Daily Kennebec journal., 1881-03-26
AUGUSTA NAME SATURDAY
NO. .73.
Gales a,o Skettbes.
DOLLY'S DESTINY.

gathering up the reins.
Nonsense, brother! Anything the
matter with his own hitching post?" re-
torted Miss Dolly turning in the doorway.
Mr.. Blount laughed. Everybody felt
bound to laugh at Miss Dolly's crisp say
ngs that had kept her friends in good
humor these forty years.
And when David does call on YOU"
pursued Mr.. Blount more seriously. II
do hope Dolly You'll give him a chance to
do his errand. That'll be no moro than
fair. and the man won't be easy until he
has freed his mind"
What mischief are YOU the torerunnc,
of now. James Blunt?" cried Miss Dolly,
facing about like soldier on driil.
What upon earth have 10 do with Da-
vid's errand>?"
"Well his wife has been dead n year or
more" said Mr.. Blount. suggestively.
shutting one eve. and squirting with the
other down the length of his whipstock,
land lately he has been asking about YOU
You can put this and that together to suit
yourself"
"Fiddlesticks SAID Miss Dolly en-
ergetically.
IL shan't say have him or don't have
him-David-but l do say Dolly you
ought to give him a hearing" aud having
convinced himself beyond reasonable
doubt that the whip was all right. Mr..
Blount tickled his sleepy horse with ii and
drove away.
20. my sorrows :" calculated Miss Dol
ly. closing the door with an afilictc,i'cou
tenance. 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 physiogomy 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 nasal whine. mean
simply in metaphorical sense. this bold
feature spoke loudly OF energy And Miss
Dolly had abundant need of energv--else
why the nose' 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 he coaxed and scold-
ed into manhood.
lyon can't bring up these boys"
groaned dolorous aunt. "Thev'll run
square over you, Dorothy Almeda."
LET them run over me so long as It
does not hurt 'em" laughed Miss Dolly,
skewing her flaxen hair with goose
quill and tying calico apron over her
calico longshort. preparatory 10 "bring-
ing up said youths
From that dav forward she went cheerily
on, making the best Of everything. though
il must be confessed she often had odds
and ends TO work with. as people usually
do have who are born with faculty
Somehow she found time for all her duties
except matrimony. lf that we're duty,
il was one she wouldn't and couldn't at
tend TO while her father and the children
needed her. Divers young men thought
this a great pity. amony them David Wig
gin. 'Don't be silly David ~ said Dolly.
when he hnted as much to her; whereupon
David went off and married Olive Searle,
the plainest girl in the parish
This happened thirty wears ago. and
David was again wifeless and again the
current of his thoughts turned towards
Dolly, who still lived at the old home stead
at the foot Of Bryant's Falls. Her father
had died some month before OF the bows
James and Ezekiel had settled on neigh
boring farms. and the remaining three
had gone west. David's benevolent heart
warmed with compassion as he remem-
bered Dolly's lonely condition, and he felt
that it would be exceedingly kind in HIM
to offer home. especially as he owned as
good place as you'd find on the river,
while the Blount cottage was falling into
decay. lie wouldn't let her former refusal
tall afra;,ct har for ha 1,xt.1 h<.
couldn't really see how she could have
to be rewarded for the devotion she had
shown to the family. and for his part, he
felt magnanimous enough TO give her a
second chance 10 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 tor him to
try and make a bargain with Dolly.
That's more than ! can tell,' Mr..
Blount had answered. .Dolly's puzzle :;
You'll have to find her out YOURSELF
Mr.. Wiggin smiled in complacent antic-
ipation of acceptance. indeed if it might
not seem like reproach to the memory OF
his lost Olive. should say the kind-heart-
ed man reioiced in this opportunity Of
making Miss Dolly's happiness. Benevo-
lence was in his face. beDevolence was in
his spirit. as he sailed forth at an early
day to acquaint her with her good fortune
The broken harrow which he had strapped
into his wagon to give the neighbors 4
plausible reason for his trip to the Falls,
was by no means typical Of mental lacera-
tion to its owner. His feeling as he ap-
preached Miss Dolly's moss-grown cot
tage was purely one OF thankfulness that
1t was in in his power to provide for her q
better home. Not that he was gratful to
his dead wife for leaving vacancy there.
Mr.. Wiggin had mourDcd faithfully for
Olive year and a day.
Miss Dolly was out in the garden gather
ing catnip. She had built chip fire
under the tea kettle and then whisked Of
to pick an apronful Of the pungent leaves
while the water was boiling. There she
was STOPPING beneath the caves of log
cabin sun-bonnel. and humming lively
tune when Mr.. Wiggin drove up.
.'Corne my love, haste away
piped Miss Dolly cheerily. swapping away
briskly at the stalks.
"cuf short the hours Of thy delay;
Fly like youthful"
Fly like youthful" struck In .