Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-12-22
THE EVENING STAR.
DOW AND CHARITY MOSS
--| Their Engagement.

TheIr kn&eSements
IT VIRGINIA y. TOWNSEND.
CRATER l.. i5r-z. @
well, make the best Of IL; thif life's ME.
,rahie sort of humbug, anyhow ~
Thurston Dow threw down his newspaper
with q yawn he made this laconic and com
his cushioned easy chair, and LOOKED ont cfths
~indow with kind OF haif-satiated, half dis
sauEdsd gaze.
North. south, east. west-to :he utmost point
which his gaze could SWEEP, lay thr TAR ana
gcsdiy lands CT his poes. ssion-green ORCHARDS
&iih rip-ning fruits, which hung thick upea
III" to.sh rs like iarre rob!sts OF cmrrald!pa ~
tUr~s vi Ore rish loan was sutc"eo thtCh
E;:h dark. waving grassee-fSass OF ~deat
aud rye ~ hoee His aiming locks OF silver ana
gold We're shaken to ana ITO I'd tnI s9it rui aaS
r-,-r wind; end all uicse were dimpisd with
fcme,y an pie farm houses, and brown barns
ard these were occnl',ed ey the tenants OF
Ibur.ton Low; for Aaron, his great grand
f.;hsr rad purchased tise hand for five miles
arourd his old grxyssonr English homestead,
r,.r Rockiand, when Massachusetts WAS y
roicpv. and the estate had descended 20 his
\. t,rG:xputrd and Gpdtminished, fer Rot
cn- o! the bows had sold a rod of the land
which had now been Ia their possession fer q
century.
The present owner of the property, with
vi m " ha We chiefly To do, came INTO its pos
s4ssI<r his tw-ai y-second birth day, Just
si.si h. had srad1ssed at college; and he had
held !; fer four wears. The estate had b on
Irf; him bv his uncle Richard, an eccentric old
bachelor IL rad hem supposed that an older
wcrld tf- Tire hrfr OF Richard Dow. The last
mtnIiored nephew had lived with his uncle
from hoyhood, but he had MORALLY offended
him by msTryiBE in opposition to his wishes,
and, consequently, hem cut OF infthe will.
TLuIS.cn Dow had seen his uncle but n few
tT,rs in his life, for thp two brothers Of Rich
ard Dow always felt they had not been fairly
q all with IN the settlement of their fathers
rs'ats and a soldEess had always existed be-
twi1I them.
The rider brother, " no was a shrrwd bust
ness mar. had managed 10 get all the Rockland
property into las own hands, whia some min
ing lands at the west had fsIl'n TO the al ire Of
one of the brothers, and some lands in the
Fast Irdics 20 TiGrSton's father. W no remoy-
&C tbs 70 sooD s!trr his marriage. The property
III the Tropics had never proved very pr1duc-
tive CT available property, and when Thurs
tori life had slipped across its fourteenth
birihday, he -wes sent back TO America to be
educated.
His mother died before his remam brance,
and hr was not twenty lone when his father
sIspt OF the tropical islands, in The still
sh?cows OF the palm ireland being n,ioient
and stUGious, with taste for business. left
his son only few thousands with which 70
commence life.
But year later the young man was sum
pcntd, suddenly, 10 the funeral of his uncle
and ]. armed there, 10 his unspeakable surprise,
that be was appointed sole heir To the Rock
land estates with the solita ~ condition that he
: should pass his summers in the old homestead.
1EurSton Dow's character combined a good
mary strong antithesss-he was studious and
incident, selfish and inpulsively generous,
quickly stirr to passion, but generally good
r=:uTrG, with unusually social gifts and
grarre. Easy. most indulgent TO his dependents
"a fayo. lie with all classes of men and Wo-
men, eisrfeahie, susceptible, easily influence
ed by very wind. and yet with latent force
OF Mil " hicb Trote its strong lines about his
mouth, and flashed sometimes through The
tonss Of bis Eeice, and bore its subtle testimony
In thr very casriage of his hrad.
