Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-05-14

band wasn't dead, and would come back.
She's keptit up ever since; comes for
his letter regular, and he was drowned
along with all the rest, of course, ten
years ago. She must be thirty. Well,
she's changed good deal in that time" )"
Yes" said the other man; but
there's my son Job wild over her yet
He's offered himself twice. He stands
ready to offer himself again any day
ready to be a father to her boy and a
good husband to her. He's better off
than | be- His mothers father left him
all he had He's crazy as JOb--crazy, ]
call it. Plenty of pretty gals, and
healthy, smart widows, and he sees no
one but that pale, slim, little thing that's
just gone out into the mud; and She
why, of course, she's lost her senses, or
she'd have him. Works like slave to
keep herself and the child, lives in a
rickety shanty, waiting and waiting for
adrowned man to come back again. Why,
everyone knows Charlie Lester was
drowned in the Sphynx. There wasn't a
soul saved, not one. 1t was In the pa
pers. Now, the bottle was found with a
letter in it, writ by some one just before
the ship sunk. And she's waitin' for
him yeti"
"Crazy on that point" said the Post
master. Well, poor soul, she'd only
been married week when the SphynX
sailed; that makes difference"
"Oh, yes" said the farmer.
Then, their parcels being ready, they
went out to their wagons, and Mr.. Fair
john having stared out into the rainy
night awhile put UP his shutters and went
to bed. Meanwhile the woman plodded
on through the mud. Walking off her
disappointment" she said to herself. 1t
was one she should have been used to,
and now the absurdity of it seemed to
strike her for the first time in all these
years.
"They laugh at me-" she muttered to
herself 81 know they laugh at me.
Perhaps | am mad; but they don't know
what love is. Charlie wouldn't have left
me like that If he had died he would
have given me some sign; and yet--yet,
if he were alive it would be stranger
still. No, no; they are right ain
wrong. He must be dead"
And as though the news had just been
whispered to her she ciasped her hands
to her forehead, gave a cry and sank
down on her knees in the road.
She knelt there few moments and
then arose. In this interval the wind
had blown the clouds from the sky and
the moonlight lay white upon the path
and lit her on her way to her poor home.
There at the door SAT man, a strong,
fellow, who arose as
she approached and held out his hand.
Here you come," he said, "tired to
death, worn out, still ON that fruitless er-
rand. Jessie Lester, can't you give up
this nonsense and think of the living a
little? Think of me, Jessie, for just half
an hour"
"I do think of you," she said. 81 am
very sorry you should be so good to me
when | must seem SO bad to you"
Then she sat down on the porch and
took her little hood off and leaned her
head wearily against the wall of the
house; and the man arose and crossed
over and sat down beside her.
"Give it a softer resting place, Jessie, !"
he said, "here on my heart"
She looked out into the night, not at
him, as she spoke:
"Job," she said, "I begin to think you
are right, that he went down in the
Sphynx with the rest ten years.ago. But
what good would l do you? What do
you want to marry me for?"
The man drew closer still as he
answered:
Before you were married to Charles
Lester l loved you. While you were a
married woman / loved you. All these
ten years since that vessel went down
I've loved you. A man must have the
woman he loves if he gives his soul for
her"
"What horrible thoughtw said she.
His soul"
" | should have said his life" "said job
" | don't want to shock you. But you
don't know what. it would be to me to
have you. And then I'd do everything
for your boy"
Yes" she answered, II know you
would"
There was pause. Then she gave
him her hand.
JOB" she. said, very softly, i" / shall
pretend nothing | don't feel, but know
Ive been crazy all this time, and if you
want me you may have me. It's very
good of you to love me so."
And thus it seemed to have ended,
that ten years watching and waiting, and
there was triumph in Jobs eyes as he
turned away and left her with his first
hLoo upoH uCl ups Dut d6 tHC Cuu VI
the green lane he paused and looked
back.
81 told her the TRUTH" he said, "when
IstOld her that when q man loved a
woman as / loved her he must have her,
if the price were his soul ITSELF
And then he drew from his breast a
letter with great red seal upon it,
looked at it for moment and hid it
away again.
Married? Yes, they were to be mar
ried Everyone at .McKibben's Corners
knew that now. Jessie Lester went no
more to the postoffice for her long-ex-
pected letter. Job was furnishing his
house-had furnished it, for on the NOR
row the wedding was to take place. And
it was night again. A month from that
night when she had, come for the last
time, as everyone thought, through rain
and mud, to make her sadly-foolish
query, she was sensible at last-very sen
sible. She had chosen the substance in
stead of the shadow.
And now, as we said, it was night ane
wetter one than that other-later, too
| for Mr.. Fairjohn had closed the store
and was compromising for himself wha
he called a night-capn of some fragran
liquor, warm water, lemons and sugar
and was supping it by the stove, Nhel
there came upon his door a feeble knock
and when, being repeated, he heard it
there staggered iii out of the rain drip
| ping figure-=tlrat of Jessie Lester, tn
| bride who was to be on the morrow.
A. She was trembling with cold, and a
ne led her to the fire she burst into
i flood of tears
/ "lm frightened, she said. Som
one followed me all the way. hear,
them"
You've no business to be out alon
| of night . said old Eairinb, b1,,ntlr