Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-12-03

had fully analyzed her character, and
found good grounds to make such an as
, sertion, He was even vexed with Ernest,
who declared that he was not prepared to
acknowledge the lady so nearly perfection,
as was his companion. .-fl,
"Fudge, Ernest you arc so cold blood
ed, /" said Edward; "you might, perhaps,
been a Marlborough, but never Ma
poleon."
"You are always telling me what slow
coach I drive" replied Ernest, pleasantly.
j Delightful was the party at Mr.. Osgood's
family mansion. Even Mrs. Osgood seem
ed for while to forget her preserves and
domestic receipts, in listening to the en-
pertaining conversation of Ernest Winslow,
who seemingly preferred to leave Grace to
his cousin Edward, while he entertained
the mother, or held cheerful and we'll
conducted chat with the father. Mr. Os-
goods stable supplied plenty of excellent
horses, and Grace, her father, and the two
cousins, often dashed off for ten miles
ride together. Sometimes Edward and
Grace would leave Mr. Osgood and Ernest
far behind sometimes they would drop
behind themselves, while the others rode
on. lf
We do not wish to have the reader infer
that Ernest never talked with Grace, never
rode by her side, or walked with her. On
the contrary, he frequently did so, though
when this was the case, it seemed as
though it happened by chance; whilo it
was plain enough that Edward was ever
on the qui Uire for an opportunity to ap-
propriate Grace's attention and engage her
with himself. And Grace, she thought
Edward most delightful man--so vivaci-
Gus, so agreeable, SO full of wit, such a
fund of anecdote, such quick perception
of the ridiculous. She was laughing half
the time while he was by her side. But
somehow when Ernest talked with her,
though it was not half so frequently, still
some simple word, some little thought,
perhaps simply the picking of wild
flower, and the sentiment that he applied
to it, would leave an impression after they
parted that made her recall what he had
said.
She found that Ernest would now and
then reply to some enthusiastic sentiment
of her own, in language that shed new
light upon her own theme, and so felici-
tously that she would try to remember the
expression to repeat to her father; and
though she seemed thrice as cheerful with
Edward, yet she never cared to tell her
father what he had said to her. This was
fact that Grace never gave a second
thought to, but Mr.. Osgood marked every
thing ..y.s ...1
Grace thought much more and oftener
Of Edward than she did of Ernest. A
smile would wreathe her beautiful lips,
and her soft blue eyes would sparkle with
merriment at the recollection of the former,
and his thousand and one good stories
and sallies of wit but when she thought
of Ernest, it was in different mood, She
seemed to pause, and, instead of merri-
ment, gentle cast of thoughtfulness over
spread her face, as she repeated to herself
some of those tender and beautiful illus
trations of feeling which came as readily
from Ernest's lips as did repaitee from
, Edwards. But they were charmed days,
those two weeks that General Armstrong;
proteges passed under Mr. Osgood's hos
pitable and attractive roof. Even Mr..
Osgood himself seemed sorry to part
with his young guests, and his wife de-
/ clared most unhesitatingly that they
, should miss them vastly. So a general
and earnest invitation was given for them
to repeat their visit at their earliest con-
venience.
The cadets returned to West Point, and
, to their severe routine of discipline; while
Grace, and her mother and father again
. resupied their quiet domestic life. There
is always a reaction in every extreme, and
as Grace had been SO joyous and lively,
f and so full of spirits for the last two weeks,
s and as the moving cause of all this had
4 now gone from her, she naturally fell back
: to very quiet mood, which, contrasted
f with her late flow of spirits, might be said
G to amount almost to a state of melancholy
She did feel vividly the contrast between
e her present quiet mode of life, and the
lively and eongenial one of few weeks
Z ago. ....
i. "You enjoyed our young friends visit