The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1879-05-15
A Flood and What Came of 1t.

Once upon Il time, not very long ago,
there was young damsel called.
But perhaps I'd better not mention her
name; she's changed it now, in any case,
and to save everybody's feelings, I'll call
her Mollie Muldoon-swcct Mollc Null
doom. Now more delightful creature it
would be hard to find, for she had that in
comparable nature that blends the child
with the woman; and whereas she could
play like kitten in seasons of trivolity,
you might in dire and serious cxtrcmi-
tv search the wide world over for a wiser
or maturer judgment. She had the
most wonderful knack Of taking shah
by house, and going over it from top to
bottom, with Il touch here and brush
there, and little adornmcnt over yon-
der, SO that, when she was through, the
metamOrphosis would he startling, and
one would declare that under the kilt
plaits of her house dress she concealed the
wand OF Il fairy.
Everybody knows that poverty and
pride are like oil and water, and won't go
together very well; and it could not be
denied that Mollic's beauty and grace
were sadly suited to the stinted means
Of life doled out to the widow Muldoon
and her two children. When Mr.. Mul-
doom was living they had all the luNuries
that his handsome salary and generous
heart could devise; but the bountit'ul
heart became cold in death, and the
handsome salary ceased long before
Mollie was old enough fully to enjoy
either the one or the other. 1t was only
mercy from heaven that Mrs. Muldoon' S
father outlivcd her husband, and was able
to allow her a small income, or heaven
knows what would have become of sweet
little Mollie, with her yearnings after
fashionable furbelows and surroundings.
Poor little Mollie! Many time I've
seen her beautiful eyes filed with tears of
rage and modification over an abortivc
attempt at making dress with putls and
frills out of a small pattern; but out she
came presently with some old under skirt
of her mothers, or aunt's or grandmOth-
er's, and with a few touches of her magic
fingers the whole fabric would fall to-
gether, colors and all as gracefully as a
rainbow, and then her eyes would shine
again, and her dimpled chin go up in the
air with the true pride of genius.
'sJust look at that Mollie Muldoon," "
said Fanny Sharp, as Molie went by
''shc's running her mother, the way she
dresses"
"Pride gocth before a fall" croaked
old Granny Sharp.
1t was only week or so after that |
heard from Mrs. Muldoon's own lips the
confirmation of rumor that been going
about for months-that Mollic was actu-
ally engaged to be married to young
Adolphus Dacre. The Dacres had been
given over by our whole community long
since They had treated the church
scandalously, hiring the best pew, and
never paying a penny on it; the gro
Ger had refused to give them any further
credit; the butchers cart drove right by
their door; and Malony, the milkman,
had been seen sitting upon the front
stoop of the Dacres,' waiting, he said, for
one or two things-his money or the liver
of Mr.. Dacrc.
sAnd of course" said Mollie, $50 long
as these miserable tradespeoplc held on,
and treated the Dacres with respect, the
whole aristocracy of Babbleton followed
suit; but now that the butcher and baker
and candlestickmaker have & ivcn them
up .
sIt's case Of the rotten potato" said
her seventeen year-old brother Jack.
"Have you too turned against Dolph!''
said Mollie.
I!' replied the lad, with mock
tragedy. "Never! AS afriend of mine,
he's A 1, and no mistake; but l don't
take much stock in Dolph as brother
in-law It's all he can do to keep him
self in chuck"
Mamma, will you make Jack stop
talking slang?'
II beg PARDON said Jack; "what l
meant to say was that under existing cir
cumstances Mr.. Adolphus Dacre finds it
exceedingly difficult to supply his own
individual necessities, and positively de-
clines any inducemcnt to take IN the mat
rimonial racket
'Declines mew said Mollie, with scorn-
full emphasis. s ~.
SsDeclines the whole feminine genera
tion,' said Jack.
That very day, which was a freezing
one in December, Mollie was seen down
upon the skating pond executing with
marvellous grace and facility the intricate
evolutions of the outer edge, and with
her was Dolph Dacrc. Whatever might
have been his inclination toward the fem
mime generation in general, it was plainly
evident that to Mollie in particular his
whole heart and soul went out in fond
emotion. His face was of the same
mobile tendency as Mollie's, and love, ad-
miration, devotion, idolatry, beamed in
every line of it.
cts shame to part them,'' said the
romantic lookers-on. 9a
sIt's ruinous to have them SO much to-
gether,' 4 said the prudent; but Mollie and
Dolph went gliding on, their hands
locked together, their glad hearts caring
no more for fate than for the freezing
wind - -
.'sDoIph is d bang-up skater" said Jack
that night at supper. THAT patch in his
left boot loosened his skate, or he'd have
been the top Of the heap. If he could
only get q pair of shoes s,v
$40 YOU mean, to say, IIsaid Mpllie, stllt
morsel upon her fork suddenly becoming
distastful to her-do you mean to say