The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-09-18
WHOLE NO. 246.

4
contents, pinings upbraidings. St Clare was
good-natured aud sefindulgent and sought IN
buy of with presents and batteries and when
Marie became mother to a beautiful daughter,
he really felt awakened for a time, TO some
thing like tenderness
st Clare's mother had been n woman Of I'M
common elevation and purity of character, and
he gave TO this child his mothers name fondly
fancying that she would prove a reproduction
of her image. The thing had been remarked
with petulant jealousy by his wife and she re-
garded her husbands absorbing devotion TO the
child with suspicion and dislike-all that was
given to her seemed 80 much taken from her
self From the time Of the birth Of this child,
her health gradually sunk A life Of constant
inaction, bodily and mental-the friction Of
ceaseless ennui and discomfort, united TO the
ordinary weakness which attended the period
of maternity, in course Of a few years changed
the blooming young belle into yellow, faded,
sickly woman. whose time was divided among a
variety of ianciful diseases, and WHO consider
ed herself, IN every sense, the most ilLused and
suffering person in existence
There was no end Of her various complaints.
but her principal forte appeared to lie in sick
headache which sometimes would cOnfne her
to her room three days out Of six As. of
course, all family arrangements fell into the
hands Of servants. st. Clare found his menage
anything but comfortable His only daughter
was exceedingly delicate, and be feared that,
with no one to look after and attend to her
her health and life might yet fall sacrifice to
her mothers neficiency He had taken her
with him on a tour TO Vermont and had per
suaded his cousin, Miss Ophelia St Clare to
return with him TO his Southern residence and
they are now returning on this boat, where we
have introduced them TO our readers
And now while the distant dOmes and spires
of New Orleans rise 10 our view there is vet
time for an introduction to Miss ophelia
Whoever has travelled in the New England
St@'e' ,.,su x YT in some cool grassy vii
iage a large farmhouse with its clean swept
grassy Va, t-..s.se-IsysssS 'sro asasa ~ a@eN
tolOge of the sugar maple, and remember the
air OF order and stiffness Of perpetuity aud un-
changing repose, that seemed to breathe over
the whole place. Nothing lost OF out of order
not picket loose in the fence not particle Of
litter in the turfy yard with it's clumps of lilac
bushes growing up under the windows Within
he will remember wide, clean rooms-where
nothing ever seems TO be doing or going TO be
done, where everything is once and forever rigid
ly in place, and where all household arrange
mentsmoye with hepunctual exactness of the Old
clock in the corner. In the family keeping
ROOM" rs it il termed, he viii remember the
staid, respectable old bookcase, with is glass
doors, where Rollins History, Millions Paradise
Lost Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress, and Scott's
Family Bible, stand side by side in decorous order,
with multitudes of other books, equally solemn
and respectable. There are no servants in the
house, but the lady in the snowy cap, with the
spcctacles, who sits sewing every afternoon,
among her daughters, as if nothing ever had
been done, or were to be done-she and her
girls in some long-forgotten fore part of the
day "did up The lrOrk, and for the rest of the
time, probably at all hours when you would
see them, it is done up The old kitchen
floor never seems stained or spotted--the tables
the chairs, and the various cooking utensils
never seem deranged or disordered, though
three and sometimes four meals day are got
there, though the family washing and ironing
is there performed. and though pounds Of but
ter and cheese are in some silent and mystic
rious manner there brought into existence
On such farm, in such n house and family
Miss Ophelia had spent n quiet existence of
some fOrty-fivo years whom her cousin invited
her to visit hs Southern mansion The eldest
OF large family, she was still considered by
her father and mother as one Of "the children
and the proposal that she should 60 TO Orleans
was a most momentous one to the family circle
The old gray-headed father took down Morses
Atlas out OF the bookcase and looked out the
exact latitude and longitude and read Flint's
travels in the South and West, 10 make up his
own mind as 10 the nature of the country
The good mother inquired, anxiOusly, "if
Orleans wasn't an awful wicked place" saying,
that il seemed to her most equal TO going TO
the Sandwich Islands or anywhere among tho
heathenp
II was known at the minister's, and at the
Doctors, and ut Mis- Peabody's miliner shop,
that Ophelia st. Clare was talking about" 60
ing way down TO Orleans with her cousin; and
of course the whole village could do no less than
help this very important process OF talking about
the matter. Tho minister who inclined strong
ly to Abolitionist views, was quite doubtful
whether such n step might not tend somewhat
10 encourage the SOuthcrners in holding on 10
their slaves while the Doctor, who was n stanch
Colonizationist, inclined TO the opinion that
Miss Ophelia ought to 90, TO show tho Orleans
people that we don't think hardly Of them, after
all He was of opinion in fact, that Southern peo-
pie needed encouraging. When, however, the
fact that she had resolved 10 go was fully before
the public mind she was solemnly invited out
to tea by all her friends and neighbors for the
space Of a fortnight, and all her prospects and
plans duly eanyassed and inquired into Miss
MOseley, who came into the house 10 help 10 do
the dress-making, acquired daily accessions Of
importance from the developments with regard
10 Miss 0phelia's wardrobe which she had been
enabled 10 make IL was crodibly ascertained
that Squire Sinclare. ~ his name was common
" contracted in the neghborhood had counted
out fifty dollars and given them 10 Miss 0phe-
La and told her 20 buy any clothes she thought
best and that twone silk dresses, and bonnet,
had been sent for TO Boston AS TO the pro-
priety Of this extraordinary outlay. the public
mind was divided-some affirming that it was
well enough, all things considered, for once in
ones life, and others stoutly affirming that the
money had better have been sent to the mis-
sionaries; but oil parties agreed that there had
been no such parasol seen in those parts as had
been sent ON from New York, and that she had
one silk dress that might fairly be trusted 10
stand alone whatever might be said of its mis-
tress. There were credible rumors also Of IA
hemsttched pocket handkerchief report
even went 10 far as 10 state that Miss Ophela
had one pocket handkerchief with lace all
around it, and il wns even added that it was
worked in the corners; but this latter point was
never satisfactorily ascertaned, and remains
in fact unsettled 10 this day
Miss Ophela, az yOu now behold her, stands
before you, in u very shining brown linen tray
elling-dress, tall, square-formed, and angular.
Her face was thin, and rather sharp in it, out
lines. The lips compressed, like those of per-
son who is in the habit Of making up her mind
definitely ON all subjects, While the keen, dark
eyes had peculiarly searching, advised move
ment, and travelled over everything, as il they
we're looking for something 10 take care Of
All her movements were sharp, decided, and
energetic and, though she was never much Of
talker, her words were remarkably direct and
10 the purpose when she did speak.
In her hnhifa ahe waa a living imnaraonAtlOn