The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1868-10-28
VIRGINIA, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER %, 1868

WAS the original ofqthe portrait Z. !,
"No,"" he answered. ss'He was often ask,
| that question by guests, and wished he konw'
SO as. he could satisfy EN-; but his idea wa
it was fancy pictur, which he'd never SEE
( h'any living lady SO 'andsome."
i Where did the picture come from? 2
whom did it belong? How long had it bes
here? | was getting. feyerishly anxious u
on the subject, but the waiter could no furtl
er enlighten me. At length I asked if !
knew any one of the name of Hopkins
! "sIpkins : Let's seep' he responde,
medtatiyely. ssWe 'ad 'Ipkins ere thre
year agone-a hold lady h al was some XII
| to the missus; but she and hers both dea
and gone, and this think h as 'ow the old lad
come from 'Allowell, fifteen mile down tn
country road, which she alters come by til
/ 'Allowell stage1coach." .fza
Next day saw me on the roof Of the Ha
lowell coach, attirea in halfsporting costume
and with a supply Of fishing gear, by way 9
explanation Of my sudden departure. 1 hat
cometo this part Of the country for the purpos
Of passing some Of my college vacation in rura
sport and recreation, and had plenty of tint
! on hand. 5s
u found Hallowell small village, YER
like Thorpe Olney; and my first inquiry fol
a person Of the name of Hopkins was an
swered by reference to smart-ookins
middle aged woman, the wife of the village
postmaster. She had been Miss Hopkins
The woman was chatty and pleasant which
relieved me Of my first. embarrassment in ap.
preaching my subject. I told her simply
that had seen a picture at the inn at Thorpe
Olney,, which I should lketo purchase and
that the name Of &c. Hipkins, = on the back
had appeared to give me a clue to the owner
Did she know anything Of the picture in
Certainly, she said she had heard Of the
picture. It had belonged to her mother,
Mrs. Clarissa Hipkins, which was housekeep
er in the family Of Sir Peter Westovelt, of
Park hurst. When her mother left Park
hurst, which was on account Of old age and
infirmities, she had brought away some things
which she had accumulated in the fam
lily, and amongst them was this picture, which
had been left by accident at the innin Thispe-
Olney, the former laudlady of which had
been her mothers sister. She,r Mrs Bal
lard, had quite forgotten it, until now re-
minded. sd, .a.34 f1a
4saIW hose was, the portrait ?'l I asked, my
heart futtcring little at this prospect Of
speedy, answer to the oft-made, Inquiry ..s.
She knew all about the lady whose portrait
it was; for many was the time she'd heard
her poor mother tell of her. Il was the por-
trait of Miss Claudia Heron, Sir Peters
niece, which the family could not abide the
name Of; or the sight Of her. picture. since
the. time when she was to have married old
Lord Leadworth, and, instead, ran away with
Sir Peters huntesman. s..ts.-o....e,
His huntsman p
s.None the less, sir, as nv mother used to
tell, and which it were scandal to the fam "
aud the whole country. They hush'd it up
as we'll as they could, and got the young
couple away to Amerikey, and after that
they never owned nor mentioned her again.
And yet, Jasper Hunt was a fine handsome
lad, which Vas used to teach her to ride, by
Sir Peters own order, and it was the rides in
the park, and his fine fgger and good looks,
and his splendid riding, and his saving her
life tonct, when her horse ran away, as touch
ed Miss Claudia heart. And the old lord,
he was but a little weazened, Ratchet faced
old man, which the young girl cou!dn abide,
and small blame to her for it. A man S a
man, in my opinion, whether he be a king or
a begggar; and doubt my young lady got
the best of the bargain, for, from all accounts,
she was high one, willful, and hot-tempered
too one o them that'll always have their
own way
This account, so far from lcssening my in
terest in my ideal, only Increased it. A proud,
independent high spirited girl. could easily
believe her to have been; and it was char
acter which I liked. / felt myself more than
ever in love with the beautiful young crea-
ture whose knocking, inviting eyes shons down
FROM the dingy walls of my chamber at
Thorpe Olney, and who had stopped to an al
lance so far beneath her, perhaps for love,
perhaps from obstinacy, perhaps to escape,
more hateful marriage. Who could tell
Mrs. Ballard could not sell me the picture
Although it had belonged to her mother yet
it had remained for ten years at the inn in
Thorpe Olney, and she supposed the present
landlord would claim it, as having been in
cluded with the furniture transferred to him
WILL tlic uOusC, lIOEl Uue ldCc heirs. 30 DaCk
to the Green Lion | went, after three days
absence, determined to make proposals for
its purchase.
"Y gu was h'inquiring about that ere pic.
tur, sir" said the waiter; as he brushed my
dusty travelling sack, There's been gentle
men ere as says he knows who she is--a
gentleman from Ameriky"
p Indeed J" said |, arousing into immediate
interest !. s,a,9
eyes, indeed, sir, and a rum one she
must be. The gentleman SLEPT in this room
the night after you left, ard went on with
the Westham coach next morning; And he
who she was, and said he'd seen
her or her ghost over in New York 10 Ia
merikey. Her name, was Hunt She was
brought upin court A'on charge of saulting-
'er 'usbaud, a fine, respectable-looking res
and she plead that hid hin
suited her, and she put h on airs, and said
she'd not submit to h'insult from one like IN
They let her go, sir, and a year halter she
was up again for stabbing man as, she'd.
run'd away with from 'er usband-a drunk
en- brutal wretch; as had shamefully III
treated 'er.. And this time she was seat to
prison. 'ya qass..,aa + 80 49,
3 st cannot be the same said /, indignant
and horror-stricken, as looked up at the,
lovely, laughing countenance and the. queen