The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-10-14

WIG kASou CURTAIN OF ner eQn.bonnet. Ino6e
eyes OF hers, SO demurely cast down upon the
book, oouldst thou zee them, xonld appear very
beautifal blue orbs, speaking and sender, ysl
not imtcssible Of the merry tsinkle of misGhief
Those features Of Aers-ttus, such we're neysa
seen ID q figure of Iphigsnia, nor . sestbe b
Niobss but they pleaas sus, for they have a
beAutysof their own, charming, If mot classic--
beauty that reminds one efos blending be
tween the typic@ girls Of Enelandana Ireland
rich, yet soft; glowing, yet pidnant; mad cap.y
but very tender. Verg pretty indeed is this
girl OF fourteen summers, TO whom Jasper ID
even nov dofing his cap, having junped down
from the fence--to whom Jewel" runs up af
fectionatsly, IS If to On old acquaintance, and,
having received the expected pat upon the
bead, darts away in Wild chase after some
tsptalxinge spzrruv. 4vsry pretty, sndvery love
able. 3A-
Jasper stepped ont into the road to meet her
and said, in tone of school-boy gayety-
How dye do, Ruth q"
To which she responded, in her demurs
way
"Very well, Jasper"
Nov, can very easily picture TO myself tn,
surprise of many of the boys and girls-I beG
pardon / should have said, young ladies ant
young gentlemen-of Ruthis and Jaspsr's age
at this portion of my chronicle. Mr.. Author, ,
Il hear them say,) spray stop here. You mus
surely be laboring under some mistake. instead
of fourteen and sixteen, these children are sever
and eight. Why, do you not know "-(her,
Sixteen strokes his chin, and Fourteen turns {
sly glance at the mirror, to see if her crinolin.
is properly adjusted -" do you not know tina
at these ages the passions are fully developed
the romance of our natures reigns supreme, ant
our glowing thoughts find no vehicle adeq nat,
for their expression, save poetry2r Aye, m,
city lad and lassie, know, and " more's thu
pity" Bot my Ruth and my Jasper are no
hot-house plants they have not been forcet
into sickly prematurity. They are content t
be children, and 10 express themselves in child
ish fashion. They have not the slightest con
ception of passion" /" sentiment" "heart
pangs," and such other spasmodic commoditie
that you have derived at second hand from M
Lord Byron, and foolishly fancy to be your owl
sensations. They are genuine; unsophisti
Gated" you would call them. Besides, m,
children, they have sort Of half.born con
sciousness about them, that makes them wisl
to appear and to talk more like children thai
they really are; for they feel, without KNOWN,
why, that if they begin to talk like grown PEG
pie, they will also soon begin to be shy of eacl
other, and to blush, and to stammer. And, m
dear infants, in spite of the artifcialties an,
apings you 80 pride yourselves upon, you vii
End that there are many moments in your live
when you also will wish to think and speak lik
children. When your chosen one rests loving
y against your breast as you sit on the sofa
tlhs,cA folks having retired, or begnn to no.
near the grate,) or when your young wife, bu
. short month yours, shall sit on your knee afte
tea in your new home, to be nursed, calling her
self in whispers "your baby" and clasping 20,
tenderly about the neck-then it is that you vii
prattle proper childish things" and be yer,
fond Of saying and listening to them, total,
and blssfully unconscious of how preposterous
ly nopsensical it all is. So let my pets tall
as they will, and do not sneer as you listen, fo
such happiness is exceedingly enviable.
Jasper reached out his hand, and laid hole
upon the dinner basket, in which her book
were also bestowed, except tie one she wa
pretending to read, and, while she made
great chow of resistance, tried to take it from
her arm. His Z" l will was more potent tina,
her You sha'n't" apparentIy-at any rate, b,
incontinendy possessed himself of books ant
basket, saying
"Do you think will let you carry thes,
things when I am with you? 2"
Ruth asked: Why not?"
1t seemed that this belonged to that specie
of dry query to which it is not very easy to fine
pertinent response, so Jasper merely remark
ed that he wouldn's do it, at any rate"
Then they walked on in silence little while
when be demanded to see the book that 81
much interested her. She handed it to him
He burst into laughing shout
"Pinnock's Goldsmith's Rome why, Ruth
Miss Mary must have kept you in this evening
for not knowing your History"
"Oh, no she didn't" quoth Ruth, "but yo
don't know, Jasper, what she said to US thi
evening"
"Tell me-"
~ can't do it, indeed, Jasper"
eyes you cam" said this exceedingly posi-
tive young gentleman.
"But, Jasper -
"Nonsense, Ruth, you know you would hav,
never said anything about it, if you hadn't in
tended to tell me-"
Ruth slyly glanced at him, as if amused q
his ssgacity.
/" She said it was not proper for young ladie
to have young gentlemen walk with them t,
school and home again, and she hoped none o
her scholars ever did it, if they did, that the
would never do it again, and then she looke'
90 hard at me that blushed crimson, and yor
don't know how bad felt. / knew exactly
how it would be, Jasper, but you are 50 head
strong. 1t makes no difference to you, sup
pose, as I have to bear all the blame, but
positively do not think it is treating me RICH
In you. You know told you to go back thi
morning, but you're 80 stubborn. I'll go an
other way-I won't speak -
SHOW stop, Ruth, l don't want you to tell
fb. Miss Mary may go to Jericho for me.
will walk With you as much rs choose, unless
you tell me my company's disagreeable- it 2
asked the young tyrant, flashing his dangerous
bright eyes under poor Ruth's bonnet.
"No indeed, Jasper mean-bat - yo
"IIl tell you what 1 know. Miss Mary
is cross old maid of Yankee, and cam