
undoubting happiness. "Chicks will be
waiting-Granny will scoldr' She ad-
iusted her white calico dress, plucked
crimson rose that was hanging over the
sash. and fixed it, with artistic fingers, in
her bosom, smoothed a willful ripple out
of her shining hair, took a sun-burned
straw hat from peg on the wall, and
went out of the small chamber, and out
of the house.
Granny's house was handsomer than
that nestlike one in which Lola lived on
suferance Granny was not rich, but
she liked to keep up certain old-fash-
ioned grandeur. Indeed, none of these
people in this forest country considered
themselves as people who were certainly
poor. Granny must have trips to Lon
don, and two horses in her carriage, and
her son, who lived in the nest-house,
would have been very well off only that
Fan must have her satin dress, and he
his hunters. Lola was the richest of
them all, with her little lodging for moth
ing under the ivy, and her slender wage
= .oL:,.. +xr-c small 0rnhau Cousins
whom Granny had taken to herself. Lola
was the only one amongst them who
knew how to enjoy her life.
Lolas way lay through green lane,
across fields, over the river on rustic
bridge, and then plunged into wood,
through blue tunnel followed among
leaves, where the path was moist ana
brown. with dew. Then she entered
Roselands, which deserved It's name, ana
went into the house with the perfume OF
a. o,,oondc of roses hanging about her.