The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-09-12

tered window, tho grass cleared avn,
even from the well, md the yellow elm
lett. Two or three stalwart negroe
were gOssiping oVeria pile of hulESsaw
ed wood near where stood. i hn,
sloppeu STOP Dut n moment, when n shrilI
rasplng voice came ncroBs the creek
making the men jump to their worI
u with a Will. ~ ''-I.'---r-'
moi will make my own wayi
nave crossed my own wuter-coursa fo
hhll a century, and What has come Il
me TO stop me nOw2 i must see WIN
this fellow il starinGYabout,'
i turned and saw a man ON the oppo
site bank, closeto the WATERS educ. fe
Imonstrating with short, thin old wo
man about something. She made us,
OF violent gestures; her tones wer,
ncidulated into the essence of all Inn
| was dogmatic and shrewislI
Don't talk to me ParherI If you
want 70 know how L will cross the ford
herew y y
80 snying, she squntted down on the
ground, and removed her shoes and
stockings in u twinkling,-then,t tuck.
ing them under her arm, made her way
over ths stones with chuclSle as She
touched the shore. laf.ar.T
''Pnrker g foolI Don't tire yOur.
selves, beg, Pike and Jerry! Now,
young Sir, what is your errandR facing
me sharply. +''S
ITO make myself known to friend
of my fnther's.u .gr. No. -.
so, so ! I've heard that story be-
lore. Young people nowadays make
a show of Mrs. c., and ferret her ont
with some story of old times and their
fathers. Your name Is Humphravs ,
Pike told me of you. keep n sIarn
eye on all the country round. / think
did know Humphreys in Colonel
L "a -
the house." 717'
During, this hnrHngue, she had been
composedly putting on her stockings,
ana tastenlng pnir of low shoes with
the old fashioned buckles of brillinnTs
on the lnstep. preceded her into the
en-, rs she directed.
"Ihere's fire there. It's chiIly.D
She Perched herself on high chair.
her toes on the rung, while She sIIh,
Jected me to rigid cross-eSnmination
about my fnther. observed her ns
closely. Asmall, withered old woman.
as II nature had at first begrudged her
the sap and genial juices of life. and
dried them out of her ms speedily ma
might bei only her eyes blnzed, fresh.
Keen, VindictiVe. She sat bolt upFipht
IN her chair, her skinny hands crossed
over her coarse blue dress, the fingers
loaded with rings, many of them few
els OF great value. Her white hair was
drawn back in thick puff under n rln
of cheap lace, and fastened there with
u diamond pin. A great tnrnip-shRDeIl
gold watch was fastened on har iefI
SHOULDER, her hollow chest garlanied
Win lnnssive chains, bunch of steel
Keys ending them, among which those
OF the pantry and cellar were conspic-
uous. ~
She pronounced my verdict at last. g
believe you are not lying. Come
INTO my house. i am glad to see PhiIin
humphreys son. "A shiftless dog. but
good blood, good blood, ,''-leadin9 me
into spacious dining-room, uncaTpet-
cd and dreary, the plaster falling from
the walls, but magnificent buffet fill.
ing up one entire side and laden with
massive plate, among which noticed
several cups, prizes ut Southern rnce-
courses. 4u. -
Her. Her 4 keen eye caught my passing
Yes, yesl 1 had good eve for tho
turf once! Keep clear of it. younty
Humphreysl 1t has gone down into n
money-making jobbery. Gentlemen
cannot keep even their vices intact-in.
smile of satire.
Once within this inner court of hos
pitality, her manner Ind 'eiianged In
sthntly. The change was SO unnatural
as to be almost appalling: itwas like a
corpse putting on u gracious, CAV Iife
again. Evening found me still cliRrm-
ed to my seat, u willing listener. / do
not think even now thnt it was because
1 was an inexperienced, uucritfcnI
youth, thnt wnS so readily pnZZle(l md
interested. / have written this DapeT
mainly for the purpose of skotcbtr,r,
real character, thinking her now, MS I
did then, curious study for the diIpt-
tante q. lt in anomalies of human nature.
women of her time from extrnne0I;S.
circumstances. Once having taken mn
her role as hostess, the rouEhness nnti
vulgarity slid from her as by a magic
touch,-a coarse urmOr with Which she
kept her neighbors Mt bay. She lind
the keen insight, the delicate instinct.
dainty in expression of manner md
speech, of II woman hdGitlteG CIu monde
for many crowded and watchful years
From the time of her first marriage she
spent her winters in Washington. nj
first noted as n beauty and Del ,SI,,.;I
then an object of interest from her et.-
centricities, her cool skill, and long In
miliarity with the private political life
of the capital. Her manner had the
quaint archness, everything intense
pride, of an old French NIaruuise. Ia
whom Bonnparte is "plebihn, /" and the
fruitful, vulgar present worthy only of
belng dismissed with a sllrug of the
shoulders.
l went day after day to SEQ her,-of
course, at her own request: with the
same odd, half-rebulled feeling with
which opened the Indian Mound
only that which was to be unearthed
from this grave was of far more inter
est TO u man of the world, and much
less holy, than the poor savages, cGc6e
with their dead in il. I did NOT broar.I,
the subject of the Steadmans, hoping
TO obtain some clew to n weak point in
her nature which could be touched md
reused to sympathy. never found II.
think she enjoyed my visits. / was
Fresh from the world from which she
had had long been shut out, brought
its breHth with me, was eager nnd an.
preclatlVe. As n reward, she poured
out an eNhaustless store of anecdote
Her times had covered broad field.
and one of glaring contrasts; not an
Indian war back to the Colonial era
with which she was not familiar. shn.
remembered the first proclamation of
the Declaration of Independence: Ind
known Paine, Lafayette, and Lee; sat,
on the side of the court room devoted
TO Burr's adherents during his trial nj
Rtchmond, young and brilliant beau
ty, while her husband filced her on the
other; talked of Benton, CLAW. Web
ster, then political leaders, as CHOSE
young men,-promising but crude, sir.
crudey" afterwards learned the es,
timRtion these men had for her, 80
! u never passed her house,n said Mr..
g, without stopping to. paw NV
respects to her. She had Il powerful in
tellect in her younger days,-power
enough to make men overlook her
coarseness. Many of our, oaucuses
were held in her drawing-rooms; she