The banner-enterprise., 1883-11-24

D0ILvS Ut6VN9.sf s9
i shouldn't be surprised any day, Doll
ly, TO see David Wiggin tying his horse
at your gate, said Mr.. Blount, roguishly,
gathering up the reins. 81
Nonsense, brotherl Anything the
matter with his own hitchine postS' re-
torted Miss Dolly turning il he aoosnsy,
MI. Blount laughed. Everybody fet
bound to laugh at Miss Dollys crisp say
ings that had kept her friend in good hu-
NOR these forty years.
And when David does call on you,
pursued Mr.. Bloant more seriously, 1 do
hope. Dolly, you'll give him chance to
do his errand. That'll be no more than
fair. and the man won't be easy until he
has freed his mind.
What mischief are you the forerunner
of now. James Blount2' cried Miss Dol.
ly, about like soldier on drill. What
facing on earth have to do with David
errands?
We'll, his wife has been dead year or
more, said Mr.. Blount, suggestively,
shutting one eye, and squirting with the
other down the length Of his whipstalk,
and lateley he has been asking about
you. You can put that and that together
to suit yourself.
'Fiddlesticks! exclaimed Miss Dolly, en-
ergetically.
4 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 rea-
sonablc doubt that the whip was all right,
Mr.. Blount tickled his horse with 1t and
drove away.
oh, my sorrowsl' calculated Miss Dol.
", closing the door with an afflicted coun-
tenance, aud sitting down so quietly for
once, that photographer might have
copied her then and there.
Not thathe could have done her justice,
for her expression was too quick and va
ried to be caught by trick of chemicals,
and without it Miss Dolly's phisiogomy
would have been rather characterless but
for her prominent Roman nose. THIS or.
gan gave tone to her face. BY which |
would not be understood literally, as say.
ing that she talked through nasal whine.
mean simply in metaphorlcal sense,
this bold feature spoke loudly Of energy.
And Miss Dolly had abundant need of
euergy-else why the nose2 Every two
years during her childhood she had been
tiptoed into the east bedroom to see 0
new baby, till at her mothers death. FIVE
little brothers fell to her charge to be
coaxed and scolded into manhood.
You cant bring up those boys, groan-
ed dolorous aunt. They'll run square
over you, Dorothy Almeda.
let them run over me SO long as it
does not hurt EN-! laughed Miss Dolly,
skewiug her flaxen hair with goose. quill
and tying calico apron over her calico
longshort, preparatory to bringing up
said youths.
From that day forward she went cheer
,ly on, making the best of everything,
though it must be confessed that she had
odds and ends to work with, as people US
ually do have who are born with faculty.
Somehow she found time for all her du-
ties except matrimony. II that we're a
duty, it was one she wouldn' and cOuldn' I
attend to while her father and children
needed her.
Don't be silly, DavldP said Dolly, when
he hinted as much to her, whereupOn
David went off and married Olive Searle,
the plainest looking girl 10 the parish.
This happened thirty years ago, and
David was again wiieless and the current
OF his thoughts turned toward Dolly, who
still lived at the old homestead at the
foot of Bryant's Falls. Her father had
died. some months before. Ofthe boys,
James and Ezekiel had settled on neigh.
boring farms and the remaining three had
gone west. David's benevolent hear,
warmed with compassion as he remem-
bered Dolly's lonely condition, and he fell
that 1t would be exceedingly kind in hin
to offer her home especially as he owned
as good q place as y0n can lind on The
river, while the Blount cottage was falling
into decay.
He wouldn't let her former refusal tel
against her, for as he looked back ht
couldn't really see how she could have
married anyone at that period Sht
ought to be rewarded for the devotion sh,
had shown TO the family, and. for BIZ
part, he felt magnanimous enough to Civ,
her a second chance to accept him. Sucl
was the worthy widower's state of mint
when he asked james Bount with mocl
humility whether it would be Of any us'
for him to try aud make bargain viii
Dolly.
That's more than | can tell, Mr.
Blount had answered. 'Dolly,sa a puzzle
you have to find out yourself 4 y G
Mr.. Wiggin smiled in complacent an
ticipation of acceptance; indeed if it nigh
not seem like reproach to his lost Olive
should say the kind hearted man re
joiced in this opportunity Of making Mis-
Dolly's happiness. Benevolence was Il
his face, benevolence was in his spirit, a
he sailed forth at an early day to acduain
her with her good fortune. The broker
harrow which he had strapped into th'
wagon to give the neighbors plausibl,
reason for his trip TO the Falls was by u
means typical Of mental laceration to il
owner. His feeling as he approache,
Miss Dolly's moss grown cottage va
purely one Of thankiulness that it was il
his power to provide her better home
Not that he was grateful to his wife 70