The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1857-07-16

1ANAAA'
A silvery laugh echoed through the
rooms. We all dared to be amused, and
this gigantic achievment of wit passed in.
to one of the legends of Newport intel
lectuality.
One of the ladies of Newport had, as !
had always supposed, very enviable rep
utation for her wit, learning and clever
ness; but | found this was positive dis
advantage to her; for on asking Mr.
Semple about her, he seemed rather dis-
gusted, and answered me:
every good house, nice position, rich,
but too chatty; OH decidedly too chatty! 7"
The second week Of our stay still found
Rose the reigning belle of the house
Neither Miss Chase who sang, nor Miss
Brown who played, nor Miss Robinson
whose mamma maneuvred, had anything
to compare with Rose in point ofsuccess.
And then came the unmasking
went down to dress one day for din
ner quite late, and had not time to read a
dirty note which I found. on my table,
and which I supposed was some begging
letter and seeing it lie there still unread,
as was going to take my afternoon drive
with Mrs. Borrowe, l put it hastily in
my pocket to read on the way.
The afternoon was beautiful, and as
Mrs. Borrowe looked out on the sea, she
quoted Horace Smiths fine lines:
"To that cathedral boundless as our won
der,
Whose shining lamps the sun and moon
supply:
Its choir, the winds and waves its organ,
thunder,
Its dome, the sky"
The 'choir of winds and waves" was
chanting its majestic anthem. Nature
was grand, calm and benefcent. could
not help asking Mrs. Borrowe if she did
not sometimes find society tedious and
unsatisfactory.
eyes, but it has its attractions. |
know I am born for something better ::
but | love it; | cannot escape from it; |
believe we should all live with each 9th
er; and if the mass is stupid, let us do
our individual mite to make it brighter"
''But do We? do we not all take low
er tone when we mingle with society p
Would you now, dear Mrs. Borrowe, have
dared to quote that splendid simile, WHICH
you have just spoken so appropriately, if
you had been in the parlor at the hotel 2"
"No, because, as Cecil says, (that
worldy-wise Cecil owe must, to sue
ceed in society, consent to lose our indi-
viduality, and float along with the mass,
distinguished only for our extreme resem-
blance to all the rest" And we must
all remember that hate, envy, detraction,
are always lying in wait for the success
full person and if [ am so unfortunate as
to command any excessive admiration, [
suffer for it. The most successful per-
sons know in society, are women who
have neither beauty nor wit, who dress
we'll, and while they alarm and wound no
ones vanity, are still sought for their po-
sition, tact and knowledge of the world,
which means, never showing any other
kind of knowledge"
At this moment remembered my let
ter, and drew it from my pocket.
1t was badly spelled, badly written
letter; saying that the writer felt bound
to tell me that he had seen Mr.. Suthcr-
land kissing my handsome sister, Miss
Rose, in the dusk of the evening before,
as they were walking on the piazza; and
that he (the writer had some other facts
to communicate, which he would do for
FIVE dollars, if | would write him note,
and leave it on the table, when / went to
dinner, in my own parlor.
| supposed it was some waiter who
wished to get money from me, and show
ed it to Mrs. Borrowe. She looked it
over attentively,
''This is from no waiter. It is a lady's
hand disguised. 1t is done to create a
talk, The person who wrote it imagines
that you will be frightened, and will men,
| ton it to the landlord or some person
about the house: you will complain of
your parlor being entered by some wait
er or servant, and the story will leak out /;
and having thus real foundation for half
the story, a number of false ones will be
erected on that. 1t is simply aplot, die