Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-10-28
From Chambers Edinburg Journal.
THE BLACK DOLL.

THE BLACK DOLL.
Dot was little girl, FIVE years old,
the only child left to her parents, whose
other children all lay sleeping still
sounder sleep under four tiny mounds
of green turf The parents were poor,
and lived In one poor room cover 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
riverside, and when he was not en-
gagged il thatvocation, performed Todd
jobs in all parts of London. And
some of them were very odd jobs. He
was one Of those men who are so very
useful when you have something to get
rid OF, and are at your wits end to know
what to do; when, for instance, your lit
tie dog has died, and you don't know
what to Go with the body; orwhen there
is 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 ,tuj thing for next to nothing,
or at any rate fora mere trihe; anything,
at least, that was not dishonest, for
more honest man than Potten did not
exist. Nor had the repulsive nature of
the work on which he was frequently
employed resulted III any corresponding
responsiveness in the man him
self He had sallow, gaunt
face, it is true, for the lines had
not fallen unto him in pleasant places;
but he smiled, when he did smile, very
brightly, and his manner, especially
towards children, was gentle, even win
ming. No doubt his heart was under
the softening influence 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 sceptism;
disbelief stood confessed In the twinkle
of his eye, In the wrinkles round his
nose, IN the lines about his mouth, in
the sound of his Singer. Sternly adj
monisb him, tearfully beg of him, sol
EMMY adjure him to be very careful,
and to take the greatest precautions On
his own account, and his wife's, and
his children's, if he had any, and he
would answer impatiently: "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: s'Tut, tut It's a
pack Of rubbish; no harm shall happen
unto me- Thus does familiarity breed
contempt. Who is it that lights his
pipe over a powder magazine? Who is
it that burns a naked candle i'll the
deadly atmosphere of the mine And
yet Potten was most scrupulously care
FIJI IL ali that concerned his employers;
he may have laughed at them in his
sleeve, but, whether it were from a con-
sclentlo1ls sense of duty, Or from fear of
consequences IN case of detected neg
lect, he performed their orders, as re-
garded themselves, to the very letter.
Such was the man who sat content
eddy smoking his pipe in the room
where Dot lay sleeping, and hugging
in her arms large black doll, with
merry black eyes, laughing mouth, and
grinning teeth, but without arms-not
doll that most girls would fancy, but
Dot loved it and fondled it as if it had
been paragon of beauty. In Mr.. Pot
tens section of society no special smok-
ing room is provided, and infants sleep
peacefully amidst the fumes Of tobacco.
Perhaps that may be reason why fever,
though rampant enough, is not more
rampant III certain districts.
Well, Mr.. Potten sat smoking, Mrs.
Potten sat sewing, and Dot lay sleep
ing. Mr.. and Mrs. Potten had deal
table between them; and on the table
stood common sort of lamp, which
gave very good light by means, if smell
can depended upon, of paraffine OIL
Dot lay sleeping; but anybody who
supposes that she occupied her own lit
tie cot with its snow-white coverlet, and
other accessories which make such
pretty pictures of slumbering child
hood, would be very much mistaken.
Mr.. Potten's humble establishment did
not admit of so much luxury and indie
pendence. Mr.. and Mrs. Potten and
Dot all shared the same bed, which,
though by no means large, took up 8
considerable portion Of the apartment
The bed had coyerlet of patchwork,
old and faded. And, yet, it was any,
thing but an ugly spectacle that pre-
scented itself to the husband and wife
whenever they looked III Dots dlrec
ton. the bed linen was clean, though
coarse; and there, with her head be-
tween two pillows, lay Dot. Her fail
lair, very long for her age, streameo
out III ali directions; the long lashes Of
her closed eyes dropped on her cheeks
her smiling mouth, half open, showed
a few white teeth; her chubby little
arms were folded round the neck ano
body, and her little chin rested, as. has