Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-04-12


mo" said the pretty girl. "To
Catley's Dam"
"Perhaps you know something about
Mailzie Ford?" hazarded our hero.
ooh, yes!'' said the nymph with the
dark eyes. "It's alovely place! I used
to live there before I went into the fac
tory at Catley's.
"Do you know the Widow Buck ?"
asked Payne, with interest.
every WE'LL" nodded the pretty girl.
Tn going there to look for board, :"
said Mr.. Payne.
81 hope you'll be suited" said the
girl.
And then they began to talk about the
tall blue-crested mountains, which were
beginning to close in around them.
The dewey-eyed damsel had read
Longfellow; she knew all about Thoreau;
she was even cup in Ruskin, and she
expressed herself with grace and spirit,
which set Mr.. Payne to wondering If all
the Maine girls were equally cultivated
and beautiful.
And then the Goldfish tumbled down
again and had to be frightened anew, and
by that time they had come to a house
in the midst of lonely belt of woods,
which the driver said was ''Catley's
Dam, upon which the pretty girl disap-
peared into the purple twilight, and Mr..
Payne and the Goldfish went on, SORROW
full, much jolted and alone.
A glimpse of the beautiful Magallo-
way River by moonlight; the cry of a
wild bird In the woods; the noise of hid
den cascades; blur of lighted windows,
which the driver said was the factory;
down blind lane, and checking the tired
horses at a one STORED stone house be-
hind wall of cedar trees, and then the
Jehu cried out:
Now, then! Here we be! Widow
Bucks p
Mr.. Payne got stiff1y out, and helped
to unload the various paraphernalia of
travel which belonged to him-an of
them by this time considerably favored
with salt Goldfish.
Perhaps you had better wait, said
he, as the driver turned around and CHR
ruped to his horse.
"What for?" demanded the man.
I'm case Mrs. Buck should not be able
to accommodate me, Or"
"Oh, it's all right - said the driver.
"She'n take you Ill. Naomi would have
told you, else"
And away he drove, leaving our hero
alone in the spectoral moonlight, with a
pile of luggage at his feet, and a gaunt
dog smelling at the skirts of his coat.
who's Naomi ?" said Mr., Payne, adj
dressing the moon. ''And what would
she have told me?"
He raised an old-fashioned brass
knocker that hung at the door, and rat
tied it briskly. The gaunt dog, aroused
to sense of his duty, left Off shutting
and began to bark. Presently, tall,
thin woman, with red pocket-handker-
chisf tied on her head, with a kerosene
lamp in her hand, opened the door.
Oh" said she, peering sharply at
him, "you're the young man from the
city, are you?"
With the initiative thus taken out of
his hands, Mr.. Payne could only incline
his head.
"All them traps your'n ?" demanded
the widow Buck, abruptly.
Yes, madam, Mr.. Payne admitted.
"Humph p said the widow. "'Pears
to me it's purity tolable cheeky of you,
mister, to take it for granted you'd be
asked to stay p
CT thought, madam
Sim a-talkin' now," said the widow,
sharply. "To begin right straight at
the beginning, we don't know anything
about you. You may be bank burglar,
or counterfeiter, for all we know!
"My references, madam"
eyes, I know" said the widow.
And them very references is most like
ly forged. But Pm wiIlin' to be reason
able. How old are you?"
And Mr.. Payne, secretly wondering
if this was the way they managed things
In Maine, answered meekly:
"Two and thirty!"
"Ever been married before?" sharply
questioned the widow.
"Certainly not, madam I am single
man" answered Mr.. Payne, with very
justiisble spark of indignation in his
manner.
"Any business ?" went on his cate
chist.
"None. madam"
"Well, like that! +" said the widow,
with scornful sniff. stLike your i'm
pudence, to come here and own to such
disgrace as that. Expect to live on
me, hey?
"Madam gasped poor Mr.. Payne.
"How dye suppose you're ever 60
ing to keep my Naomi, even if allowed
you to marry her?" sharply went on the
woman, (which I shan't do, and don't
you think it She don't care for you
anyway! When she heard you was
coming, she made up her mind to stop
off at Catley's Dam, just to get rid of
the sight of you. There So just pick
up your traps and go back ag'in in the
way you come! You won't never be a
son-in-law of mine |"
But while Widow Buck was volubly
uttering these last glib sentences, faint
light began to dawn on Mr.. Payne's
semi obscured brain.
CT think, Mrs. Buck" said he, "that
you must be laboring under little mis-
apprehension. My name is Percival
Payne. I am from Boston. was re-
commended here, as an eligible boarding
place, by Mr.. Warren, of Is Peppermint
Place."
Mrs. Buck nearly dropped her lamp