Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1858-07-29

might be with her brother through his long
and fatal illness and, finding her health i'm
proved by change of air, had occupied his
house ever since, until one of those typhoid fe-
vers that invest such river gorges at certain
seasons Of the year entered the village about
the mills, when, in visiting the sick, she took
the epidemic herself and died Josephine still
retained the house endeared to her by sad and
glad recollections and it was there / found
her. when, after renting the whole of my lit
tie tenement at Slepington, betook myself to
Valley Mills at her request
The cottage where she lived was capacious
enough for her wants, and though plain, even
to an air of supercliousneSS without, was most
! luxurious within,-made to use and live in :;
for Mr.. Brown, her uncle, was an EngliShman
and had never alrVed at that height Of lrlii>-
atlantic ton which consists in shrouding and
darkening all the pleasant rooms in the house,
and skulking through life in the basement and
attic. Sunshine cushions, and flowers were
! Mr. Browns personal tastes and plenty of
these characterized the cottage A green ter
race between hill and river spread ont before
! the door for lawn and garden, and tiny con.
servatorv abutted upon the brink of the ter
race slope, from bay window in the library,
Z
| found 10 more changed than had expect
el this last year of country life had given
strength and elasticity to the tall and slender
| figure steady rose Of health burned on eli
ther cheek and sorrow had subdued and calm
ed her quick spirit
J was at home directly, and a sweeter sum.
mer never glowed and buShed on earth than
that which installed me in the Nook Cottage
~ I Al. II.
and attainable : within, | had continued re-
sources in my usual work and in JOS society !;
for she was one of those persons who never are
unintereSting, never fatiguing a certain silent
charm pervaded her conversation, and a sim
plicty quite original startled you continually
/ in her manner and ways liked to watch her
about the house dainty and fastidiOuS in the
/ extreme about some things, utterly careless
about others, yOu never knew where or when
either trait would show itself. She was scru-
! pulous as to the serving of meals for instance
almost to a fault no carelcsSness no slight
! neglect, was admitted here, aud always on the
SpotIess damask laid with quaint china stood
tarered vase of white Venice glass, Sith one,
or two, or three blossoms, sometimes a cluster
of leaves, the spray of a wild vine, or the tas-
| SellUd branch Of larch tree jewelled with rose
| red cones arranged therein with an artists
| taste and skill but perhaps while she sharply
rebUkcd the maid for dim spot on her cho-
colate pitcher or grain of sugar split on the
salycr, her white Indian shawl lay trailed over
the Divan half upon the floor, and her gloves
! huttcred on the doorstep till the wind carried
them off to find her parasol hanging in the ho-
neysackle boughs.
But, happily, it is no ones duty to make
other people uncomfortable by perpetuaIIy tink
erng at that trait in them which most oifendS
oar nature land | thoughtit it more for my good
| and hers to learn patience myself than uader-
| take to beat her into order the result of which
wqS peace and goodwill that vin(iCacd my
wisdom to myself ; and | found her, faults and
! ALL sufficiently fascinating and lovable.
| 4 year passed away SereneIy and when
! spring came again, Josephine refused to let me
| leave her Our life was quiet enough, but with
! such beautiful nature. aud plenty to do, we
were not lOnely-less 50 because JOS hands
were as open as her heart, and to her. all the
sick and poor looked, not only for help, but for
! the rarer consolation for living sympathy and
! counsel Her shrewd common sense, her prac-
teal capacity, her kindly, cheerful face, her
power of appreciating position Of want and
! perplexty and seeing the best way out of it,
! and above all, her deep, and fervcnt religions
! feeling, made her an invaluable friend to just
| that ass who most need her.
In the course of this spring we gained an
addition to our society, in the person of Mr.
| Warng the son of a gentleman who had bought
the mills at Mrs. BoycS death, but who had
hitherto conducted them by an ovcrSecr. He
| had recently bought a little island in the mid
die of the river, just below the dam, and pro
posed erecting a new mill upon it but as the
| TunXiS (the Indian name of our rver) was La
ble to rapid and destructive frcShetS, the mill
required deep and secure foundation and a
lower story Of stone.
This implied come Skilful engineering, and
Mr. Arthur Warng having studied this sub
icct fully abroad came home from Boston and
took ~, bis abode at Valley Mills village OF
course, we being his only hope of society in the
place he made our acquaintance early. rather
liked him his manner was good, his percep-
tons acute, his tastes refined, and he hada GER
tain strength of will that gave him force TO a
character otherwise commonplace. Josephine
liked him at once she laid his shyncss and
bruguerj, which were only the expressions of a
dominent self.conSciouSnesS, to genuine modes
tv He was depressed and moody, because he
was bored for want of acquaintance, and miss
ed the adulaton and careSSeS that he received
at home as an only child but JOS swift i'm
agination painted this as the trait of relec-
tive and melancholy nature dsgnsted with the
world, and ptied him accordingly ; a mild way
of misantbropc speech that is apt to invest
young men, added to this GelusiOn and with
all the energy Of her sweet, earnest disposition
Josephine undertook his education undertook
to teach him faith and hope and charity, to set
his wayward soul, to renovate his bitter opin-
ions, to make him better and happier man.
il is a well-known fact in the philosophy of
the human mind that it is apt to gain more by
mpartng than receiving and since philosophy
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