The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1859-02-09


draw US, unconsciously, into habits of abstrac
ton"
"Can you look in my eyes and declare you
were dreaming of case at lawF'
"Let me try. Pllsuppose you widow with
eight small children, and an estate to be admin
istered The dear departed never deluded
YOU give it up!-I was dreaming of love-"
Love? A judge of Probate-married these
fifteen years?''
yet not so antiquated-not untitled yet for
lifes delight, my cousin! Lizzie, 60 ask your
mother if my valise will be ready within an
hour. She may need your assistance"
AS his daughter left the apartment judge
Wilson looked at her thoughtfuly.
Lizzie is growing up fine grl-she viii
be beautiful Notwithstanding her mother-''
"Oh, Harry! Susan is such dear, bright,
genial, self forgetful soul"
Go on forever adding epithet 10 epithet, and
you cannot oyerpraise her; yet my wife is not
handsome-never was; that pose"
makes the heaviest shadow in your lot, l
do believe. viii you never outgrow your boy
ish devotion to beauty?"
1--WE do not outgrow our tastes, cousin; we
only learn to distinguish between genera and
SptClGSB olld esllu LillS
back to my dream. Did ever tell you how
chanced to marry Susan Gladstone?"
No, | supposed in my simplicity you mar
ried her because she was willing to accept you. F"
'.Touchy as ever on the woman question
Let me relate, then how one of the celestial
half of humankind was led TO smile on me-"
ssThat is more modest"
.In my youth l was in love with every pretty
face. high and low, white and brown-every
phase OF prettiness attracted me-you smile
you remember it. There were few young men
in our town of Milford"
Few so attractive as Harry Wilson: that is,
so handsome, obliging. agreeable, so idle,
careless, altogether suited for a ladies' man. y
Good, qualify There were but one or
two Of my SET and it is no boast to say that |
exceled them; SO ! was like bee in pot of
honey, smothered with sweets. and at last
sated | was but briefless barrister all this
while, poor as well as tickle, and the thought
of marriage. had it once entered my head,
would have been dismissed as insane. So, at
least | said to myself now and then; you know
thoughts enter our heads sometimes, and our
hearts, whose presence we do not acknowledge;
they should be dismissed, must be, when fairly
detected; but oh, they are precious!"
Zone day. your brother George-lt was
about the time of his ordination and marriage
undertook to exercise his skill in sermonizing
on my lucklcss self. His firstly, was my idle,
aimless life, you may be sure; his secondly, my
opportunities, capacities, all that-his words
have proved prophetic, more than anticipated;
/ his thirdly, was the influence Of women fourth,
the peace and bliss OF married life; fifth the
10y of home and SO on ,toninth and nineteenthly
i IIiaughed contradicted, argued, and beeyed
/ had felt it all before, but not so deeply. now
went home to mediate.
"How different things are as our moods
change New and marvellous meanings attach
/ themselves to familiar objects; we discern {
meaning where once there was only form.
was in Boston with the bridal party, and il
/ leaving Georges Iotel that evening, looked W
at the houses all alike, all blocked together
and for the first time thought of them as homes
/ Did YOU ever allow that fancy to run wild il
some strange city. or street? Bright romance'
/ and mournfuI tragedies | wove, and the trage
dies all proceeded from aimless, minated exis
tence.
s.To marry either of the Milford girls wa:
not possible, | liked them all too well, shoulc
be thinking sometimes that the wrong one ac
cepted me- L would make choice from
among my city friends; there was little Eudors
/ Stanmore, pet of mine in her school days
as lovely and unworthy as a vision. Stanmore
Stanmore. l darted into an apothecary S, ,seizec
a directory: Leonard Stanmore, house in Mt
Vernon street." that was strange Eudora's
i father had not been wealthy; "he was now,
! the clerk said, "had made large fortune il
| leather, lived in fine style" | did not care
the sweet girl was not spoab!e. found the
mansion. Miss Eudora," the servant said
"was out; no, iIl-indisposed. did not like
his tone, be was lying, | thought but wen
back to my lonely room.
Il called again." WAS It Mr.. Wilson? Yes
she was in. could walk to the parlor.' There
/ is such difference in houses. As DR.. P
observed, the other day, there are some, into
which. if you lift the roof off YOU cannot force
/ the light. and air. and sunshine; if you cfowo
them with people, you cannot make any two
feel near each other; if you make them resound
with voices and cIang of instruments, you can,
not have mirth or music. Other houses there
/ are. very bare of luxuries, the inmates lead
yery laborious lives, with cares and losses, and
/ sorrows falling thick upon them; yet they are
| free and content, glad and thankful; the sun
shine that pierces their little window fall;
straight into loving, rejoicing heart; the song
of bird, or ripple of brook, their grateful spir
its seize, and echo, and magnify, I'LL their lives
are filed, and overflow with harmonies. Now
| the home of Eudora Stanmore was magnificent
! but it wanted the home charm. There seemed
mildew in the air, the mirrors did not look a:
if they had ever reflected happy faces, all was
cold and calm as cathedral. But it was il
the state parlor l waited, and the chilly No
vember weather might have added to this
gloom. She appeared, the school girl, growr
a woman, city belle, yet fascinating as eyer
/ far lovelier. | did not like the elaboratenes'
of her dress, the thin, founced, furbeloyec
fabric, evidently just assumed, and in whicl
/ she shivered as she entered the room. She was
clad to see me-" she said; wasn't glad tC
see her SO improved?" her eyes said, and there
was something fascinating in the question She
conversed with fuency and appropriateness:
of which [ had not supposed her capable, o
old times and new, of country and city life, o
city pleasures, theatre, opera, parties, walks
rides, drives and when turned to city duties
met me there again, with topics of philanthrop.
tastes, science, art: even passing questions Q
II IL. =