The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-11-25
For the National Era.
STORY OF DOMESTIC LIFE.
BY CATHARINE LEDYARD.

BY CATHARINE LEDYARD.
At seventeen, Caroline Graham was n very
pleasing specimen of womanhood not that she
could lay claim to any marvellous beauty-she
had neither raven locks nor flashing eve, nor
did her complexion blend the lily and the rose,
after the approved fashion of hcrones' COM
plexions her form was not airy as sylph's,
neither did it possess the ajesty of Juno she
was somewhere about the middle height and
of plump, full figure. Byron might perhaps
have called her dumpy-she verged on that
order, certainly-but he could not have refused
to admire her smooth, fair neck, and softly
rounded arms. She had dark brown hair, and
a great abundance of it fresh, smiling face
and pair of blue eyes, whose gentle, kindly
glance won the hearts of half the young men
whom she encountered In this particular, she
differed from most heroines of whom we read
those ladies making it point to subdue euery
unfortunate gentleman that they may chance
TO meet saving and excepting the ogres of the
play, the hard-hearted father, or the detcstcd
sutton whom he favors.
But the thing in which she contrasted most
strongly with the bright visions of romance
was this sincere and singe-hearted piety
Your prosecuted maidens have in general
in pathetic appeals to Heaven upon all pos
works 80 far upon their lives as TO send them
out among the poor, reading the Bible to the
sick and providing soup for the hungry-when
they are in the country In town, they have a
more agreeable duty to fulfil" the duty that
we owe society"
Caroline was by no means what is rrever-
Al l. 4
of her religion she used no sanctimonous
phrases, and never gave utterance to harsh
comments on those who were yet in the broad
way" Certain ladies of her church, who prac-
tsed these things, thought her chargeable with
n great want of spiritual mlndedness They
debated among themselves whether it would
not be we'll to mention to her that she was alb
sent from the last prayer meeting, and to re-
mind her that it was possible to have a name
to live, and yet be dead to the truth They
gave up the plan, however, fortunately for Car
olinc; had they pursued it, she would have
been obliged to acknowledge that on the nj ght
in question she had remained at home to play
chess with her father who was not very well,
and quite out Of spirits
Caroline was as light-hearted a girl as ever
frightened any home on earth she sang as she
sat at her sewing, or while she swept the par
lor she had aready laugh for a Jest or merry
story Her good temper was wonderful. She
could lay down the last new novel with smile,
when called by her mother to aid in getting
dinner she would leave her embroidery at any
time to amuse her little brother, and she gave
a gentle answer even to undeserved reprOof !
do not say that she was perfect in these things
she may have wished that Charley would choose
some other time for his play or have felt indig-
nant for a moment at the unjust censure. She
was human, like the rest of us.
Caroline was very industrious, too. From
morning till night her pretty hands were busted
in doing something useful. She made the fam.
lily bread and helped the "hep" in the manu-
facture of cakes and sweetmeats. She was al
ways ready to perform any service for another,
from the sewing on of shirt-button to the
making of a shirt itself Her own room and
person were kept in admirable order she never
came down to breakfast with yesterdays
braids combed over and had you peeped into
her chamber at night you would have seen no
"ring of petticoats" upon the floor, and no
stray shoes and stockings lying about rs when
at random shot from the feet of their fair
owner. Her dark hair was always carefully
arranged, her collar of a snowy whiteness and
she had never known the painful state of indie
cision experienced by the lady whose dress
was too dirty to wear and not dirty enough to
wash"
Was not our Carry very nice sort of per-
son Assuredly there were many of the village
beaux that thought her so and Mr.. Lndley
the handsome young lawyer, wrote more than
one stanza in her praise, RI he sat in his office
waiting for the clients who were yet to bring
l.. Intt
him abundant leisure to cultivate the society of
the muses.. Such leisure may be very agreeable
in theory but it is far otherwise in practice,
when not only the little luxuries which you
have grown to regard as indispensable, but
your daily bread itself, depend on your obtain
ing occupation. Edward Lndley poor fellow,
who had at first admired and then fallen in
love with our gentle-hearted girl, thought his
case very hard one. TO be debarred by pow
erty from wooing her whom secret something
whispered he ght win TO zee her, perhaps,
welded to another, seemed to him cruel
thing. And he must stand tamely by and wit
ness it he, strong in youth, and the conscious
ness of talent, longing for some means of prov
ing it to the world, and making himself not
unworthy the acceptance of her whom he
loved Sometimes he would almost resolve to
to be faithful to him till he could claim her as
bis own But his very affection overcame the
temptaton-he would not bind her to destiny
of care and toll He would wait-better days
might come and then he could freely offer her
his hand and name.
The better days at last arrived, though they
were slow in coming. Three years had passed
since they first met, before Lindley felt himself
justified in making known his feelings, and
asking Caroline to share his future fortunes
During that time, the poor girl had known
many sad hours; doubts would now and then
obscure the faith she sometimes felt in Lind
leys affections her pillow was often wet with
tears, and her heart heavy with misgiving. 1t
would have been much better if he had earlier
declared the state of his feelings-the years Of
waiting would then have been bright and hap
by to both-but your young men have always
such fine notions of delicacy and honor, they
will cast away the happiness of lifetime for
a mere straw of sentiment However, do not
blame Edward Lindley, who but acted accord
ing to the light that was gwen him.
When his last lingering scruples were re-
moved, and he decided to inform the fair Caro-
line of his feelings he experienced consider
able degree of trepidation. While poor and
it was easy to look forward, and
resolve, il ever he became prosperous, TO 80
boldly forth, and seek to win her favor. But
now that the day had come, it was very diff
ferent affair-not that he was influenced by
paltry dread Of refusal no, his modesty and
hesitation were merely the effect of the true
love that he felt At last, one fair summer
evening, after having bestowed unusual care on
his attire he bent his steps toward the pretty
cottage that enshrined his idol. Caroline was
at home, and looking very sweetly in her sim
pie muslin dress They talked awhile upon
Indifferent topics, and then Mr.. Lindley OBJ
served that the moonlight WAS fine, and pro-
posed walk by the river side. So it all came
out-the long Years Of devotion the hopes the
fears, the self.sDforced sufieriDgs; while Caro-