Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-11-03
THE COUSINS.
BY HARRIET BEEcHER STOWE,

BY HARRIET BEEcHER STOWE.
Mistakes and misunderstanding are not such
bad things after all, at least not always SO cir
cUmstances alter cases.
remember case in point. Every body in
The country admired Isabelle. Edmonds, and in
truth, she was an admirable creature, just made
for admiration and sonnetteering, and falling in
love with, and accordingly all the county Of
was in love with her. The columns Of every
Argus, and Herald, and Sentinel, and Gazette,
and Spectator, and all manner of newspapers,
abounded with the effusions, supplicatory and
declaratory, of her worshippers; in short Miss
Isabelle was the object of all the spare " ideali-
ty" in all the region round about. Now, shall
not inform my respected readers how she look
ed you may just think of Il Venus, a Psyche, a
Madonna Fairy, an Angel, &C., and you will
have very definite idea on the point. must
run on with my story. lam not about to choose
this angel for my heroine, because she is too
handsome, and too much like other beroines for
my purpose But Miss Isabelle had a sister, and
shall take her. "Little Kate" for she was al.
ways spoken Of in the dimnutive, was some
younger than her sister, and somewhat shorter
IN stature. She had no pretension to beauty
none at all; yet there was a certain something,
Il certain-in short, sir, she looked very much
like Mrs A-or Miss C you admire so
much, though you always declare she is not
handsome.
1t requires a very peculiar talent to be over
looked with good grace, and in this talent Miss
Kate eXceed She was as placid and happy by
the side of her brilliant sister, as any little con-
tented star, that for ages had twinkled on unno-
ticed and almost eclipsed by the side of the peer
less moon. Indeed the only art of science, in
which Kate ever made any great proficiency, was
the art and science of being happy, and in this
she so exceled, that one could scarcely be in her
presence half an hour without feeling unacoun-
tably happy themselves.
She had world of sprightlness, deal of
simplicity and affection, with dash of good-na-
tured shrewdness, that after all, kept you more
in awe than you would ever suppose you could
be kept, by such a merry, good natured little
body. Not one of Isabelle's adorers ever look
ed at her with such devout admiration as did the
laughter-loving Kate. No one was so steady to
run. wait, and tend-to be up stairs and down
stairs, and every where in ten minutes, when Is
abele was dressing for conquest. In short, she
was, as the dedications of books sometimes set
forth, her adyship's most obedient, most devo-
ted servant.
But u | am going to tell you my story, must
not keep you all night looking at pctures,so now
to my tale, which | shall commence in manner
and form the folowing:-
1t came to pass that certain college vaetu-
1inarian and far off cousin of the two sisters,
zane down to spend few months Of his free
agency at their fathers and, as aforesaid, he had
carried off the first collegiate honors, besides all
the hearts Of the ladies' in the front gallery at
he first commencement.
So interesting! so poetic such fine eyes,and
III that, was the reputation he left among the
yentler sex. But alas, poor Edward, what did
all this advantage him; so long as he was afflic-
ed with that unutterable, indescribabe malady,
commonly rendered bashfuness-a worse multi.
Ter than was ever heard of in Carolina. Should
you see him in company, you would really sup.
pose him ashamed of his remarkably handsome
person, and cultivated mind When he began
10 speak, you felt tempted to throw open the
window and offer him smelling bottle, he made
such distressing affair of it, and as to speak
ing to lady, the thing was not to be thought
Of
When Kate heard that this rara auis was CON-
ng to her fathers, she was unaccountably inter-
ested to see him, of course-because he was her
cousin, and because dozen other things too nu-
merous to mention.
He came, and was for one or two days an OBJ
ect of commisseration as well as admiration to
he whole flmily circle. After awhile, however,
ne grew quite domestic; entered the room
straight forward, instead of stealing in sideways
talked off whole sentences without stopping
looked Miss Isabelle full in the face without