The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-07-30
SCR6NBLERS.
from the Saturday Review ]

There are people who are never what North
ern housewives call s'straight"-people who
seem 20 have been born In scramble. who i've
in q scramble, and who. when their time comes,
will die IN a scramble, just apie 10 sSraSi tneir
signature to will that ought to have been
made years ago. and that does not embody
their real Infections no :. Emphat1caliy the
Unready, they are never prepared for a"ytnlne,
whether expected or unexpecteds they make ne
nlaps moro stable than good Intentions; ana
they neither calculate nor foresee. EvervtDlrg
with them 1s hurry and confusion, not because
they have more to do than other people, out
because they do it more loosely and less me
thodicallY because they have not learnt the
art Of dovetalllng or the mystery OF
packing. Consequently bali tnelr Pless-
ures snd more than haH their dnues
slip through their fingers fer want Oh. Oh sne sne
passed in trying to pick mp what tneg nave
let drop. and in frantic endeavors. to cemedy
their mistakes. For scranf5le1s are always
.mskng mistakes, and gong through ao
endless round of forgetting. For one tnlng,
tbey never remember her engagemen's, pu'
.sccent i'm the blandest and hankest way INA
sg;na bie two or more invitations Tor the same
5av and hour, and assure you quite seriously
svSsn taupht ~ experience, you push tnem
hard and probe them deep, that tney nave mo
engagement what YER ON hano, ana are ce.
tain not to fail you. In on evil hosr yo1 trast
20 ham When the day comes they suddenly
Like 70 the fact that they had accepted MrS,
SoNand-So's Invitation before yours: and ali
von ret for your empty place and careIul ar
rang ements ruthlessly upset, 10 nurrleo
note of apology. which comes, perhaps,
IN ths middle OF dinner, perhaps som1 tinU .hnU
newt day. Wheu too te to be OF use. lf they
forget their own engagements they also ignore
yours. no matter how distinctly you may nave
fshnIated them; and are sure to1ome rafting
10 your house on the day Shen you said enl-
phal1calIy you were q, gagged and couIo moi seS
Them, II lou keep to your, programme; anu
refuse to admit them more IHeiy !nap not .Ser yUr
affront them. Enaagements being IN tlen @
ewes NOV able ieasts, which 1t does not 10 tne
ieast signify whether they keep on the GATE SET
down or not. thew canuet updt rstdnd YOUR
ncldlty OF purpose; aud were II not tnat as
tribe they are good narured and TOO nuio "
hold even annoyance for any length OF time.
% ron vor1ld in ali pr liability have quarrel fas-
famed on ,ou, because your .crambfng friends
chose to makea calendar for themselves, and
to ins,st on YOUR setting your diary by 1t. Ana
as they ignore your appointed hours, 80 do.
,he, forget your street and number. fhey
aIways stick TO yonr first card, though
you may have moved many times SINCE
1t was printed, .duy appfislmg them aaaa not a.
help you, for they never nate the changes
of thei1 friends addresses, but keep Loyalty 10
the frst. II all comes to the same in the end,
they say, and the postman ls eleVerer IMAM
tney. But they do not often taouble their
friends with letters on their own account, an9
they have specially for not ansaer'ng sucn
ma are written to them, and. When they 90
unsWer them, OF not replying to the questlops
asked or irving the news demanded They 90
no,. even reply to invitations like other people.
bnt leave YOU to iuFer from their silence Ihs
yes or no they are meditatng. When they. IN
their turn invite you. they generally puzze
YOU BY mismatchlng the day OF the week "it9
the date OF the month, leaving you tormented
With doubt which yon are to go by; and they
forget to give you the hour. Besides this;
thew write an illegibe sprawllug hand and
they are famous for the blots they make and
the Queens heads they ONT.
A scrambing wife is no light cross TO man
who values or ,er and regularity as part OF ms
home life. She Eay be, ana propaoiy ls. .ns
best.tempered creature in the world-a peeVlsh
scrambler would be too unendurable-but
fresh face, bright eyes, and 9 merry laugh 10
NOT atone for never ending disorder and dis-
comfort. This kind Of thing does not depend
on income. and ID not to be remsdied by rlches.
The households where my LADY has notnlnR 20
do but let her maid keep her to the hours she
Ier.elf H has appointed are just as uncomforta.
BILE in their way as poCrer establishments, II
INV lady is a scra0bler, and cannot be taught
method and the value OF holding oD by the
tor-Ioek. Sometimes my lady gets herself into
such an inextricatle coil OF promises ana en-
Ragements, all crossing each other, that I'D
despair she takes to her bed and glVes herseI
on, as i'll, and 80 cuts What she cannot unite.
People wonder at her sudden lndispositlon,
looking as she did only yesterday IN
the very bloom OF health; aud the wonder at
her radiant reappearance WITHOUT trace OF
even Ianeuor upon her; they do not know that
her retirement was simply 9 version OF the
famous rope trick, and that, like the Brothers
\ - .nk1 khn Aork g a
herself free OF the cords with which she had
suffered herself to be bound. 1t is short and
essv method certainly. but it has rather too
much Of tho echo OF "wolt" in 1t TO bear ne
ouent repetition. In houses OF lower grade,
where the lady is her own bouseFeeper, the
habit Of scrambling, OF course, leads TO Iar
greater and more manifest confusion. Inc
serv .nts catch from the mistress the trick OF
overstaying time, and punctuaity ~ last comes
to mean an elastic margin, where fixed dutl 8
and their appointed times appear cometls1lly
at irregular intervals. The cook is late with
dinner: the coachman begins to put-to little
after the hour he was ordered to be at the
door: but they know that, however late they
are, the chances are ten to one their mistress
will not be ready Tor them, aad that in her heart
she will be grateful TO them for the ms saeiter t
ing so, they take their tms, and dawdle nc
their pleasure; thus adding to the pressure
which always comes at the end OF the scram-
bler's day, when everything Is throWn INTO
chaotic mass and nothiug comcs out straight
or complete. Did any one ever know scram-
bling woman ready at the moment in her own
house That she should be puncluai to any
appointment out Of her house is Of course. not
to be thought Of; but she makes on awkward
thing OF it sometimes at home. Her guests
are often oil assembled. and the dinner hour
las stru ck, before she has torn Oh one gown
and dragged on another. What she cannot lie
she pins, and her pms are many and demon
strative. She wisps up her hair, not having
left herself time 10 braid 1t; and the conse-
aueuce is that before abe has been halt an hour
in the room ends and tails are sure 10 straw play
fully from their tastenlngs, and come tumbling
about her ears. Her jewels ale mismatched.
her colors ill-assoried, her belt s awfy her bou-
uuet falling to piecee. >he rushes into the draw
ing-room IN her morning slippers smiling aud
good-tempered, with q patchwork look about
her-something forg often in her attire that
makes her whole appearance sbaky and unhn-
ishcd-flsteniug her last button, OF clasping
on her first bracelet. She is full Of regrets
and excuses delivered in her ioyous, buoyant
manner, or in voice so wlpning an accent go
coaxns that you cannot be annoyed. Besides,
YOU leave the annoyance to her husband, who
is sure to have in reserve pickle quite suftl-
cicntly strong tor the Inevitable rod, as the
DOOR scrambler knows too we'll. All you can
do is to accept her apollo les with good
grace and to carry awav with you Yly d re-
collection OF an awkward half hour, o spoIlt
dinner and scrambmg hostess all abroad
on1 ~ tinna awaaninp thrOu0h the room