The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1881-08-26
DOLLY'S DESTINY.

"I 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 Anything the
matter with his own hitching-po ?" re.
torted Miss Dolly, turning in the door.
way.
Mr.. Blount laughed. Everybody felt
bound to laugh at Miss Dolly's crisp
sayings that had kept her friends in good
humor these forty years.
"And when David does call on you"
pursued Mr.. Blount, more seriously,
"I do hope, Dolly, you'll give him o
chance to do his errand. Thatll be no
more than fair, and the man won't be
easy until he has freed his mind"
"W hat mischief are you the forerun.
ner of now, james Blount ?" cried Miss
Dolly, facing about like soldier on
drill. "What upon earth have 1 to do
with David's errands ?"
well, his wife has been dead yeai
or more" said Mr. Blount, suggestively,
shutting one eye and squirting With
the other down the length of his whip.
stalk, "and lately he has been asking
dDOub 1Ou. lOu tull pun tlliib anu blldt
together to suit yourself"
"Fiddlestick !" said Miss Dolly, eaer.
getically.
ct shan't say have him or don't have
him-tbough there isn't likelier man
living than David-but do say, Dolly,
you ought to give him hearing" and
having convinced himself beyond a rea-
sonable doubt that the whip was right,
Mr.. Blount tickled his sleepy horse with
it and drove away.
"Oh, my sorrows II CALCULATED Miss
Dolly, closing the door with an afflicted
countenance, and sitting down so quiet
ly for once that q photographer might
have copied her then and there. Not
that he could have done her justice, for
her expression was too quick and varied
to be caught by any trick of chemicals,
and without it Miss Dolly's physiogno-
my would have been rather character
less but for her Roman nose. This
organ gave tone to her face. By which
L would not be understood literally as
saying that she talked through nasal
whine. I mean simply in a metaphori-
cal sense this bold feature spoke loudly
Of energy. And Miss Dolly had abun.
dant need of energy - else why the
nosep Every two years during her
childhood she had been tiptoed 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 those boys"
groaned dolorous aunt. "They'l IL run
square over you, Dorthy Almeda."
"Let them run over me so long as it
does not hurt 'em !" laughed Miss Dolly,
skewing her faxen hair with o goose.
quill and tying calico apron over her
calico longskirt, preparatory to "bring-
ing up" said youths.
From that day forward she went
cheerily on, making the best of every.
thing, though it must be confessed she
often had odds and ends to work with,
as those do have who are born with
faculty. Somehow she found time for
all her duties except matrimony. II.
that were duty, it twas one she wouldn't
and couldn't attend to while her father
and the children needed her. Divers
young men thought this great pity,
among them Wiggin. "Don't be silly
David !" said Dolly, when he limited as
much to her whereupon David went of
and married Olive Searle, the plainest
girl in the parish.
This happened twenty years ago, and
David was again wifeless, and again
the current of his thoughts turned to-
ward Dolly, who still lived at the old
homestead at the foot of Bryant's Falls.
Her father had died some months be-
fore. OF the boys James and Ezekie
had settled on neighboring farms, and
the remaining three had gone West.
David's benevolent heart warmed with
compassion as he remembered Dolly's
lonely condition, and he felt that it
would be exceedingly kind in him to
offer her home, especially as he owned
as good place as you'd find on the
river, while the Blount cottage was fall
ing into decay. He wouldn't let her
former refusal tell against her, for as he
looked back he couldn't really see how
she could have married any one at that
period. She ought to be rewarded for
the devotion she had shown to the
family; and, for his part, he felt mag
nanimous enough to give her a second
chance to accept him. Such was the
worthy widower's state of mind when
he asked James Blount, with mock
humility, whether it would be of any
use for him to try and make bargain
with Dolly.
"That's more than / can tell" Mr..
Blount had answered. "Dolly's puz-
gle, you'll have to find her out yourself"
Mr.. Wiggin smiled in complacent an
ticipation of acceptance. indeed, if it
might not seem like reproach to the
memory of his lost Olive, should say
the kind-hearted man rejoiced in this
opportunity of making Miss Dolly's
happiness. Benevolence was in his
face, benevolence was in his spirit, as
he sailed forth at an early day TO ac-
quaint her with her good fortune. The
broken harrow which he had strapped
into his wagon to give the neighbors
as plausible one for his trip to the
falls, was by no means typical of men.
tai laceration to its owner. His feeling
as he approached Miss Dolly's moss
grown cottage was purely one Of thank
fulness that it was in his power to pro-
vide her O better home. Not that he
was grateful to his dead wife for leav-
ing vacancy there. Mr.. Wiggin had
mourned faithfully for Olive a year and
a day.
Miss Dolly was out in the garden
gathering catnip. She had built chip
fire under the tea-kettle and then
whisked off to pick, an armful Of the
pungent leaves while the water was
boiling. There she was, STOPPING
beneath the caves Of log g-cabin, wearing
big sunbonnet, and humming lively
tune, when Mr.. Wiggin drove up.
"Come, my love, haste away"
piped Miss Dolly, cheerily, snappinl
away briskly at the stalks.
"Cut short tho hours Of thy delay,
Fly like a youthful"
"'Fly like a youthful" struck in