Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-11-26
l prefer to walk, thank you," said


woods between here and Jackson's,' said
Elkanah. "You can 60 round by the
highway if you like walking. It's mile
further but you avoid the woods"
Ruth made no response, but Elkahah
was busy insthe yard when she passed out,
with saucy bow and smile, and he saw
that she perversely chose the shortcut
through the woods. She went along
through the foot-path with her head
down, not much caring for the bears or
believing in their neighborhood, but de-
laying here and there to pick the tempting
raspberr1es that overhung the way, or to
gather the wild geranium- flowers for a
bouquet. She had forgotten all about
danger, in fact, when a rustling in the un-
derbrush startled her out of her thoughts,
and she had only time to look over her
shoulder in season to see Bruin spring
across the path and plunge into the woods
again, before there was a sharp click and
a flash, and it seemed to Ruth as if the
trees were all dancing together and the
earth was shaking under her, and then she
brambles and the scented ferns, shot
through the foot by. a gunner on the track
of the bear, whose fowling-piece had
itself.
When Ruth got about after this it was
very plain that she would never skip down
the we'll again for the lost bucket, nor
catch the colts in the pasture, nor NOW a
long summers afternoon, nor dance at
quilting or wedding, nor be much of a
match for any young farmer now" as the
neighbors said, for she walked with the
crutch Elkanah Reed had fashioned for
her, and would probably never lay itaside.
So the year wore on. The fragrant hay
ricks had loitered up from the meadows,
drawn by the contemplative oxen; the
corn had filled out its ears and unfolded
its banners to the breeze, been gathered in
and ground in the mill the blue-nOse and
buckster potatoes had hidden adieu to
sunny fields; the early wheat crop had
been gathered; the yellow pumpkins, like
gold nuggets, had heaped the staggering
wains; the winter pears had been stored,
the damsons preserved, the tomatoes
canned; the quince-bushes had been
stripped of their spicy fruit; and gilly-
flowers and Baldwins had gone to market,
or, reposing in the bins in the cellar, they
dreamed of the days when they lived and
thrived in the sunlight, and the sweet,
warm rains filled up the cup of their bios
SONS. The Hill Farm had yielded large
.ly under Elkanah Reeds management,
but he was to leave it at Thanksgiving.
1t was he who had assisted Ruth at pick
ling, preserving and canning, and had be-
come almost as necessary to her indoors
as he was to her uncle outside. He an
ticipated her wants before she could put
hand to her crutch, but he never let fall a
t<ol tod h i'm,
self to be betrayed into turning compli-
ment to please her, nor trifled away the
spare minutes in that nonsense which
is half love-making, SO dear to young
folks. When they were obliged to drive
to market together he jumped out to pull
every painted leaf or blanched fern that
she praised but she had seen him stop
his horse and climb tree TO reach some
particular bough of glory for old Kitty
Daft to hang over her mantel, and Ruth
laid no flattering JUNCTION to her soul on
account of these things. So the naples
blushed in the woods and turned to f1ut-
tering gold pieces, the sumach and wood
bines Redeemed, and oak and beech put
ON holiday attire the shapes of the trees
were growing every day more defined
against the pensive autumn sky; there
was hush in the air, only broken, not
marred, by the bursting and pattering of
nuts, by the ripple of the falling leaf. and
the mourntul monody of the crickets; and
one grew to have sense of insecurity in
all this beauty, as if breath would break
the spell, bedim the gold and sadden the
scarlet leaf At All-Halloween the young
men and girls assembled in the kitchen
at the Hill Farm to work their charms,
while they dived for the lucky apple, and
searched the melted lead for the nipple
ments of their future sweethearts' craft,
and roasted chestnuts.
"Did anyone name my chestnut?" asked
Ruth, as itbegan to burn brightly.
81 named it. said Elkanah.
"You? And who, pray?"
CT named it the master of Ridge
Farm he replied. 'See! the two
flames have become one that signifies
marriage"
"Then I'll quench it," Ruth cried,
throwing water upon the blaze. "The
master Of Ridge Farm, indeed, to marry
a crutch! It is not seemly of you to be
laughing at me. Elkanah Reed"
cam / laughing at you? You had a
pillow in the lead for your share; they
should go together"
"There are other farmers in the land,
thank Heaven"
Though Ruth would not confess it, even
to herself. the year had been full of disap.
pointment to her, and now as the wind
whistled through the leafiess boughs of
November, and the Indian summer was
vanishing like beautiful wrath, and the
time drew near for Elkanah to depart, she
was oppressed with a fOreboding OF
trouble and grief, which was realized one
morning when Uncle Isaac fell asleep in
his arm chair, with the November sun
shine on his face. Hush, don't wake
him. she said to Elkanah, when he
came in to dinner; " he rested poorly last
night"
"But he's gone to his eternal rest to-
day, Ruth" said Elkanah, touching the
dead mans hand. There was hushed
stir in the farm house next day, friends
and relatives coming post-haste, needles
and neighbors busy over yards OF bomba-
zine. But when Uncle Isaac left the Hill
Farm forever Ruth woke to the fact that
she had no longer any home. The Will ID
which Isaac Hill was to have provided 1or
her had been put aside unfinished; the
farm way to be sold and the proceeds di-
yided among the heirs; and the only one
among them who offered her shelter was
the cousin she had refused to marry years
before. and whose wife naturally did not
second the invitation. Alone, homeless
and crippled, Ruth found herself as
Thanksgiving Day drew near, when COM
fort and friends and good cheer seem the
only natural things, and misfortune spot
on the holiday sun, a cloud in its sky.
The place was to be sold the next week
and there was great packing up and
pulling down, and the familiar rooms she
had known so long were as naked and for
lorn as the outside world, and everyone
was moving homeward for the holidays
But where should she go, and what should
she do "a woman on a crutch!