The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-06-09
A wOMAN.s /" NO."

-.E 4 WOMAN'S mo-"
"I never hear q lady protest against
matrimony, as you are now doing" said
Mrs. yilliers, "that memory does not trayel
back to the Misses Sharpe.'
"What about the Misses Sharpe?' asked
her niece. 81 hope they did not enter the
holy state of matrimony nfser saying no
positively % ....
ga woman's no means sometimes yes,
Lucy" B..
"Not in my vocabulary, aunt; but pray,
give US the veritabls history Of the Misses
Sharpe"
"Well, let me make myself comfortable
arss, Give me that cushion for my feet,
throw my shawl little closer around me,
and pu. another log upon the FIRE; there
that will do. Now for the veritable history
of the Misses Sharpe. r.- ....-
"When first became acquainted with
the Misses Sharpe they were not young /;
Lucinda-or, as her sister called her Luz
sindy-was not fat and fair, though che
Was forty. Providencc-called by her sis
ter Provy-was several years her senior.
Lucindy was certainly not US lovely rs q po-
cts dream. She was small and thin and took
no pains to appear aught else. Her pride was
to appear natural. Her hair, black and
wiry, was her own. She never powdered
nor painted; never squeezed orange juice
into her eyes, like the Spanish women, to
mako them bright; never wasted henna,
like the Turkish women; had not even as
much a. heard Of the Paris masks for the
complexion-yestris's paste or tale. She
was q true child of Nature, without sham
or pretence. She wore her bonnets very
close and her dresses very short; she wore
no feathers-it was Gin; Lucinda Sharpe
was one Of those people who see sin in eve
rything they look at; who cry out sin at
every sight and sound that gladdens this
beautiful earth, and Ellis the heart with
silent ecstacy. She had even been heard to
reprove the young pastor for laughing too
loud. Hush, my dear, she vould say, in
an awful tone, 'don't laugh too loud; it 10
. sim" When in her presence, you felt ~
il you were the greatest sinner in all crea-
ton; that you had twice Is much original
Sin and twice as much acquired as any one
else. 'My deas,' she would say, in freezing
sones, Il saw You during prayers looking up
several times from your book st Mr. Har-
vey. Nov, Mr.. Harvey is very handsome
Young clergyman; but the young ladies Of
the church commit great sin when they
look at him during prayers. never look
up from my book, ! never see any one in
church.
Snow, your eyes may have wandered to
Mr.. Harvey's face during the prayer, not
because you were anxious to look at him,
but because perhaps you were listless. or
you could not give up your whole soul to
devotion 40 you should have done. You
may have been mourning over this deadues,
down in the depths Of yeur highbscted
pew, shut out from mortal eye. You may
have been bswsiliug your celdoess and
striving to recall your wondering thoughts,
when, struck BY the fsTyor Of the ministers
tones, you raised yeur eyes and looked at
him, praying silently in your heart that you
might have the power ~ well as the wish to
rive yourself wholly up to the spirit Of
p,srer ~ did Rev. Mr. Harvey. 80.
Jft vas q Elm With this ssinless child ii
earth 70 oct and think eostsary to her idsas
u right and wrong. II was sin 70 read
any ether books than the Bible, Prayer
Book and the Whole Dssy OF Man. She
vas q great churchwoman, whose creed Vas
no salvation out Of the church catholic,
which 10 Protestant Episcopal. She had
never been to meeting honss in her life,
bat had alvsys set under the prsachings
Of those who could prove their dsscent fssn
The Apostles. Sidney Smith himself vss
oct more ipsoiersns Of Dissenssrs than vss
Mics Lucinda Sharpe.
I" ProvIdepee sharpe sschewed being
altogether child Of nature. She consented
to yea. . very brown hrAid, ssegestive Of
pc.pssuai yostk, and adorned her person
rather more layishly than her sister. She
vas rather usilder 10 her node Of spesch
than Lucinda, but Ike her. equal'y desrised
the lerds Of creation. ] well remember
the evening that t}rsee, the servant girl,
had an adniref. was taking social cop
OF tea vish the Misses Shasps, st their snue
little mausion at the corner OF the street.
We we're gathered ssnd IL lisa table; the
hospisah!s board vas we'll spread; mulkus
and tea smoked before ns !; The preseryes
vsvs Of their own nakise; he besl Of their
own dryiue. A Gre burnt n genial glow 10
the vel polished crate, before which lay
twenty uell-conditioned sabbiss, enjoying
eharuing sists.
..Now sAis = ~has I can comfort, Miss
Providence,' l said, - looked srsund asd
about 81 tie charn,ue prsspect.
~sYss, NJ deAs,' che sasvsesd, blandiy,
saaa the greatest comfort ef oil %, thefs -
% nas Isrs 10 nas sss ssjsyasss-'
"MsA. exclaimed LscsndA, rsssing up
~ plata 81 asalss ssddesls, and paitink
them tsva sgain. They are
stsvreteAss " pat IN Niss Prosidssee.
aswreteAsS Rresy, 1sa's nipcs ysul
lsneuaes; sks1 On dsnsss-essh 6ssdsp
eco, pos all I isserrspssd, fesiisg %
Esilsss sAsss ~ hsssasn. aad fasAes ssa
ssysk m. ~ ssr, ysS 1es's tssv
60 Isvs : eess0 = 4s6asA ssnsg1nise