Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-03-18
FOR AND AGAINST.

When his father called Fred Fonte-
vrault, then boy of fifteen, into his sick
chamber, and made him subscribe To the
whimsical conditions of the will, the fe-
male gend0rmerie, SO well versed in my
affairs, declared that my husband had
vretchedly repented his early marriage,
and resolving his son should walk into
fate with eyes unbandaged, forbade his
alliance before the age of twenty-six.
Though Mr.. Fontevrault was fifty and l
sixteen when I married him, he was not
unhappy. He occupied himself in look
in3 after his money, and making collection
Of mosaics. We never had any matrimo-
NAL disturbances. think they are vulgar.
Any woman can do as she pleases with
out q remonstrant word, provided she has
mind enough. It is the brainless woman
who scold. But scolds do not rule.
Fred YVES unreasonably fond of his ia
ther, and assented to his wishes without
demur, even when the great Fontevrault
estates hung on his fidelity to a less
oath. Then he died, and / settled into
the blank stupidity of my widowhood L:
who had known no master but my own
sweet will, now foul myself In a hundred
ways restricted. l was ruled through
Fred. He must graduate at Harvard !;
the great establishment, splendid but tedi-
Gus, must be maintained. SO our residence
In Boston was necessitated. l shut my
self up in the legitimate manner, and
mOurned of course. If it had not been for
novels, worsted WORK, and my beauty,
should have CAPPED myself out of existence
the first year. What nonsense 1t is to say
the prime of woman's loneliness passes
before the thirties For, LOOK at me, am l
old or faded Would you believe that
Fred, so tall and splendidly developed, was
my son? From me he took his wealth Of
nature, Tor Mr.. Fonteyrault was one OF
those dried, wrinkled old men, woman like
me often marry; not becuse of the settle
ments only, but because of the foil. My
figure was moulded like the Venus they
copied In the colder marble from Pauline.
Sholders and arms, delicious in their
curves, shining with a rosy fairness. A
CREAMY skin, nth fIino alliue tlnge In
the cheeks The forehead is too low,
some say; and yet artists have praisd its
bend, and the Greek line of the nose; not
intellectual, but womanly, you know. Hair
of a bright brown, feeling like aoss silk.
Eyes, l believe, Jew people ever fairly saw.
Men are bewitched by them, woman can
not understand their charm. Perhaps
you have seen Wilson's portrait of me, the
one with the grayish green background /;
you notice that the eyes were turned from
the spectator, and half shaded by white
lid and gilded lash. He could not catch
the fitting spark that made them mine,
and refused to paint them at all. My son
promises to be as perfect In his way as
In mine. just now student, he is toe
Raphael-angel like to suit me; but the
very fellow to bewilder girls and set the
boarding schools crazy. Luckily he is
bound against lnthralment.
By and by the house grew so lonely that
I was fain to sond for Leonora to make
durance less vile. 1t was positively re
freshing to hear her voice sing through
the solemn old hall. Very warm was the
welcome she received from both Fred and
me. He had often said that she was the
only woman he could talk to without sup
pressing yawn. 1t was ungallant of him
but I could sympathize with the senti
ment. told Leonora she must make up
her mind to stay with me, as long as she
remained unmarried.
- Fred, holding her hand, laughIrgly
made her promise never to take husband
without his consent. While / passed on,
he drew her back; the mirror above the
door framed q picture prettier than j
liked to see.
There is but one man 1 will authorize
you to marry said my son.
~ Then it suddenly flashed on my mind
that Fred was of the age of SCOTS heroes,
and would be sure to fall in love with a wo-
man older than himself. The love did not
matter so much, but marriage W. uld be an
absurdlty. l expected to have daughter
san-aw some day or other; but it was new
o. to be Leonora. In hundred WAYS she
had resisted me, and overcome me. | was
- resolutely opposed to her, as if she had
been my enemy. She was connection
Of the family, independent, yet in some
sort alone In the world. If it had been
comforting favor on her, to ask her to
stay with me, be sure l never would have
uttered q persuasive word. But it was ask
ing her to leave gay society, and incense
Of admiration, to bury herself in dull
house. Then she was ORNAMENTAL ]
liked TO see her about ; she was satirical
,aad pleased me by little spicy abuse
they called her handsome. She soas toe
small, think, too slight, perhaps and
then her complexion was almost swarthy
But her hair was fine, her eyes large and
brilliant, and her mouth mobile and sweet
The face was nothing to me; but her com
psnionshlp was enlivening.
The young lady professed herself glad OF
winter of exclusion, and when | saw how
- she set herself at work with books and
Embroidery, l confess was astonished at
her resignation. Then / saw her look at
my son, and perceived she did not find it so
Gerry stupid after all. Slowly she snarled
him In her meshes.
Cine time my husband had friendIess
youth for his secretary, called Denis Chris.
topher. His name attracted me before his
person. Mr.. Fontevrault became so deep
" interested in his character and talents,
thst he used nis extensive influence, and
gave Mr.. Christopher an enviable lift over
the worlds rough places. Fontevrauls
vas like grieYed child when he left u.s.
I was sorry, but concealed it. One of the
young mans agreeable privileges had been
10 attend me in public, thus relieving Mr..