The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-01-20

lowing, I1cT cuctk grew Dflgnt-
er, her liquid eyes moist, and her gaze more in |
tense and, then, starting from the glass with |
quick turn TO Clara, and, covering her face with |
her hands, she exclaimed
" Clara, whom do / look like?"
" Like no other earthly creature Without
hattery, was just thinking So"
"Ah, yes, / do. hope / do-sometimes
when come the nearest to deserving it."
"Whose looks could you possibly find to like
better than your own?"
"No wonder you ask after seeing me play
Narcissus for so absurd length of time The
looks of better person, who deserves such looks
better than l." @ /
Sister Corona? Let me see, darling? Put
down your hands? What Not another peep?"
The two pair of white hands resisted each !
other softly for an instant; and then Constance,
with one of the gleeful, girlsh freaks in which
she had lately sometimes INDUCED herself, dart
ed away to the other end of the room, threw off
the veil, put on her ridinghat pushed back her
hair under it, so that only the wavy ends
showed around her brow fastened plain, up
right, linen collar around her throat, arranged
folded black scarf and small brooch in q
masculine fashion upon her chest, and came for
ward with a bow.
!" Hermann" cried Clara eyes, you do look
like him If the color of his eyes, or yours,
could be changed, and you were tanned, or he
bleached, you would be -as much like him as
a most maidenlylooking damsel can be to a
most manly looking youth" Constance glanced
timdly again at the glass, again turned blush
ing away, put off her masculine equipments,
came back, sat down on foot-stool at Clara's
feet, took her hand, laid her warm check
upon it on Clara's knee, and hesitatingly and
softly said:
4" You cannot tell never told any one be-
| fore-what comfort the resemblance was to
me in those blank days when | thought that
my waywardness had deprived me Of him for
| ever. | was childish enough to make reward
of it to myself: and when had really tried to
do good in good spirit-when, for instance l
had watched all day beside some desolate sick
woman, soothed her, and sincerely felt and
prayed for her, it seemed to me that an ex
preston of Hermans came into my face, which
made it truly like his and then l would steal
away as soon as could alone, and look at my
self in pail of water, or anything which would
answer the purpose of a mirror, and feel as if
had seen his picture A strange coincidence,
was it not? when he at the same time
busy, without my knowing it, among the sick
and poor? Notifying enough it is, however,
to think of my being so like him outwardly,
while SO unlike within 1t seems kind of
hypocrisy. Positively there is something jar
| ring, discordant. and mockingly out of keeping,
/
1t is like fine clothes on hunchback.''
| Hush, my lovely little sister, Herman
would tell different story. You are not to
speak i'll Of the ladies of our family"
"Nor to be so egotistical any more am i?
| 1t is great temptation to talk too much of
one's-self, to find congenial confdants after
passing twenty-five years by ones-self, in this
unsympathetic world. Let us talk of Herman's
merits, instead of my dement's. You have been
| ii 81 -,t.a
| have not your"
Yes and been delighted, as you will be, to
see how some of them respect and love him.
| dare say that his cordial, genial, gentleman
ly visits, are almost the only CLEANS of sunshine
in their lives. l believe there is often par
ticular appreciation of grace, cultivation, and
refinement, among people who have no grace,
cultivation, nor outward refinement, of their
own. Herman's presence often appears to me
to change the whole expression of a squalid,
bare room, as fine picture might hung on
the wall. Edward and ! have often wished
that he would take more pains to distinguish
himself in what is called society but, after all,
perhaps he does more good and spreads round
him more happiness in houses and families
where qualities like his are altogether unique,
than he could among ladies and gentlemen"
While was Sister," said Constance,
began to suspect it might be misfortune that
tIlere was SO great gun ukeu, III general, De-
tween the families Of the working and the
resting classes. / suspected that neither their
nor our heads, nor hearts, would be the worse
for little more mutual acquaintance. ! can
not see how it is possible for us to love our
neighbor, until we learn to know our neighbor,
not merely as q useful yet perhaps very ugly
and dirty machine, but as a suffering, enjoy
ing, hoping, fearing soul"
Z" Herman thinks so too,'' said Clara. "For
two years past, he has given one evening week
TO studying over again certain matters which he
learned at college with fou young American
mechanics-poor publc-school boys, who were
obliged to leave their desks early TO go to their
trades, and might have betaken themselves to
lower pleasures, but for his sympathy and en-
enlargement in their learning. One of them, the
most intelligent, young printer, when boy Of
sixteen, was i'll and under his care. He always
had his Latin grammar beside him on his bed.
Herman offered to help him, and continued to
do so. after he recovered, at our house; and he
asked leave, very modestly, to have three of his
friends come, too-a bookbinder, carpenter,
and blacksmith. Herman says that, with the
ten or twelve hours a week (besides those which
they spend with him. whiSh they contrive to
give to the valuable English reading which he
keeps them supplied with, they will be better-ed
ucated men, in the course of time, than many
merchants are; and do notsee how, at theirage,
they can enjoy, and try to deserve, as they seem
to do, the friendship of man like him, without
having a very fine standard of manhood fixed
in their minds to act up TO- Fine gentlemen,
of course, it is not desiral e that they should
try to be; but they seem to- be respectable and
selfrespecting men. / have seen them once or
twice on their way to or from his office, with
their hands and faces so clean, and their hair
and plain clothes so neatly brushed, that they
looked as little like Doors as they did like tops.
This sort of intercourse is much better for them,
as well as pleasanter for him, than smoking or
gossipping together would be; and their graft
tude to him gives him an influence over them,
which he uses in enlisting them to help him in
their spare moments and on Sundays in his
benevolent undertakings"
Il What are those 2"
Il "Oh, | could hardly tell YOU a quarter: and
dare say don't know half Taking care of
the sick principally, of course but he keeps an
evening school for a couple of hours, once a
week, tor teaching grown-up Irishmen reading,
writing, and cphering and those classical or
mathematical pupils of his take turns helping
him III it. He often watches the coming in Of
the emigrant ships, believe, and goes down to
the wharves to give the poor frendless foreign
ers welcome on Shore and tell them where to
, 60 and what to do. On Sunday, he sometimes
visits the hospital or prison, and reads and talks
with those who like it. In one way or another.
his time is all filled up"
II Does not he work too hard d? Oh. hope
he will notl''
Il ~ have often been afraid of that but he
certainly appears to thrive on what he does !;
and Dr. Brodie says, Bless your heart, nv
dear, do let him work It's just as much his