The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-01-29


| you agree with me ?"
"Yes though fear have never viewed
the subject in this light BEFORE" said Miss
| Agnes, timidy.
Indeed You certainly have not taken
this step without fully and deliberately weighing
the responsibilities arising from it'll"
What a weight of condemnation there was in
her tones! Miss Agnes blnshed, as if she had
really been guilty of a crime; then, recovering
herself, added, simply;
Indeed, l never thought anything about it.
We met the child when suffering from violent
abuse; Cousin Ralph proposed that 1 should
take her, and l did,
"That is so like you Agnes Lathrop to the
life (! Impulsive as child; but, unfortunately,
something else is needed in the training of a
child. Have you decided for what object or
condition in life she is to be educated?"
"Why, to love me-to live with me-to be
my child, companion, friend And a useful
member of society-of course, l shall see to
that" added Miss Agnes quickly warned by a
sort of tightening of the lady's mouth.
"And that will be best attained by training
her for the sphere in which she was born, as
| you will find, think"
."Ahl no, / can never think of that ex-
claimed Miss Agnes, eagerly. ~ hope to make
ner something higher, nobler, better-else where
was the use of my taking her at ALP"
"a very pertinent question, indeed my dear,
but rather late in the day to ask" returned
| Miss Hunt, with grim smile. "Sarah Beach
said you were determined upon teaching her
YOURSELF so it is useless for me to offer an opn-
ion, | suppose. But you will learn in time.
Have you matured any plan for her studies +"
Miss Agnes pointed, with a little air of tri-
umph, to the neat table of exercises over the
mantel. .<
"Reading, writing, spelling, defining, geog-
raphy, arithmetic-um-um- three first
are well enough-but for the rest, you had bet
ter set them aside, and send her to the kitchen
to take lessons of Hannah Smith. You know
l make point of speaking the truth, Agnes,
and consider this scheme of yours a perfect
absurdity. But | see you are bent upon the
experiment, and shall come in often to see
what progress you make" IS
She kept her word, often taking the text.
book from Miss Agness hand, and examining
me herself, especially when l thought, and |
knew my mistress did, too by the half.proud
and halfpleased air in which she glanced at
her visiter, that had acquitted myself particu-
larly well and, when she had completely dis
concerted and confused me, by suddenly turn
ing from one topic to another, and asking
questions wholly aside from the usual order,
In that hard voice of hers, would shut the
! book, and turn to Miss Agnes with triumph.
ant air, that said, as plainly as words could
say
"What little, simple goose you are, to let
this child impose upon you thusl"
Miss Agnes could no more stand before such
a charge, than she could make a world. She
knew, besides, that was far better versed in
the subjects upon which Miss Hart questioned
me than my answers indicated 1 could not
make her understand how the ladys fixed
| he Of bar ID
upon me like spell, nor how the atmosphere
she brought with her seemed to chill and pet
rify my thoughts; I did not understand it
myself; j knew nothing Of magnetism then /;
and my failure was set down to sheer obsti-
macy; and when, touched by Miss Agnes's
disappointment, / tried to explain, by saying
! did not like Miss Hart. L only strennthened the
Smith in the kitchen, as my proper sphere,
until the natural Justice and goodness of Miss
Agnes's heart quickly recalled me to be again
at her side.
In thus sending me to the kitchen, Miss
Harriet Hart unwittingly did me a service, of
which, at the time, neither she nor was aware.
Hannah Smith was a genuine New England
woman, sensible, clear, and kind hearted. She
had lived some years in the family before the
Doctors death, and continued to stay with Miss
Agnes more from affection than any necessity,
being reputed to be swell off," At first, she
was kind to me from a sense of duty, and grad
ually she came to like me for myself, or per-
haps should say, for the habits of neatness l
had learned from Sally Hunt. She taught me
housewifery, and took me with her among the
sick and poor, for she did not turn aside from
the manufacturing portion of the community
neither was Miss Agnes's charity wholly con-
fined to her own church, though she declared
it would kill her outright to go among such
scenes as Hannah sometimes described.
There were two studies in which / pro-
crossed rapidly-musc and drawing; and even
Miss Hunts assertion that it was "all nonsense
to teach me such things" did not prevent Miss
Agnes from feeling both proud and pleased
with my performances. They were, of course,
crude and inferior enough; for my teacher
wandering young Miss, whose engagements, as
the notices posted around the village affirmed,
would positively limit her stay in Chesterwood
to one term-might have spent weeks upon
Cloths 40" to advantage herself. The praise
me vain, had not felt so keenly my own stu
pidity in other branches, said to be so much
easier, and in which any little girl of six was
my superior.
The second summer Of my stay with Miss
Agnes she sent me to day school. L think
che was quite satisfied with her experiment of
teaching but Hannah had an i'll turn that
spring, and was long time getting well, and
this was good excuse for changing her plan.
She could not teach me and care for Hannah
too; and care for the latter she did, most faith
fully. My prejudice against schools soon wore
of, and liked the change very well still
was not sorry when, at midsummer, Miss Ag.
mes decided to visit the seaside again, and to
take me with her, while Hannah visited her
friends.
We spent some weeks at the "Beach," or
Miss Agnes did, for most of my days were
passed at the Cove, with Uncle Steve and little
Adline- At first, Miss Agnes hesitated about
permitting me to renew my acquaintance with
people of "that sort;" but accidentally hearing
Lieutenant B, who was staying at the
Mansion House, relate an anecdote Of Uncle
Steve's bravery in saving the lives of some
boys, that savored somewhat of romance, she
consented, and even accompanied me on my
first visit, when Uncle Steve quite won her
heart by his striking resemblance to some nau
teal character in SCOTS g Pirate" though what
were her means for judging l cannot say.
had kind of fancy that Uncle Steve did
not feel tiattered by her opinion-he probably
had his own opinion of the word pirate; little
Ad'line reminded her of sea-nymph, but
about Polly Maria she was somewhat dubious
inclining upon the whole to think her q we'll
meaning person enough"
need not say how unchanged l found the
, place, and the dear simple hearts and faces
there, nor how glad they we're to see me.
. had grown tall girl, whole halfhead taller
than Bluebird," Uncle Steve said, as he made
. Us stand up, back to back, and sighted at us
: with his right eye shut close up, and surround
ed by slight sea of wrinkles. But ] still sat
on his knee, and listened to the old stories with
) the same delight as before; and shall never
: forget his astonishment and pleasure, when ]
showed him a sketch of the cabin had made