Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-05-10


like a bar for bee tree. shipped him
off for the settlement after he had been
! with us a couple Of days, and the move
was pleasing to both of us. The old
Judge was pretty bad for a few days, but
the pure air and the pine balsam had a
good effect upon him, so it wasn't long
before he began to take 10 the deer meat
and the trout brought in for him in a
hearty, cOnsoling sort OF way.
Before a week was up he was on his
feet, and one afternoon came back from
a tramp after trout and found him sitting
in front of the shanty smoking one OF
my pipes. / knew it was all right then.
Mr.. Blake said he, we're turned you
out of your house for week, but if you
are comfortable under my tent we would
like to keep you out for month longer.
OF course was willing to keep them, for
l had got to like the old gentleman; the
girl hadn't seen much of, for while the
Judge was down she never quit him.
But when her father came around all right,
she was out as clipper snd merry as a
squirrel.
"She was as bright and pretty as sun
beam, and had a wonderful knack of
making everything good for something.
Why, she fixed up the old shanty so that l
wouldn't have known the place if hadn't
seen how it was done. Every morning
she was up bright and early after ferns
and flowers and moss; and she had the
cutest way of fixing them; why, she'd
tie up couple of ferns and some moss
so t'would look like a picture. | never
knew there were so many pretty things
in the woods, and when I'd tell her of
something I'd found in my tramps, moth.
ing would do but must get it for her,
and if it wasn't toe far away, she'd go
with me. There was only one thing that
she didn't do right. About half mile
from the shanty, back almost to the hills,
was an old hollow log among lot of
spruce trees. I'd been telling her how
it used to be bars nest, and that I'd got
two cubs out of it and then shot the old
bar. She wanted to see the place and l
took her over one morning. She had
her drawing things with her, aud said she
was going to make picture of the place.
She did draw the trees and the rocks and
the hollow log mighty nice, but she
spoiled it by putting in the old bar just
a-crawling into the log front end first.
But she didn't know the ways and nature
of the varmints as well as did.
"She was as tender-hearted as she was
pretty. One morning, just before sun up,
we started over to the runway on kelly's
pond, hoping to pick up little fresh
deer meat I fixed her up nice and com.
fortably behind the blind, and she sat
there as quiet as wood-mouse. We
hadn't waited long before two-year old
came picking her way up the path. just
as drew down my rifle the girl put her
hand on my shoulder and whispered:
Don't shoot" Well, we didn't have
any venison that day.
But what liked most was her reading.
was good deal of a scholar, having had
two winters schooling and no end of read
ing, for the city gents who came out my
way hunting and fishing always left heap
| Of books and papers after them. Her
reading was of another kind. Mostly
poetry She read to me very often, and
about three days before she went back to
| the city she read me one of Mr.. Longfel-
lows pieces about girl called Evange-
| line. 1t is mighty pretty story, and it
riled me up to think of that poor girl go.
ing all over the wide country looking for
her lover, and then not finding him until
he was dying in a hospital. We were sit.
| ting close together when she finished, and
| was so touched up about it that | spoke
my mind right out. Then she turned
little toward me, and laying one of her lit
tie white hands on my great black paw,
said: "TheTe are great many who look
| through the whole world for the one their
heart asks for, and after all never find the
right one" Then she seemed to get
frightened and jumped up and ran into the
house.
| 81 didn't see her very often after that
The morning they started away l tended
to packing all their traps into the wagon,
and after shaking hands with the Judge
he was polite old gentleman, for he
asked me to call and see him if | ever
came to the city, went back into the
house to see that they hadn't forgotten
anything. Just as was coming out of
the Judges room Miss Nellie met me, and
taking both my hands in hers said,
David. you've been very kind to father
and me. The air and the woods here
done us both good, but we wouldn't have
enjoyed it if you had not been here; we
thank you very, very much, and l. ]
| looked down into her face and saw two
big tears in her eyes, and the next minute
she toppled over into my arms kind OF
faint like; then, before l knew what to
do, she was out of the door like a bird,
and when reached the road they were
driving off, and the Judge was waving
| good-by to me.
| :" stood in the road looking after them,
then turned and went into the house. 1t
did not seem like the old place; all the
brightness was gone. 1t was some time
before could go into Nellie's old room,
and when did found letter lying on
the table for me, and with it picture of
the girl.
Things didn't go very well after that.
tried fishing, but I'd get to thinking OF
the times when l used to go after the
Judges breakfast, and the trout would