American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-06-05


"A wig" snarled Miss Cross.
and the most beautiful blue eyes, >"
Dolly went on, II ever saw in all my
life. And he wasn't near the house
And he didn't ask for anything. Oh,
do listen. aunt, while tell you all about
nit. l was on my knees in the path,
picking up some currantS | had let
fall, when / saw him, through the hole
in the hedge Brownies calf made
the other day, coming slowly up the
lane"
IF you had been looking at what you
were doing, you wouldn't have seen
him." said her grim listener.
He didn't see me, of course" said
Dolly, "orI shouldn't have looked at him
so intently. And, oh, Aunt Lorinda,
it was just like looking at a picture"
Stuff!' said Miss Cross.
'He was 40 handsome and 50 dusty,
and SO shabby. poor fellow! And he
sat down under the old tree, took a
crust of bread out of his pocket, and
began to eat it as though he was very,
very hungry. That went to my heart. !"
"Rubbishr' said her aunt.
And got up softly, and ran into
the house. and cut slice"
"A slice! Great grief" interrupted
Aunt Lorinda "A piece big enough
+, for the breakfast of a whole family"
And l buttered ii"
You buttered it?''
Yes, aunt; l only took the butter
that was left in the dish"
Half pound! You go without but
ter for week.
"And l ran out again, and into the
lane, as fast as l could" continued
Dorothy. apparently undismayed by
this threat, .'for fear 1 might lose cour-
age; and stopping suddenly before him,
put the bread in his hand. and said,
Il am so sorry for your and turned to
run away, when he seized my hand, and
kissed it, (A1iss Lorinda Cross became
rigid as marble), "and said, These are
the first kind words I've heard since
came to this beastly country. Tell me
your name, little ONE Dorothy Wal
do said 1. Dorothy Waldo he re-
peated; shall never forget it, and he
raised his hat and went away. Dear
aunt, had you been in my place, would
you not have done as l didp''
'IP' cried Aunt Lorinda-''I carry
meals to strange men on the public
highway? let foreigner who called
my country a beastly country kiss my
hand? No, indeed; he never would
have kissed my hand"
Perhaps not" said Dolly, with a
momentary twinkle in her eyes; and
then she added, pleadingly, "But don't
be angry any longer, aunt. I'll make
another loaf of bread right away
''But that won't bring back what
you've wasted" said her inflexible rel
alive. "a pretty wife you'd be for
man who hasn't dollar to call his own,
giving away bread by the loaf and but
ter by the pound" Miss Cross had re-
tanned at least one womanly trait-a
slight tendency to exaggeration) "to
ali the thieves and tramps who happen
to come along"
"Oh, auntf' exclaimed her niece;
"he looked like prince"
"a princer' snort of scorn.
"Your head is turned by that trashy
poetry you read. A prince! A likely
story-in shabby clothes, and nibbling
crust! A disguised burglar, in my
opinion. But burglar or no BURGLAR
she continued, it must be confessed with
marry a man who hasn't dollar to
call his own, with my consent, and if
ever you marry without my consent, you
make a liar of your mother in her
grave"
l.
again." said Dorothy, firmly but gently,
.'that 1 never would. 1 have not for
gotten my mothers last commands"
Then don't be encouraging that
Daniel Howell to meet YOU every tack
and turn; and if you must have some
one to walk home from church with you
4 can go and come myself, thank
Heaven!-there's Abner Brown, and
he has a thousand dollars in the bank"
'.But, aunt, I've known Dan so long,
and he is away so much, that when he
is at home / feel as thought mean, 1
wouldn't like to hurt his feelings"
"Bahr' retorted the grim maiden
''Men have no feelings. And as for
knowing him a long time, think you've
known him quite long enough"
'sBut if he had the thousand dollars,
instead of Abnsr Brownp" questioned
Dolly, with more spirit than she had
yet shown.
THAT would be in his favor, certainly.
But he hasn't, and never will have,
with that old father and mother depend
ing upon him. A thousand dollars,
sooner you forget Daniel Howell, and
the sooner Daniel Howell puts You out
of his head, the better"
loud, aunt said the little girl, in
dignantly: and then, startled by the
look of malicious triumph on her aunt's
face, Dorothy looked around, just in time
toreceive a farewell bow from Daniel
Howell as he turned from the door.
HE heard me-" said Miss Cross.
"Pm glad he did; twill save trouble"
"Oh, Aunt Lorinda. how can you be
so cruel?" said poor Dolly. bursting
into tears.
A year and half passed away. dur
ing which. owing to his frequent alb
sences and Miss LOrinda's watshful
care, Dolly and her lover had met but
three or four times. "It's hard" said
the young man, on the last of these oc-
casions, "to know that l cannot ask
your aunt for your hand because have
not thousand dollars of my own,
when l know that there is plenty of
room and love and everything for you
at the old stone cottage. Oh, Dolly, if
you would but brave her anger, how
gladly I'd make you my wife this mo-
ment ~
"Dan," interrupted the girl, with
dewy eyes, cit isn't her anger, though
feel that it would be most ungrateful
in me to provoke it-but the promise
my mother made for me on her death
bed. And if it had not been for that
promise, Dan, you must remember, /
should have been the inmate of an Or
phan asylum, and we would never have
met Adding, the sunshine cominp