The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-09-09

about others you never knew where or whe,
either trait would show itself next. She wal
scrupulous as 10 the serving of meals, for in
Stance, almost 10 fault; no carelessress, n,
slight neglect, was admitted here, and alwav
Gu The spotless dsmask laid with quaint chins
stood tspered Vase of white Venice glass
with ont, cr two, or three blossoms, sometime,
eluster OF leaves, the spray of wild vine, OF
the tas5elled branch of larch-tree eweleo
with rosered cones. arranged therein with an
artists taste and skill bat perhaps, while she
sh .rply rebuked the maid for a dim spot on her
caocolate-pitcher or grain of sugar split on
the sslver, her white India shawl lay trailed
over The divap half upon the floor, and her
gloves hattered on the door step till the wind
carried them Of, to find her parasol hanging in
The honeysuckle boughs.
But, happily, it is not ones duty to make
o.ter people uncomfortable by perpetuslly
tinkering at that trait in them which most Of
tends cur own nature and thought it more
for my good and hers to learn patience myself,
than undertake to beat her into order the
result of which was peace and good will that
vindica:ed my wisdom TO myself; and found
her, faults and all, sufficiently fascinating and
! cable.
A year passed away serenely; and when
spring came again, Josephine refused to let me
leave her. Oar life was quiet enough, but,
with such beautiful nature, and plenty to do,
we were no: lonely, less 30 because JOS hands
wers AS open as her heart, and to her all the
sick and poor looked, not only for help, but for
the rarer consultations of living sympathy and
counsel. Her shrewd common sense, her prac-
teal capacity, her kindly, cheerful face, her
power of sppreciating position of want and
perplexity, and seeing the best way out of il,
and, above all, her deep and fervent religious
feeling, made her an invaluable friend to Just
that class who most needed her.
In the course Of this spring, we gained an
addition to our society, in the person Of Mr..
Wsring, the son of the gentleman who had
bought the mills at Mrs. Boyle's death, but who
had hitherto conducted them by an overseer. He
had recently bought little island in the mid
die of the river, just below the dam, and pro-
posed erecting new mill upon it; but as the
Turks 1.-THE Indian name of our river) was liza
BILE TO rapid and destructive freshets, the mill
required deep and secure foundation and
lower story of stone.
This implied some skillful engineering, and
Mr.. Arthur Wsripg, having studied this subject
fully abroad, came on from Boston. and took
mp his abode in Valley Mills village. Of course,
we being his only hope of society in the place,
liked him his manner was good, his percep-
tons acute, his tastes refined, and he had q
certain strength of will that gave force to q
character otherwise commonplace. Josephine
liked him at once she laid his shyness and
6rllsquerie, which were only the expression of
q dominant selfconeciousness, to genuine mod
esty. he was depressed and moody, because
he was bored for want of acquaintance, and
missed the adulation and csresses that he re-
ceived at home as an only child but JOS swift
imagination painted this as the trait of q re.
Elective and melancholy nature, Disguised with
the world, and pitied him accordingly; mild
way of misanthropic speech, that is apt to infest
young men, added to this delusion and, with
al the energy of her sweet, earnest disposition,
Josephine undertook his educa,ior-undertook
TO teach him faith and hope and charity, to set
right his maynard soul, to renovate his bitter
opinions, to make him a better and happier
man.
1t is well known fact in the philosophy of
the human mind, that it is apt to gain more by
impsrting than by receiving; and since philos
ophy, where it becomes fact, does not merci-
fully adjust it's results to circumstance, but
PUSHES on in implacable grooves, and clears its
own track of whatever lies thereon by the SUM
mary process of crushing it to dust, it did not
pause now for the pure intentions and tender
heart which, in teaching another love TO men,
taugh; herself love to a man, and learnt far bet.
ter than Ter pupil.
Josephiee-he admired her; he loved nothing
but himself, his quiet, bis pleasure; and while
she ministered to either, he regarded her with
species Of affection that put on the mask of a
OWNER passion, and uses its language. A thou.
sand little things showed the man fully to me,
a cool spectator; but she, who needed most the
discerning eye, regarded this gay bubble as if it
had been Jewel.
Perhaps blame him too severely, for it was
against the very heart OF my heart that he sin.
ned possibly do not allow for the tenn ptation
1t was to a young man, quite alone in a coun.
Try village, without resources, and accustomed
to the hattery end careeses of a devoted mother.
to find himself agreeable in the eyes of noble
and loveable woman. Possibly, in his place. a
better man might have sought her society.
drawn her out of her reserve for his own delec.
tation, confded in her, worked upon her n;tv.
claimed her care, played on her simplicity and
ignorance OF the world, crept Into her heart.
and won its strength Of emotion and its oen.
erous atrction-in short, made love to her.
without saying SO, honestly and openly. Yet
there are some men who would not have done
1T and even Jet, while try to regard Arthur
Waring with Christian charity, i feel that /
cannot trust bim-that do not respect him
that, if l dared despise anything God has made,
my first contempt would light on him.
In the autumn, while all this was going on,
received painful and wretched letter from
Lefty Maiden, begging ne to come to her. I
could lot resist sncb an appeal; and one of
Josephine's little nieces having come To snend
the winter with her, hurried to Slepinuton--
not, l am sure, in the least regretted bv Mr.
Waring, who had begun to look at me with nm.
easy aud sometimes defiant ewes.
found miserable househould hero M
Maiden had In no way reformed. When d;d
marriage ever reform a bad man :? On the con.
trary, be was more dissipsted than ever. and
whenever he came home, the welcome that
waited for him was one little calculated to make
home pleasant; for Letty's quick temper bleze
up in reproach and reviling that drew out worse
recrimination; and even the little, wailinp. fee.
BILE baby, that filled Letty's arms and consoled
her in his absence, was only further cause Of
strife between her and her husband.
Often, as l came down the street, and raw
the pretty outside of the cottage. waving nth
creepers and hedged about with thorns. vbose
gay berries decked it as if for a festival 7
thought of what good old preacher among The
Friends once said TO me:
Sarah, thee will live to find shows are often
seems; thee sees many quiet house. with cav
windowe, that is hell inside
l soon found that 1 must stay all winter q,
Siepington. L had hard task before me-tn
try and teach Lefty that she had no right 70
neglect her own duties because her husband
ignored his. But ak months of continual dron
ping seemed to wear tiny channel of percep.
ton; and my presence, as well as the efforts re
made together to preserve order, if not seren;tv
restored certain dim hope to Letty'y mind
and began to see that the publication ~
fire" was doing its wolk, in slow pain, but to :
sure end. ~
Selfish as it was, cannot say that felt sor