The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-02-06
4irhmnnn Dispatrb.
WEDNESDAY MoRNINo..rEn. :, ,sc,
RIGHT OR WRONG?


Young Mr.. Frederick Biount was actually O.
kaged 10 b married TO Lima Hausmann I'll
excitement amongst fts most select circle We
very considerable iadeed-ior my story begin
nearly twenty years age, AID at that tim
Pyneton ala boast select circle. consistin
chiefly Of maiden and widow ladies OF goo
family, ali more or less county people
originally. who, having abundant leisure
Kept a sharr eve upcn their local society, an
protested strongly against any adnifxtnie OF
Ices aTistocraac element, or any CONCESSION !.
the upsetting anu lereiling tendencies ,nes "a
mented 10 observe in the age. ne .l.e. ~,
when Mrs Tracy raising both hands over he'
cup Of tsa, broke ont Good Hearens! .
think OF scion OF Dideote CON ng down Tea ioh
foreign artist" the circle around hef let thi'
~ he n hnrst Of natural Indignation only com
mensurate with tho occasion, and Responded
To n with the utmost sympathy. FOR Fred
DIocnt, with his handsome iace ana courteous
Pvneton for his own sake rs well as for tina
81 hss uncle, Mr.. Barlow, their res pocted pas
tor added TO which he had all tho pfestig,
properly belonging, In their eyes, 10 a BIonni
of D.acote Abbey, and member of one of tn.
oldest OF the Dorsetshire families. Not In
deed, that, strictly speaking, he could hay,
been said 10 have anything 10 do with Didcote
which was n present the property Of retired
ironmonger OF the name of Jobson--old Mr.
Blonnt, Freds father, Ia wing. with his sons
consent, cut off the entail some four or iiy.
years before, and died shortly afterwards
leaving the stately but exceedingly dilauida ted
old abbey, and the deeply mortgsged estate, Ia
Dc sold. When the portions settled upon his
TWO married sisters were paid Off, Fred found
himself possessed of about n hundred and fifty
pounds q year, to such utter ruin had a success.
sion of iInproyident bat exceedingly popular
proprietors brought the fortunes OF the old
family. Nevertheless, in the estimation of
half the town of Pyneton, Fred was still a
Biouut OF Didcote while the worthy Jobson,
whose wealth was propping the abbey walls,
draining the neglected lands, employing u
much increased amount of labor, and doing
more positive good in The neighborhood than
the old family had done for generation or
two. was looked upon ia the l,ht of an mp
start nsurper, whom 1t was the duty of good
society to ignore and discountenance as much
as possible. Meanwhile. Fred Blount had TO
night his way in tho world well he
could. II was bitter change and a hard
struggle at first 10 a young man of fragile
health and brought up in every luxury he
had been. but he had brave spirit of his own
and whenever his uncle, Mr.. Barlow, returned
from a run up 10 town, he would report to in
curing friends that the young barrister was
absorbed In books and study, and ''likely TO
rise, decidedly likely to rise" Perhaps, IL he
had better known tho nature Of those books, he
would have been less sangnine of professional
success but at all events air. Barlow was
rlsnt III reporting his nephew studous, and
apparently reconciled 10 his new mode of life.
Once or twice a year, young Blount was In
the habit of visiting Pyneton, aud renewing
his ACC uain lance Wi tn It's habitants, with
whom he had never been more popular than
when this announcement fell upon them
without any previous preparation whatever.
Gould IL be true? Tho report was traced to
that odioHs Jobson, who it seems, know the
lady well. had several pictures by her hang
ing on his drawing room walls, and spoke of
her with the highest respect. Lady, indeed:
An artist, a foreigner, and a Protege of the
tronmonger. Pyneton society could pretty
well Rness the kind OF person she must be.--
Poor Mr.. Barlow The truth might indeed be
got at through him, but who had courage TO
acoost him on such a subject Mr. Barlow.
good and kind as he was, had fiery nature of
his own. and knew how properly to resent
naessalltdncs. Some sad tradition there was
of his only son---a soapegrace always-ha Wing
Gro owned his other misdeeds by plebean mar
xtaxe or worse, out in India Somewhere Ne
one had hoard his father mention his name. |
and IT had been strongly surlnised that Fred !
