Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-08-06
QUAKER LOVE.


Many years ago spent day in the town of
Elm's Cross, and although no adventure be-
fell me there to fix the place of my memory,
see it before me at this moment as distinct
ly as that picture on the wall, had an i'm
preston all that day, however erroneous, that
it was Sunday. There was Sunday silence
in the streets, Sunday gravity in the pass
ers-by, q Sunday order and cleanliness in their
habiliments. The lines of houses were ranged
with the most sober decorum, and the little
lawns which many of them possessed were
lain out with the square and compass. The
trees were not beautiful, but neat, for nature
was not INDUCED in any of her freaks at Elms
Cross and indeed it seemed to me that the
very leaves had peculiarly quiet green, and
the flowers a reserved smell. The majority
of the better class of the inhabitants of this
town were Friends; and it appeared-if my
imagination did not run away with me-that,
through the influence of wealth and numbers,
they had been able to impress the external
characteristics of their society upon the whole
place.
But no; my imagination could not have
run away with me ; for the moment imagin-
alton enters Elm's Cross, it is taken into GUS
tody as vargrant, and kept in durance dur
ing its sojourn. There ono loses the faculty
of day-dreaming and, although | was a
young fellow at the time, half-crazy with
sentiment and love of adventure, even the
fair Quakers, some of whom were beautiful,
in spite of their honnets, had no more effect
upon me than so many marble statues. But
perhaps it will give better idea of the spirit
of the place if say thatthe only one of them
on whom bestowed second look had arriv-
ed at that time of life when the controversy
begins as to whether awoman should be reck-
oned young or an old maid.
This middle-aged person (not to use the
offensive expression offensively) was, like all
Quakers when they are beautiful to excess
Retaining an exquisite complexion, even when
her hair was beginning to change, she seemed
a personifcation of the autumnal loveliness
which makes one forget that of the spring
and summer. Her voice, mellowed by time,
was better calculated to linger in the ear than
the lighter tones of youth and it harmon
lied well with her soft, dove-lile eyes,
That seemed to love whatcor they looked upon.
Yet there was no feeling in this love, such as
we of the world demand in the love Of her
sex /; the richness of her cheek was as cold as
the bloom of flower; and as, with noiseless
step, and demure, nun-like air, she glided
past, felt as if / had seen portrait walk out
of its frame, mastery imitation of woman,
but only an imitation.
} This was why turned and looked at her
} again and as l looked, kind of pity rose
in my inexperienced heart that one so fair
should pass through life unstirred by its ex-
elements, untouched by its raptures, even
untroubled with its sorrows. AS the novelty
wore of, hated the cold formal air of every
thing around the atmosphere chilled me ;
the silence disturbed me and the next morn
ing was glad to launch again upon the stor-
my world, and leave this lonely oasis to its
enchanted repose.
Some time after, when giving the history, of
this day to a friend, who proved tobe person
ally acquainted with the place and people,
; he told me that the lady OH whom l. had look
ed twice had been for many years not only
the reigning beauty of Elm's Cross, but the
benevolent genius of the town and neighbor-
hood and he related a passage in her early
life which made me qualify little my opin-
ion as to the passionless tranquility of her
feelings and the uneventful blank of her
history. Not that the thing can be called an
adventure, that the incident has an intermix-
ture of romance-that would be absurd. 1t
passed over her heart like summer cloud,
which leaves the heavens as bright and ser
enc as before but somehow or other it infus-
ed a suspicion in my mind, that however
staid the demeanor, anddecorous the conduct,
human nature is everywhere alike-that the
difference is not in the feelings, but their con-
troll.
Her father was one of the wealthiest inhab-
itants of the town, and Martha Hargrave was
an only child the expectant heiress of his
fortune, and likewise possessed in her own
right, of f5000, safely invested. In such
circumstances, it may be supposed, that when
she grew up from the child into the girl she
: attracted not little the attention of blushing
stripplings and speculative mammas. these
were, with the exception of one family, of hei
own society-for Mr.. and Mrs. Hargrave weei
:, = Qualsers of the old school, and confined them
:, selves almost exclusively within the circle o
= . Friends. The exception was formed by
" widow lady and her son the former an early
intimate of Mrs. Hargraye, now living on ;
small annuity, from which, by means of clost
economy, she contrived to save little ever,
= year to pay for her boys outfit in the world
: Richard Temple was well calculated to be the
: object of a mothers doting affection; he was
: a fine, spirited, generous, handsome lad, two
or three years older than Martha, of whom
he was the playmate in childhood, the frienC
!, in youth, and something more after that
y How it came that a penniless boy thought a
~ he did of the Quaker heiress, may seem
v mystery; but it must be recollected that til
N conventional distinctions of society make lit
II tie impression upon children brought up to
y gether upon terms of equality. Richard look
g ed upon Martha as his sister, till he began
feel as personal injury the admiring look
s' that were thrown upon her from under tn
60 broad brims of the young Quakers and eve
- when the fact at length forced itself upon hiI
=, that she was rich, and he poor, that she rol
u ed in a carriage, and he walked on foot, tina
40 her parents were among the first people i