Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-10-22
THE BLACK DOLL.

Dot was little girl i've years old,
the only child left to her parents, whose
other children all lay sleeping a still
sounder sleep under four tiny mounds
of green turf. The parents were poor,
and lived IN one poor room lover the
water" that is on the Surrey side of the
Thames. The mother did what she
could with her needle and her scissors
and her iron to increase the means of
subsistence earned by her husband,
who piled some mysterious vocation on
the ver-side, and when he was not en-
gagged In that vocation, performed "odd
jobs" IN all parts of London. And some
of them were very fine odd jobs. He
was one of those men who are sn very
useful when ynn havo comethlng to get
rid of, and are at your wits end TO
know what to do; when, for instance,
your little dog has died, and you don't
know what TO do with the body or
when there is a contagious disease
abroad, and it seems advisable to have
certain things disinfected or destroyed.
On all such occasions Potten was your
man. He would do anything for next
to nothing, or at any rate for a mere
trihe; anything, at least, that was not
dishonest, for more honest man than
Potten did not exist. Nor had the re-
pulsive nature of the work ON which he
was frequently employed resulted in any
corresponding responsiveness in the man
himself. He had sallow, gaunt face,
i is true, for the lines had not fallen
unto him in pleasant places; but he
smiled when he did smile, very bright
~, and his manner, especially toward
children, was very winning. No doubt
his heart was under the softening in
huence of double memory-of Dot and
of the tiny graves. But Potten had
certainly one unpleasant popularity !;
there were times when he looked the
very incarnation Of skepticism disbe-
lief stood confessed IN the twinkle
of his eye, In the wrinkle around his
nose, in the lines about his mouth, in
the sound of his Singer. Sternly ad-
monish him, tearfully beg of him, solemn
ly abjure him to be very careful, and so
take the greatest precautions ON his
own account, and his wife's, and his
children's, if he had any and he would
answer imratiently: "All right, sir ;
to be sure I will, ma'am don't you go
for to be afraid; ;" but all the while his
manner and his laugh were as much as
to say: "Tut, tut !! It's all pack of
rubbish no harm shall happen unto
me-" Thus does familiarity breed
contempt. Who is it that lights his
pipe over the powder magazine? Who
lssit that burns q naked candle In the
deadly atmosphere of the mine And
yet Potten was most scrupulously care
full in all that concerned his employers;
he may have laughed at them in his
sleeve, but, whether it were from con-
scientious sense of duty, or from fear
of consequences in case of detected
neglect, be performed their order, as
regarded themselves, to the very letter.
Such was the man who sat contented.
" smoking his pipe in the room where
Dot lay sleeping, and huging In her
arms q large black doll, with merry
black eyes, laughing mouth and grin.
ming teeth, but without arms-not q
doll that most girls would fancy, but
Dot loved It and fondled it as if it had
been a paragon of beauty. In Mr..
Potten's section of society no special
smoking room is provided, and infants
sleep peaceably amidst the fumes of to.
bacco. Perhaps that may be reason
why fever, though rampant enough, il
not more rampant In certain districts.
Well, Mr.. Potten sat smoking, Mrs.
Potten sat sewing, and Dot lay sleeping.
Mr.. and Mrs. Potten had deal table
between them; and on the table stood
a common sort of lamp, which gave 9
very good light by means, if smell car
be depended on, Of paraffne oil. Dol