Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1846-03-28
Written for Morris National Press.
TIT-FOR-TAT.
81 GRAcE

BY GRACE GREENWOOD.
The sex to which | have the honor of
belonging, has from time immemorial,
been accused ofbeing peculiarly sub
ject to this compound of love and hate, of
folly and ~lury-this Lear of passions, the
weak mad dupe Of his creation In
the name Of the si8ter.hood, I deny the
CHARGE fling it back on our accuscrs
for the lordly sex, it is, who yield to the
''grcen-eyed monster" the most loyal and
ready obedience. Does any one doubt
the truth of this position ?-!ct him seat
himself with becoming resignation, listen
to my proofand rise up convinced.
A glorious girl was my school mate,
Sophie Norton, o charming, beautiful rid
die. She was a blond, Of the most deli
cate description, with Il mild, tender, Lucy
Astonish sort Of a face, and WAYS 50, con-
tidingly winning, ! would defy flesh and
blood to withstand them. And yet, this
angel III form and feature, this seeming
embodiment of all most exquisitely ETHEREAL
and spiritual, was in truth. the most dash
ing, daring, care for naught, gypsy Of u
creature, dear reader, that ever took your
heart by stfatagem, or carried it by storm.
She was admirably polite, however, sell
dom showing both sides of her character
to the same persons, or class of persons.
Our teachers praised her as Il model Of
propriety and loneliness, while we adorn-
cd her as the queen ofiln and frolic, who
led lis into the widest, and most unheard-
Of scrupes, and as skillfully, and triumph.
antly, led Us out.
On leaving school, Sophia spent a few
months with u friend, in Philadelphia. !
cannot say that her visit caused any
great connnotion," in right angle dom,
She was ''beautiiul, exceedingly" but
hers was not the style Of loyeliness to ere.
ate u Juror. She was very like ones sum
mer dream Of sweetness and gentleness,
yet few people besides poets, think Of fall
ing in love with a drcam;-and then, she
was not an heiress.
At last, as the German would say she
met her destiny. Wishing to have her
miniature taken, q young artist, Of consid.
cradle promise, was selected by her friends.
She found him quite onc's idea of a votary
of the divine art, his lightest words, the
tones Of his voice, showing an ardent,
earnest, enthusiastic temperament. His
face would have been of almost too lofty
and severe a beauty, were it not for a
smile of chiidIike archness and ~amiability,
always dancing attendance on his lips.
His form was hnely proportioned, but in
my eye, rather too petit, for perfect manli-
ness.
Well, Sophie o o saw, by woman's
marvellous intuition, that Mr.. j. Randolph
Richmond, (he wrote his name thus, for
fear of being called Jack;) wa irretricva-
bly, in love-and with her own sweet self
Yet Sophie was a sensible girl, and kept
her own heart with all diligence, She
liked the lad, passing well, but in regard
ing his character, she had one chilling
fear. It was that his devotion to painting,
arose not from a sincere love for the art,
but from personal ambition, that passion
which the world has baptised with praise,
and christened with a glorious name, but
which is in truth, but a fiery, intense and
concentrated serishness- So, She did not
Weld to woman's amiable weakness, and
love, because she was loved did not let
gratitude lead her bIindfold to the altar.
| know | should put on gloves, while hand
ling this dear, pet fault of my sex. But
my charming sister, why are you gatefull
Just bring your every day tenderness, your
~natient. fond. w~orshiping, self-sacrifcing
love !; and then place mans holiday adj
miration, his fancifll, ~patronising exacting,
doubling affection, in the opposite scale,
and see in what a passion of haste they
will go up! Thank a man for reading
YOU five Enacted acts from his drama-for
writing an a~er0stic on your name-for
| asking an introduction to a rival belle-6r
saving you are surprisingly like his maiden
aunt;-5ut never for the honor of his pref
crence. Be grateful to him for the offer
| ofhis mouchoir to hem, or his gloves to
mend, but never for that of his heart and
hand. In love matters, fling away graft
tude-'tis but a charity-girl sort ola virtue
| at the best.
It was, finally, in no hour Of triumph,
that Sophie Norton felt all the sweet wa
tiers Of hsr heart gushing freely, gladly, tu-
multuousIy, toward him who loved her.
She had accompanied him to the academy,
where a painting, on which he had spent
much time and enthusiasm, was being ex-
hibited. There was present N Of the ar.
lists of his country, WIG pausing before
Randolph's picture, bestowed upon it some
warm praise, and then criticised it with
terrible severity. Sophie attentively
watched the face of her lover-fushe:
passed over his brow, his lips were COM
pressed, but he silently drank in every
word Of the artist When the ordeal wal
passed, he left her side, went up to The
Judge, gracefully introduced himself ant
expressed his gratitude with frank and I'm
-istokabIa aarnestnezs for the yahsbl,