The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-05-22
MISS DOLLY CORNERED.

Il shouldn't be surprised any day,
Dolly, to see David Wiggin tying his
horse at your gate," said Mr.. Blount,
roguishly, gathering up the reins.
" Nonsense, brotherl Amy thing the
matter with his own hitching- postw p
retorted Miss Dolly, turning in the
doorway.
Mr.. Blount laughed. Every body felt
bound to laugh at Miss Dolly's crisp
sayings. She had kept her friends in
good humor these forty years.
"And when David does call on you,"
pursued Mr.. Blount, more seriously, az
do hope, Dolly, you'll give him chance
to do his errand. That'll be no more'n
fair, and the man won't be easy till he
has freed his mind"
"What mischief are you the forerun-
ner of now, James Blount, ?" cried Miss
Dolly, facing about like soldier on
drill. What upon earth have l to do
with David's errands?"
"Well, his wife's been dead year or
So" said Mr.. Blount, suggestively,
shutting one eye, and squirting with the
other down the length of his whip-stock,
"and lately he's been asking about you.
You can put that and that together to
suit yourself"
Fiddlesticksl" said Miss Dolly,
energetically.
az shan't say have him, or don't have
him-though there isn't likelier man
living than David-but / do say, Dolly,
you ought to give him hearing;;" and
having convinced himself beyond a
reasonable doubt that the whip was all
right, Mr.. Blount tickled his sleepy
horse with it and drove away.
go, my sorrowsp calculated Miss
Dolly, closing the door with an afflicted
countenance, and sitting down SO quietly
for once that photographer might have
copied her then and there. Not that he
could have done her justice, for her ex-
preston was too quick and varied to be
caught by any trick of chemicals, and
without it Miss Dolly's physiognomy
would have been rather characterless
but for her prominent Roman nose.
This organ gave tone to her face. By
which / would not be understood
literally, as saying that she talked
through it in a nasal whine. l mean
simply that, in metaphorical sense,
this bold feature spoke loudly of energy
elise why the nose? Every two years
during her childhood she had been tip
toed into the east bedroom to see new
baby, till, at her mothers death, five
little brothers fell to her charge to be
coaxed and scolded into manhood.
You can't bring up them boys"
croaked dolorous aunt. "They'll run
square over you, Dorothy Almeda."
Dorothy Almeda was Miss Dolly's
baptismal name, but it was so manifestly
too big for her, that most of her friends
would as soon have thought Of labelling
tiny homeopathic vial with a quack
medicine advertisement as OF calling hel
by it.
"Let 'em run over me, 80 long as il
doesn't hurt 'em!" laughed Miss Dolly
skewing her faxen hair with a goose
quill, and tying tow apron over hel
calico long-short, preparatory to bring
ing up" said youths.
From that day forward she wen
cheerily on, making the best of every
thing, though it must be confessed sh,
often had odds and ends to work with
as people usually do have who are borr
with a faculty. Somehow she founC
time for all her duties excepting matri
mony. If it were duty, it was one sh,
couldn't and wouldn't attend to whil
her father and the children needed her
Divers young men thought this grea
pity, among them David Wiggin
"Don't be silly, Davidp said Dolly
when he hinted as much to her, where
upon David went off and straightwa,
married Olive Searle, the plainest in tn
parish.
This happened thirty years ago
and now David was again wifeless
and again the current of hi
thoughts turned toward Miss Dolly. VIII
still lived at the old homestead near tn
foot of Bryapt's Falls. Her father ha
died some months before. Of the boys
james and Ezekiel had settled on neigh
boring farms, and the remaining thre
were in the West David's benevolen
heart warmed with compassion as
remembered Dolly's lonely condition
and he felt that it would be exceedingl
kind in him to offer her a home, es
pecially as he owned as good place 8
you'd find on the river, while the Blour
cottage was fast falling to decay. H
wouldn't let her former refusal of hir
tell against her, for, now he looked bacl
he really didn't see how she could hav
married anybody at that period. Sh
ought to be rewarded for the devotion sh
had shown to the family, and, for hi
part, he felt magnanimous enough t
give Her second chance to accept hin
Such was the worthy widower's state Q
mind when he asked James Bloun
with mock humility, whether it woul
be of any use for him to try and make
bargain with Dolly.
"That's more n I can tell, Mr.. Blour
had answered. "Dolly's puzzl
You'll have to find out for yourself"
Mr.. Wiggin smiled, in complacer
anticipation OF acceptance. Indeed,
it might not seem like a reproach to tn
memory of his lost Olive, 1 should sa
that the kind-hearted man rejoiced
this opportunity of making Miss Dolly
happiness. Bensvolenee was in his fac