St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-08-25

girl, and clever enough if they don
spoil her-the flower of the family"
" And | suppsse am an ugly weed
Esther had said, years before 70,
when still a child, she had overhcar
the same saying from visitor VIII
c"ntrastcd the gleesomc, beautiful
Belle with her herself in her hearing
and then had stolen away to the sol
tndc of her own chamber. Yes.
suppose | am an ugly weed" said Es
thcr, standing before her mirror an,
viewing her own thin, mcagrc, saIIov
lace " look at yourself, Esther Tru
man ut your great, staring, blacl
eyes, and pinchcd cheeks, pale az
ashes while Belle has got beautiful
red roses on her checks, and eyes -
blue as the sky, and white neck, s,
beautiful that mamma always put.
low-ncckcd frOcks on her and every
body knows you're homcly, Esthc
Truman, and Squire Stanbury think:
so ; and Ellis Loring won't read an,
more Latin fables for you wheI
blanche gets old enough to listen, fo
J know he loves handsome people, anl
he LOOKS at plain Esther sometimes AZ
If he pitied her. Yes, you know it
Esther, how ercryboiy pitics you
wonder your face don't ache, you're s,
homely and you will grow up ugl,
and cross, and be an old maid, ant
you won't know how to dance, or sing
and mamma'll send you away whcl
visitors come, and you'll be the beast
while Belle will be beauty" and
you'll have to live here all your days
and be the beic nare of this house +
and then the little Esther laughed mer
rily.
Mayhap you think it strange, read
cr, that little Esther should wax mer
ry at the terminus of her apostrophe
to her reflection in the mirror. a re-
Election which certainly lacked the
flush of crimson, and the brilian,
light that dances into the cheek and
eye, as she turned away, and made
her almost handsome child then
but when you and | think over the
matter as much as little Esther had, it
is quite likely we may arrive at her
evident conclusion, and say that the
girl did the best thing under the cir,
cumstances.
Esther was plain, undcniably "home
ly." Standing there, looking into the
mirror, she could not deny it =; and
having discovered this fact at very
early age, while so many go on through
the various gradations Of childhood
girlhood and womanhood, sclfdcceiv.
ing themselves, what were the use OF
making herself miserable about it
| do not know, and perhaps Esther
thought the same for children some
times possess almost propheticalIy, or
intultlvcly, if you will, the instincts
"f ripper age. do not know that
all the frcttimg in the world will fill
out lean figure to the required stand
ard OF the Venus Of Milo, nor will il
change lowncSs Of stature to Jueenly
grace, or black eyes to blue, or nc,
rersd, as the case may require so lit.
tie Esther surveyed herself in the
mirror, and called herself an "ugly
weed" and " scarccrow," and "bete
Ho're," Chat latter term came of her
French readings with Ellis Loring, J
and then wisely concluded, with the
gravity OF maturcr age, to trouble
her little head no more about the mat
ter, but, III the solitude of her cham
Der, to turn TO her books again.
i can stay here and study I'm
glad Fred, and Minnie, and Carrie
don't come romping in here to disturb
and plague me and while Belle goes
to dancing schoo! and learns waltzcs,
OF practices her lessons with H0Racur
lerdi, and MIR. Stanbury plays chess
with papa and Ellis Loring thinks
he's growing too tall and fine u gen
tlcman, now he's going to study law
to learn me any more Latin on French
lessons | can stay here in my own
little room, and do as please by my
self, with nobody to look at me, or
pity me for my homely face Itmust
be nice, though, to go out to ride and
have good times, like Belle docs-and
have somebody to praise or say some
thing pleasant to me once in awhile
and to have somebody to lore me :"
and then little Esther's thin lips quiv-
cred, and her strange brown eyes
grew humid. a. wonder why papa
never takes me on his knee, and parts
ny h&:r and kisses me, the way he
does Belle but then. | suppose, it's
because I'm a cross thing, and going
to be an old maid, and will grow up
an ugly weed, while everybody says
Belle is the flower of the family