Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-01-06
SNOrtester Dailp Syn.
LITTLE BRowNFACE IN THE FIRE,
Or How a IgacheIor Was Won.

acqnaintances believed; but why he was SO
was profound my stery. He was rich hand.
some, of unexceptionable family, and entirely
independent Of control Without being a
scholar he was well informed; without having
dabbled in art lie was an ardent and intelligent
admirer of its works and khis address, al
though not strictly polished, was singGarly
fascinating. often wondered that he remain
ed so gentle and unaffected amid the unceas
ing homage which lie had received from his
birth. AS a child, nothing in or out of the
house was too good for MARS. Artur;" and
lis negro nurse hid, lied, and stole for him in
manner which threatened seriously to con.
fuse his notions of right aud wrong. AS boy
at school and a youth at college he wan uni
versal favor, and he had scarcely entered So
ciety when he became an acknowledged idol.
Counties were the superb dresses, the jewels,
and laces which were selected and worn With
reference to his supposed preferences, and
numberless were the books lead upon his
chance recommendation. Many a drawing
and singing master was aided in his toilsome
way by the recollection OF this favorite beau,
and his random word helped more than one
sad eyed foreigner, French and Italian, to fill
his classes with remunerative if not atudiOus
pupils. But could not perceive that Arthur
felt the slightest touch Of the grand passion,
and in time the girls grew tired OF their wor.
ship and looked about for less impracticabe
subjects for their charms.
Rumor was busy with thu cause of such
marvellous Indifference. The spiteful said
that he was schemng Tor money the senti-
mental, that death had cut off the object of his
choice and the mountaineering, | fear, to
sly hints dropped by myself believed that he
had fallen in love with a portrait in the shop of
picture dealer in Florence, and that he was
8 ekiDg the original in sorrowful earnestness
Nothing could well be farther from the
truth than those conjectures, for the simple
fact was that he had never seen the
most lovable side of womaEhood. His
mother died when he was very young, and
his aunt, a wealthy and stylish widow, took
charge OF the household. She iancied herself
a model of fidelity, and she did really live up
TO her own standard, which was not oppres
sively high. She counted the silver every
Saturday, busted daily the rare and delicate
decorations of the drawing. rooms, attended
scrupulously to the fitting of the children's
clothing, and never failed TO be present during
their dancing lessons. When my uncle fell ill
she fdgeted about his room in tasteful morn
ing dress, and when he died she attended him
10 his grave in becoming mourning. Josephine
Langley protited by her precept and example.
She was strikingly beautiful, and she became
elegant and accomplished. After reigning in
society one season she married millionaire,
who would have snecred at the possibility
of loving his own wife, and who married her
simply because she would be an appropriate
finish for his magnificent mansion. There
Arthur saw a cold, glttering seltishness run
ming through word and deed. He saw it in
silly extravaganza and reckless waste. in time
and money withheld from the poor and suffer
ing to be lavished in set-indulgence, i'll petty
quarrels, harsh denominations, and mean com
pliances. The spectacle disguised him, and
when, in the brilliant circle in which lie
moved he found one lovely girl becoming
more pleasing to him Than another, he recalled
some scene witnessed beneath the root of his
brother in-law, and the tenderness faded from
his dream and his air-castes vanished. So
he tried TO content himself with his bachelor
establishment, site of noble rooms in a
great clearinghouse. His cook, Pierre was
fat, dexterous, and thievish and Adolphe, his
body servant, helped Pierre drink his wine,
and wore his shirts and waistcoats. dlslktd
Pene, but AdOlphe was my abominaton;
there was so much selt-conceit under his de.
mule and reverential manner, and such cool
cunning under his pretended eageruess to
seive. Moie than once ! attempted TO pro-
cule his dismissal, but Arthur said that the
rascal amused him that he took him for lis
skill and not his honesty, and that he should
keep him as long as he could maintain undis-
puItd possession OF his hats, boots, aid gloves.
L Affairs stood thus when Mr.. Hamilton, a
dislan; connection OF the family, invited AR.
thur TO spend week with him in the country
at "rhe Grove"-so he had named his estate.
Owing to Il mistake in the date OF the invita-
ton, Arthur arrived sooner than he was eX-
pected, and all the guest chambers were Occu-
pied, so that he was put i'll Jennie Hamiton's,
she having gone out Tor the night. lie was
conscious of a peculiar pleasure the moment
lie entered the apartment, although lie could
not perceive its cause. A cheerful wood fire
blazed upon the wide hearth, sending ruddy
light to the four corners, deepening the hue Of
the crimson curtains, and giving mellow tint
to the light colored paper, the toilette service,
and the drapeTy of the bed. In front was a
lady's Sc wing chair, and near it, on rosewood
stand, was a brown work basket, its bag tied
with scarlet ribbon, the long ends of which
fell over the edge with coquettish grace. The
cover was partially lifted, Tor Jennie had been
called in haste to visit poor old woman in
the neighborhood and had left behind her Two
or three slight marks OF the hurry Of her de-
parture. The desire to examine it was ire
sIstible, andI regret to confess it-Arthur
peeped How dainty and yet how convenient
everything was within The very genius of
comfort sat in the glittering thimble, nestled
in the housewife with its rows of needles, its
scissors OF various sizes, its wax and tapes,
and glanced from the spools smoothly packed
in the inland spool box. A new thought came
into Arthur's mind, and the popularity OF a
true union between usefulness and taste pre-
scented itself to him for the first time. How
wonderful the revelation appeared to him In
the eagcrness of discovery his scTuples van
ished First he drew out neatly mended
stocking. He handled it as il it had been
some rare piece OF jewery, and turned it over
and over again, marking every winding of the
enmeshing and strengthening threads, which
at the moment shOne 10 his eyes with a luster
like that of pearls. Then he kicked off one
of his slippers and perceived that the great
toe was ju-t pushing through the yielding
silk. and that the second was striving to keep
it company. His other slipper followed the
first, but the foot was in no better case, for the
heel was visible through lis gray covering II
must buy new package of hose to morrow"
he said with a half sigh. Turning again to
the basket, he took up a cambria handkerchief
hemmed with machine like precision, but with
out the stiffness that machinery impaIts to its
WORK Arthur placed his own beside it, OBJ
served the edge unevenly turned and coarsely
basted, and INDUCED himself in another gentle
sigh Finally lie lifted vest, the size Of
which showed it to be M. HamiltOn's, and
which had renewed its youth under judcious
process OF binding, new buttoning, and button
holing. A third sigh was audible, and Ar
thur, after carefully replacing the articles,
went to the study table. Upon one end Of it
were quantity Of artists materials, and ~
ing among them was comic pen and ink
sketch of a domestic incident, which told the
story with considerable spirit. Opposite was
a rit vi