Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-11-26
Like his farm, too" put in her uncle

either" averred Ruth.
"Wait till you're asked, Ruth"
"I'd show him there was one woman IN
the world he couldn't have for the asking;
he'd ask in vain, promise you"
Perhaps, as rumors of the Ridge Farm
travelled to Greenside, SO Ruth's scoffing
NAV have reached the ears of its master,
since dog that brings bone will carry
one.
One winter Uncle Isaac was overreached
by rheumatism, and though he fondly
trusted that spring would bring him round
vet spring came and found him still be-
meath the counterpart; but as the planting
must be done, and the farm hands needed
a head man, he advertised in the County
Pl0onaan for capable man to oversee the
farm of Isaac Hill. And, to illustrate the
advantages of advertising, somewhat tall
and thick man of twenty-five arrived,
one Elkanah Reed, with honest brown
eyes and severely outlined mouth, which
smile broke into tender lines and curves.
He carried ample recommendations in his
pocket, one of which bore the name of Guy
Grosvenor, the master of the famous Ridge
Farm
And how long have you worked at
the Ridge?" asked Uncle Isaac.
From boy, sir, on and off," was the
answer.
Ruth stood with one arrested hand on
her spinning wheel, listenlng-a pretty
picture enough, with her saucy, bright
eyes, theapple- blossom color fitting across
her cheek, and her lips half pouted with
smile She had been too often told of her
charms not to believe in them, and per-
haps she was the least bit surprised that
Elkanah Reed never looked at her after
the first salutatiOn. 1t was surely very
odd, when every clod-hopper in the fields
turned his head to gaze alter her-and this
was surely no clod-hopper
"And why did you leave the Ridge
FARM" she asked, presently, not caring
at all, but bent upon compelling his regard.
"Why, miss f? Because wished to earn
more, by your leave"
$50 he of the Ridge is hard master,
Ell? Is he a bachelor still? Will he
never marry, think you!"
Perhaps-if he were to see you, miss"
Ruth flung back her curls and made her
wheel buzz. This was the recognition
she had craved, but somehow 1t half dis
pleased her; she was uncertain but this
Elkanah Reed was laughing at her.
81 would sweep the streets first" she
answered, scornfully. Then she turned
her liquid glance full upon him, and her
scorn melted into smile that seemed to
make halo about her as she graciously
said: have met you somewhere, if |
mistake not; was it at the fair last
autumn?''
every likely" he answered, indiffer-
emily; 81 was there" and he addressed
himself to her uncle
"They have told him [ am fiirt and
he means to take care of. himself, the
craven" she thought; "but when did
ever have to beg for notice, that l need
mind if farm hand turns his eyes away
from me? He'll be looking this way hard
enough before long, I'll warrant" But
for once in her life Ruth was mistaken.
Elkanah Reed was pleasant and civil to
her, lust as he was to Kitty Daft, the half
cracked woman from the poOr-hOuse, who
came to the farm for her tidbits of dough-
nuts and cider, and brought dried herbs
that were quite as likely to be deadly
nightshade or poison-ivy as anything. He
seemed another order of man from that
with which Ruth had had to deal hither-
to, and her presence appeared to affect him
no more than if he were made of flint in
stead of flesh, and she were the ugliest
girl in the township. He relieved her,
to be sure, of a dozen burdens; when I'm
Gle Isaac had an ill turn he watched and
sent Ruth to bed; he repaired her spin
ning-wheel and praised her cooking; but
whether he took the heavy milking-pails
out of her hands, whether he turned the
churn- dasher in her stead, or held her
skein of yarn in place of the broken reel,
he did it with such nonchalance that it
was more aggravation than pleasure, just
as he would have done it for any woman,
plain or pretty, married or single, with no
more visible emotion than if she had been
a Law figure instead of breathing beauty
accustomed to homage. Ruth was
learned in these things, and perhaps 1t
vexed her, this total disregard OF the fas-
cinations she had deemed so potent Per
haps it piqued her that when curl
brushed his face by chance he gave the
chance no heed; that when their two
hands met accidentally ne did not appre-
ciate the situation-his own neither de-
layed nor hesitated; that he never sought
occasions to be near her; that he looked
at her as if the sight quickened no single
pulse, as if man had never been beguiled
by woman He never said pretty things
to her. such as she had been used to hear
all her life, and to expect from the young
men about her; and when their eyes
CHANGED to meet no electric spark was
struck, no eloquent story told. He came
in and out, and sat at the same table and
beside the same hearth, and went to the
same merry -makings, and knelt beside
her at evening prayers in Uncle Isaac's
keeping-room for six months and better
without making answers to the coquetry
in her eyes, without takiLg recognition of
her charms. Naturally flesh and blood
like Ruth's could not long endure such
treatment; she must either hate or love
him!
One morning they were cutting off a
dead limb from a buttonwood tree near
the house, and just as it was about to fall
Ruth came sauntering across the yard, her
curls blowing back from her rosy face,
and carving handful of burdock leaves
for Uncle Isaac's rheumatism. In half a
minute more her chances wouldn't have
been worth fig had not Elkanah Reed
dropped the ak he was grinding and
snatched her away in two strong arms, at
the risk of his own head.
81 say, Elkanah," sang out the man in
the tree, ''that's pretty tableau of yours!
Practiced it before?'
That night when Ruth lighted Elkanah's
candle she detained it moment and be-
gan to say, You were very good this
morning-to-todo as you did. Il"
ooh, that's nothing" he interrupted,
brusquely. do you think I'd stand by
and see a woman knocked DOWN.
''But you might have been hurt your
self. / don't-know how to-reward
YOU. she stammered, dropping her eyes
before his. 1t was the first time she had
ever hesitated in her speech toward man.
"You will reward me-if reward is
necessary for doing ones duty-by forget
| ting all about it, he said. And Ruth felt
| as Il Il had been less cruel had he al