-As be sat In HE window that summer after
noon, in HE crimson dressing-gow and fiow-
ered slippers, 1hur-don Dow looked very
Hat h-ss ID
land estat-. You would have known, 1T the
first glance, shat the estlletic element was pra.
dominant in him, constitutionally and by cul-
tivatson.
He was neither tall nor short, with supple,
compact limbs, and rapid, graceful move.
msDts. His features Were hold and thin, suit
lng lis inquire, the complexion cOioriess, and
yet q clear hfalthfnl olive, the eyes of a liz hit
hazel, but full OF disturbances of light and
shaoow, and mouth large and sharply cut,
sensitive and susceptible; bnt no indolenaa
snd luxury OF life could erase the lines writ
ten there by character OF innate force and
strength.
TWAS late in the afternoon, and soft mel.
low and thoughtful, the Sunshine lay over the
land; and as the gaze OF Thurston bow dwelt
upon II, his expressions OF indifference and
Dissatisfaction " as disputed by one softer and
gravsr.
At last h6 rose up and walked rapidly across
biz hf rary, ard The deeper and better part Of
his nature stirred itself, and woke mp.
His life, his selfish, aimless, sensuous life
confronted him in its true features.
"Wbat am / living for T. he muttered to
himself "hfre have health. youth, riches,
ecrcation, everything that the heart of man
desir's, and yet. cOnfound it! sometimes feel
AZ though vas an unIucky dog anyhow.
The test part of me is getting brewster
every Gay, and I've no purpose in life to stir
me up TO action, or to make me anything but
the luxurious, idle cog that am!
Tine Cay, here, goes over my head just like
riding, hunting, eating and sIerping-a most
delicious sort OF life for human animal, if the
soul had oply been left out Oft.
"1Een, Ns only varied in the city with lit.
lie rharps spice Of pleas ure dissipation is the
bstt'-r word; races and clubs, parties, theatprs,
operas-thats, condensed history Of your
Inc, Mr.. Thurston Dow,
cit viii be PLEASANT TO look back unon when
you are an old man. But what can fellow
dot m'sn one that's afflicted with chronic
lsnness, and has the interest Of a couple of
hundred thousand dollars 10 spend annpallv
sometimes think this is a curse 10 mo- and
mat should be bettsS or II had my own
On the round earth.
But II mans born with a silver spoon in
his mouth, he must take his fate resignedlv;
In hand, why have no eaira =. walk ak hand
er by intimate acquaintance with he latter
7"Sril, want 10 be more of man tnan am
mot 70 sQuander away my youth after this
fhshlon. 1 want TO have some work and aim
should really like 10 do some greater gvod
man putting my name TO n score of subscrip-
ton lists for missionaries and meeting houses
and ragged children and reform societies. Look
IL straight i'm the face, it's fearfulIy hollow
0nsausfactory sor. Of life you're leading, INV
niend! believe I'd better get hurried
Thstli at least give me an object TO live for"
AND thrn walking up and down the room,
Whle the light of the summer day faded un-
Needed akopt him, Thurston Dow thou -ht of
All The women of his scquintance-beautiful,
high-eorn, graceful, fascinating, they passed
before him; but the noblest instincts OF the
man turned away from them ak and at last
falr, pale face, its oval outlire broken by
ehsdoJy bands OF hair, half brown and half
gold, stood before him; the face shone-not so
much with its smiles, as by some Ii ght beyond,
mat seemed TO sufluse and fiji it, and thoH zh
IN crowd 10 might not have attracted Won.
still, II was one of those ftees that al ways sur
prise and stimulate you the more you study it,
AND tbis stili, sweet face, Coming after that
vision OF brilliant and beautiful women, WAS
the only one which touched the hsart of
Thcrston Dow.
H. had seen IL but n few times; still, he was
Al acute analyzrr OF character, and the voice,
the words, the movements, had corroborated
The face.