The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-12-28

m1liar, people called him Nicholas New
comb; and as the gray crept to his ten
pies he began to be known as sold
| Nicholas Newcomb; then, at a subse
quent period, as ''old Nicholas" whicl
appelation degenerated, after lapse o
time. into "old Nick" and so widel,
spread and usual was the application o
this very irreverert cognomen that /
had long ceased to offend the ear evei
of its possessor himself.
Nicholas Newcomb, l say, sat upon
| -four barrel IN warm corner of his shoI
awaiting customers. And as he waite,
he dozed, and, doing, dreamed that
wonderful change had come to him; tina
the empty rooms above stairs were hab
liable and warm and snug-that curtains
graced the now dusty windows, carpet.
covered the dustier floor; that love ant
life had entered therein, and that he
Nicholas Newcomb, was lord of all! Bu
whose face was that opposite him at the
visionary fireside? He was never tc
know; for as he looked the dream burst
like a beautiful bubble-and he got
down from his perch on the barrel tc
match the Widow Pimlott's "yank" OF
gray yarn.
Three blocks only lay between the
grocery store and the widows house,
where its proprietor lodged, and during
her short walk to the mental vision of
this victim of Curiosity had great and
glorious dissolving views come and gone.
As she tried the ice that bridged one
wide gutter she thought only of Miss
Num- and her dazzling prospects-daz-
zling despite the plainness and humble
ness of the little sewing woman; in the
narrow lane shoveled between snow
banks at the next crossing she saw old
Nick-good, clever, matter-of-fact, hon
est, self-sufficient, old Nick-saw him in
her minds eye, and grew to wondering
why he hadn't married years and years
ago-at which wonderment Miss Mum
popped into her head
again, and, on the last curbstone, in the
large vistas of her vivid Imagination the
two minated souls had joined hearts
and hands, the wedding was over, and
on luXuriant scale had
just begun, when "Fresh Celery and
Cranberries" stared challiily white at
her from a leaning black board at the
entrance of the grocery.
1t took not many minutes to impart
the news that had been shown to her
by Curiosity and blown to her by the
wind; and as she labored through the
brief telling and climbed the dizzy
heights that led to the airy castles she
had so recently been building for him,
MS thoughts, as the startling climax
'eached him, leaped far and further
ahead of hers.
At times, it is said, one may live
lifetime in a moment-now it was that
ages seemed passing with every second,
.apital invested, houses built, stores en-
arged, stock bought, luxuries enjoyed,
md home and joy and light and cheer
ness all flashed before him like the
'unlit prisms of faceted glass!
His dream should come true-Miss
Sunn, the niece of the Argentine mill
onaire, should sit at the head of his
able dispensing his-their-hospital
y. He thought not once of herself-of
Ter pale little face and her slender little
were put out mucn the
anne as weak candle-hame is outshone
~ golden sun rays at noontime; but
he represented his great ambitions, and
lie must make her all his own before
he knew of the news of her relatives
before; there would
De plenty of time in which to disclose
hat fact afterward; and
'Mrs. Pimlott," he said, "your plans
or my happiness and advantage are
indy received. will give it my serious |
ttention. Do you please keep the
ostal until New Years Day, when, l
ope, you will be able to place it in the
lands of my rife"
''La, man, how hasty and nice you air!
It once like. New Years Day is only
hree days from now, and"
"You will leave that to me, Mrs. Pim-
oft, as entirely as shall leave the fix
ng up of the two rooms upstairs to you.
10 you think that if / should buy all the |
ecessary furnishings immediately-to-
ay-that you could put the rooms in or
er by day after Tomorrow"
''Sakes alive, sir, but you air brisk!
pect / could. There's Marth' Allen
oin' abslootly nothin', ye might say,
nd she's powerful cleaner, is Marth';
could help. And could get William
'enn to whitewash and do the heavy,
fifty work-he's a purity spry sort o
well, yes O. course we could
nut it all purity ship-shape by Choosdy.
When air you thinkin' o."
II said that you we're to leave that to
le."
And she did.
Out at Farmer Wheatfield's the snow
ay deep and white and billowy over the
olling pasture and meadow lands. Not
blemish or track of any Kind marred its
ure eXpanse; and, save in the Nzrrow
ane that led past the homestead, no
ign of life was visible. The snow in
he roadway, though cut and trampled
y many passing wheel, runner and
oof, was still so dazzlingly pure that
Id Farmer Wheatfield, jogging home
ard along its white length, looked in
he sunset like rich bit of glowing
olor, from the butternut brown of his
,ide felt hat to the crimson saddle-cloth
+ his big black mare.
On he came-a red-cheeked, grizzle-
earded messenger of fate-on and on,
ntil noise of fresh, young voices
reeted him from tho breezy altitude Of
he high pillared porch,
"Letters? Oh, yes, you gals is allus
xpectin letters-and here they be! But
ou haint the only ones Mis time: for
Iiss Num-, sizes got one-a ripsnortin'
ip one. too; and lest You be a leetlo