Blount would prove his heir. But what
would he do nowf No doubt this artful wo- |
Il not oozsd out, too, that she was older than |
Mr.. Blopnt2 At least this was thought |
highly probable, and who could say what her |
hntaoedents might have been : The popular |
I'm agfnation drew very dark picture indeed |
We turn now 10 the reality.
Lima Hausrnaan was an artists daughter, |
and, at the time we speak OF, herself an artist |
OF some merit. Left an orphan In early girl |
hood, she had inherited little from her Ger |
man father beyond certain graceful singular |
ty Of aspect, an earnest, thoughtful terlpera.
nent, and devoted love OF art. Her English |
mother had tried hard to counteract this last,
his anxious but uncongenial parent was laid |
oy her husbands side in the dism al city GENE.
cry. and the young girl found herself alone !
With few hundred pounds for her sole for
une she resolves neither to eks out her means |
~ giving lessons to young children. rs Mrs
aausmlnn had done during her widowhood. |
lor to seek her English relations-cold and
oTmal ople, who offered the orphan home
indeed, bur had never forgiven her mother's
Icatca--cut at once to devote por-
ion OF her little 81 to obtaining the best in.
'truct.oo ia her fathers fivorite branch Of art,
lower painting aud then 10 throw herself upon
ds profession. Miniature painting it had
'een suggested TO her. would be a more Iucra-
i've pursuit bu. she felt that her real success
would lie in the other direction Hers was a
,asslonite love Tor nature, especially for flow |
~, which were almost her only experience of
nature In perfection; while, on the othor hand |
n Indifference TO, or even a shy shrinking
rom society, had boon fostered by the circum-
tances of her life. Her mother, a refined Eng
Ish woman--although she had stepped out of
Ter own sphere when she followed the for
unes OF the wandering artist, had never felt
erself at home in any other The little Lima
Iad had no childish piaymates, the growing
irl no youthful companions. Since she can
ot associate with her equals. tho mother had
bought TO herself, she is best alone and so |
or fayofito toys had been her fathers old |
PUSHES aud colors, and her chief diversion a |
troll with him. Others might have looked on ;
ais as dreary life The grave, affectionate |
ri herself never remembered 1t as having
Nj.
cen satisfied with the sense of happiness thai |
anne over her when he corrected little and !
raised great deal some Juvenile effort of her /
smell or when, eurled up upon his knee, in I
lie gloom OF win ter evening. he would tell q
er bright tales of skies and flowers palaces Y
Id paintings OF other lands or sad tales of II
8 own gentle German mother, who grew '
alto blind before her early death or, better Il
LII, when, In his fine barytone voice he o
ould troll out for her some of the student IA
ngs OF his native Heidelberg. After she lost y
IN, there came indeed period OF gloom, but
was not long enough TO depress her ener- {
es and when she was left alone, tho very l
rength OF purpose necessary was abundant v
pport, and her art itself abundant excite u
ent; SO tina ting there day by day in that :
n8y room, hos whole soul absorbed in her v
ORR, tho grave, earnest, singDla looking ii
RI mad been perhaps more enviable than =
any OF her more prosperous sisters. AT the !,
ne our story begins, she was five-and- twen- v
, and tho struggling part of her career I
emed over. Her master Ind told her, some II
ne ago. that he could teach her nothing n
rther her pictures already commanded "a q
ady sale and their decided merit began TO $
tort notice from the most oracutar critics of d
Q day. To all this she might have added no "
lall degree of social Succession besides that Il
ople began to remember here and there how n
Ill. born and well-connected the mo Their of the o
Gee ssful young artist had been her own gfaca II
ngure and rich contlalto voice would have o.
,ured her welcome Into many L CAV circle ! 81
It Lima was too shy or 100 proud TO find any ol
loyment there, and steadily declined all in n
Iations; only sometimes, In the summer | 81
9 might be bribed by her love OF wild flow. Il
J, ferns, &c. TO pay A country visit, and II y
10 In the course OF one Of these that she had II
st met Fred Blount. A week spent together sc
a country house in the sweet summer sea IN
D few long walks at the close of pleasant
ys. with nature enjoyed, sunsets watched, -
VS. sung together, and they parted lovers In ~
but words. They met again in London, and
II constantly. They had been engaged for =,
AZ before the fact transpired 10 horrify the -
"n OF Pyneton. How happy Lima had dur p,
- o0rh, ~ - outu nut 10 edsy 10 say. ma
" Intense natnrA fnlIy awakanad for tEa | al,