The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-01-24

AT this stage, If n ad been boy,
am afraid should have become addict
ed to tnrn-down collars and parting m,
hair in the middle. Being a girl,
had to content myself with no collar
and not parting my hair at all. wa
Genius beyond a doubt, if being ugly
and disagreeable is any sign, (Which O
course it is.) Ait hHE 0a
Well, having attained the age when
il there had been any of the ''half-blowr
rose" about me, it would have develop.
ed itself, was sent to school in "town. ,
No sooner did the girls zee me and be-
come acquainted with my spitefiil ways
than they exclaimed with one accord
"Did you ever see any one so much like
Beulah, Jane Eyre, etc, as Harriet Jane
is?" And in their innocent hearts they
pictured what my future destiny would
be-spending my life, after grew up,
hating satirical man with big feet, a
great deal of money and very little re-
ligion, and abusing him upon all occa-
sions like pickpocket, varying this
amusement by holding jaw-breaking
discussions with him on the subject OF
Egyptian Mythology, in which al
most always ''shut him up !" and final
ly crowning the whole, by walking
some day into my mothers kitchen, as
she is peeling potatoes, and informing
her that l wrote the identical book
about which the newspapers are in a
fever of excitement, and about which
she and Pa and brother Joe and aunt
Sally, the minister, and all the neigh
bors are in ecstaciess whilst the satiri-
cal man with the big feet has been
heard to remark in Hindoo to his black
servant with ring in his nose and q
fervent disposition always to strangle
somebody that ''f he hal only read
that book sooner. All! But now, a.
las sc. !" At length coming to an
understanding with said parsonage
(who turns out to be very sweet-tem-
pered indeed, in spite of his feet) which
leads to matrimony, and to living in a
big house where we spend our time be-
tween praising each others writings
and eating suppers composed of equal
parts of strawberries and cream and
mutual affection, surrounded by the
portraits of his ancestors Il didn't have
any) in room with vines over the win
dows and niglrtingafes singing in the
distance. All, children Perhaps you
know more about life no,o. do.
Endeavoring to accomplish the des-
tiny marked out for me, 1 wrote acros-
tics on everybody's name and Poems
for everybody's Albums. l burnt the
"midnight oil" Chat is to say tallow
andles-PetroteHh was not discovered
then) pouring over books-what little
intellect l had grew sadly confused
over "Ologies'' of different kinds (said
"Ologies" being, to your "Beulahs"
Edna Erles" and "Jane Eyres," as
simple as A. b. G. | tried to lay in a
supply of Augusta Evansism IN the
shape of gods and goddesses-''played
out" old religious theories and classi-
cal incidents aud people with hard
but it would not stick "no how"
l studied!languages, and actually forgot
SO much of them that at this day, l am
unable to make sense of the
French, Spanish, Italian, German,
Greek, Latin, and Hebrew phrases with
which some of the talented Editors of
our Daily papers adorn their columns
SO copiously.
cannot describe the state OF my
mind, (when my education being pro-
nounced completely l sat myself up as
young lady. really think if l had not
gone to work industriousIy trying to
forget everything had studied, should
have landed in Lunatic Asylum.
However, having waited and waited
ror the advent of the sarcastically big
footed, until I was forced to conclude,
either (as "Betsy Prigg," did about
Mrs. Harris'') that "there wasn't no
'ich person. or else that he had, in di-
'ect opposition to all popular novel
,ndings, "taken" and married the 9TH
II girl In the book (the pretty, sweet,
lilly, aristocratic, atiectionate one, with
he auburn curls and the designing
ma, you know and that .Harriet Jane"
or ''Geraldine Sophronia" as always
,alled myself to myself would have to
content herself with a more common
,lace individual-which individual, pre-
enting himself about that time in the
orm of a young.gentleman with love-
y moustache, no knowledge whatever
If Grecian or Egyptian Mythology and
10 ancestors worth speaking Of, and
Who (from some inexplicable cause)
ook fancy to me, Iallowed this fancy |
o culminate in plain gold ring and a
CEREMONY, containing promise fstrict-
y kept) to Glove honor, etc."
At this time, though j. have relin-
pushed some of my youthful dreams,
lave not given up all idea of having
Career" and emission" still con-
persist in keeping my house
IS much out of order as possible-in
lever mending my husbands clothes
IT washing my children's faces, if l can
lelp it. 1 always read novels when
llnner Ought to be ready and aint (; and
never have the things on the table more
han half cooked. By these means, l
10 my best to shed on those around me
ome of the light of the genius which |
lnow l possess, else why don't make
hings nice aud comfortable about me
IS your commonplace, humdrum fe-