The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-07-10
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engaged, with ever so many,) she don't mind
| anything else. She don't know that she is de-
| formed. She talks, and becomes beautifully
animated; so that never saw such a face as
she has, sometimes. 1t troubles me though"
| With look of concern coming suddenly to her
features, Mrs. Hidden put her head a little
nearer her sisters, to say, in low tones, d" am
afraid she loves him."
AFRAID, are your" replied Julia, with
her eyes on James and Ada.
"Yes, you don't know how it troubles me,
sometimes. Then, again, think that it is no
matter if she does"
That's it, Mary ~ said julia turning quick.
ly to Mrs. MADDEN, with Frightening eyes, 10
matter if she does"
"But, of course, he can never marry her,
Julia"
"No, but she can love him all the same, and
her life will be the warmer for it."
" II he loves, and marries somebody else?"
Yes, if he still loves her, too; if he still is
kind to her, and thoughtful towards her."
eyes, if he still loves her, too. But this he
mustn't do, of course, if he has a wife,"
why notT man or a woman can hate a
dozen. This is very possible; everybody al
lows them to do this. But when it comes to
loving! What is the reason, Mary, that man
or a woman can't loVe a dozen? l wish some
body would tell me-
An, there you are the same queer thing,
with the same queer notions All have to
say, is, hope you will find out, some day, what
love is. You don't know anything more about
1t now than Cousin Marcia's baby does; and
shan't waste my breath talking with you about
| 1t, TIL you do. It's high time, too, l suppose,
for me to be stirring about, again, amongst all
these people. got them all nicely fixed be-
fore came. put myself at Colonel Cabot's
side, and, step by step, talking politics every
| step, took him out to where the Stetsons were
standing, plodding through commonplace with
the Danas and Mrs. Dexter-people who never
can get hold of single idea, when they need
1t most Things frightened when we came up.
The Colonel and Mr.. Stetson closed vigorously
upon war matters. Mrs. Stetson liked it AS
well as they did, and had earnest, sensible
| things to say about it. She is dear woman
L hardly know a woman ! admire so much
! Ha! Pm going to bring them out here, by and
| by, after l have told them how you think, what
| queer things you say about loving Dozen
There's Mrs. Tillotson. Isn't she a splendid
creature? And she knows so much This is
all the beauty of it, after all. Isn't it curious
| that she should like Mrs. Hemans the best, a
thousand times the best, of any poet who is, or
ever has been, on the earth; and, at the same
time, should look so much like herr"
Yes. / was thinking about it while we
were talking with her."
"No one ever spoke of the resemblance,
either, to her, until | did tonight. Did / tell
| you what kept Mrs. Cabot?"
The Colonel told me that it was her broth.
ers coming in the late train. He said he
wouldn't think strange if they both make their
appearance here by nine o'clock"
"Goodl hope they WILL You never saw
him? The brother, mean"
mo. Is he we'll worth seeing ?"
" think SO; but you see If | stay here talk
ing with yoz all night! ! shall be back again
in five minutes, though, I'll warrant Won. II
seems 80 good to have you back here. for
there's never minute hardly when haven't
something that want to say to you 1t must be
said to yOu, you see IT'S so much better saw
ing 1t to you, than to anybody else"
She squeezed the hand that. in her gealops
affection, she had got hold of and then moved
away; just bowling and smiling to some. who
were, as she saw, comfortably engaged; stop
ping to talk with others, who were STANDING or
sitting alone; bringing certain persons together.
to introduce them, to introduce genial topics
between them; stopping to have a few words of
rare zest and frolc with Mrs. Stetson. Colonel
Cabot the Melchers and few others like them +.
OF rare earnestness and sympathy with the Ner
rllls, who were there in mourning for their only
babe, just buried with Mrs French. who was
really never well day, who knew that she had
but q few more years at the most here on the
earth, that was so fair in her eyes, and among
the friends who were so dear, and who. ON tbis
account, carried something sanctifed, and Sane
trying also, in her presence, wherever she
moved. She stopped by Deacon Adams's. The
Deacon hardly ever laughed, or thought of sucb
thing. Whether he kept from laughter be-
cause he was a deacon, or was made deacon
because he kept from laughter, Mrs. MADDEN
could not settle in her thoughts; but she s,op
ped by him, and told him a story about his own
boy, Eddy, that made him laugh as he had not
done before since he came into his deaconsbip.
at any rate. And Mrs. Hsdden hoped it would
do him good.
"They'Te both so odd, wish we could get
them together some way, without their knowing
each other, to see what they will make of it."
Mrs Cabot and her brother, Arthur Fletcher.
had come, by the way; and Mrs. Hadden was
IN the ladies dressingroom, where the former
was getting ready to go down. They were talk
ing about Julia and Arthur Fletcher. Mrs.
Cabot loved froEic as well as Mrs. Hidden did
and entered keenly into that lady's scheme.
III tell you" resumed Mrs MADDEN, after
half dozen expedients had been, by one or
the other, proposed, and mutually rejected, az
:" not exactly the thing" "she is, or was when
| came out, by the bow window, with Mrs. Dea.
con Adams. I've got century plant there,
that is more than twenty-five years old-a mao
nifcent, great thing. Dr. Riddle, my Roxbnry
friend, sent it to me late in the TALL. You
haven't seen it, have you? All, well YOU shall.
But we'll send your brother round first; he
don't know many here, and III send him round
to the plants. I'll tell him about the century
plant; he'll want to see that. I'll tell him
there's queer sort of woman there, in a dark
green silk. l shall tell him that if he can get
anything out of her, so as TO know exactly what
to make of her, shall be glad; for that | can't.
and there amt anybody else that has tried, she
is so odd"
"Oh, but what will we do without An intro
duction ?" asked Mrs. Cabot, stopping in the
midst of drawing on glove. "Too badl Ev.
cry plan has to be quashed on some ground.
How shall we MANAGE"
Iii tell him not to mind being introduced.
With so odd person, I'll tell him she don't
mind forms any more than she does straws.
that he'll lind 1t SO, if he speaks to her. He
can begin with asking her questions about the
plants, you know"
$50 he can, Arthur"
de was in the gentlemen's room. across the
passage. lie came out'iDto the passage. upon
being called, and then Mrs. Cabot told him
that IT he wanted to find the rare sort of woman
ne had been in search of the last twenty wears
The was bachelor of thir,y.fve. or there,
aoouts,) a woman who had points, " charac.
ter, and so on, "of her own" he could End
sucn an one In green SILK by the bow window.
In the back parlor; queer woman; Just about
as eccentric and queer as he was.
lie laughed at her; told her he need no, 90
so Tar as the bow-window of the back parlor 20
nnd queer woman; would not promise 70
have anything whatever to do with the matte.