The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-07

| she says, though OF course ne mas his little
peculiarities Ct temper, and the rest OF it, and
perhaps every one would not bear with them as
She does But then she knows him, and knows
his wonderful worth and value If they are
not s.en much together, that comes from
causes over which they have no control, not
from anything like disinclination to each
others society,". Certainly; y;;4tf for 50 happy
marriage. 1t ls nteLe surprising;
how all her friends are hers only and not his,
| and how much she goes into society without
him. On the whole, counting hours, they 1.-Two
very much more apart than united but that is
the misfortune of his career, OF his health, or
others a misfortune due 70 any cause but that Of
diversity of tastes and dinharmonlousness Of pur-
suits. Full of home atfectlon and the tender
est sentiment as she is, the charming woman
does sometimes the oddest-looking things,
| which q rough little domestic creature without
era ,eful pretensions would not dream Of do
ing. Her child'is lying dangerously i'll, perhaps
diving, aud she appears at the grand ball OF the
season, subdued certainly-how well that sweet
melan :holy becomes erl-but always grace
fuI % aways @ thoughtful for others, and attentive;
and though indeed, she will tell you. she does
not know how she got dressed at all, she is in
such state of cruel anxiety, yet she is undeni-
ably the best dressed woman in the room, and
the most carefully appointed. 1t is against her
own will that she is there, you may be sure, but
she his been forced to sacrifice herself, and
tear herself away for On hour. The exgencies
of society are so morciless-the world is such
terrible Juggernaut. she says, raising her
ewes with plaintive ea1nestness 10 yours in the
breathing times of the waltz. She has another
trial if her husband is ordered out to Canada
or the West Indies. Dearly az she loves him,
and though she is heartoroken at the idea of
the separation, yet her health cannot stand
the climate, and she must obey her doctors
a.1o,o Che 10 on dalioata IOu know-all
charming women are delicate-and the doctor
tells her she could not live six months either
in Toronto or Port Royal. II he had to go on
diplomatic service to st. Petersburg or Madrid,
she mignt be able to sland the climate then !;
but that is different. A dull station. without
any OF her tavorite pleasures, would be more
than she could bear; 30 she remains behind,
goes out greatly into society, and writes her
husband tender and amusing letters once
month.
The charming woman is the gentlest of her
sex. She would not do q cruel thing nor say
an unklnd word for the world. When she
tells you the unpleasant things which i-natur-
ed people have said Of your friends or hers, she
tells them in the sweetest and dearest way
syllable oftruth in it all; and what shame it
is that people should be 30 ill-naturcd In
the gentle tone of sympathy and deprecation
peculiar to her, g le gives you all the ugly and
uncomfortable reports that have come 10 her,
of which you have never heard breath until
this moment; yet it is you who are stupld, for
she tells them to you as If they were OF patent
notoriety to the VIII ole world: only she docs not
believe them, remember She takes the most
scrupulous clre to deny and defend as she re-
tails, and you cannot class her with the tribe
of the ill-patured whom she censures, setting,
as she does, the whole strength Of her gentle
words and generous disbelief to oppose these
ugly rumors. Yet you wish she had not told
you. Her disclaimers sprlng 80 evidently from
which cannot bear to think evil, that they have
not much effect upon you. The excuse dies
away from your memory, but tic il-sayored
report roots, and you teel that you have lost
your respect for your former friends for ever;
or, if they were only hers, that nothing should
tempt you to know them. There is no smoke
without some fire, you think aud the Charm
ing woman cannot possibly have kindle1 the
flame herself out of stlcks and leaves and rub,
bish OF her own collectingi But how sweet and
charitable she was whenk she told you how
much you love her for her tenderness OF ma
turs what o guileless and delightful creature
she is
rhe charming woman is klnd anu gracerut,
but she does not command the stronger vir-
tues. She hatlers sweety, but, it must be
confessed, she fibs as sweetly. She sometimes
owns TO this. but only to fos that do more good
than harm. -fibs into which she IS forced for the
sake of peace, and to avoid mischief. 1t is
feminine privilege. she says; and men agree
with her. Truth at all times-bold, uncom-
promising, stern-faced TRUTHS coarse and
indelicate, sho says; N tsculine quality as
little fitted for woman as courage or great bodily
strength Her husband knows that she
ibs; her friends at times find her out too;
but though the women throw it at her as an
accusation, the men accept it as quality,
without which she would be less the charming
woman that she il; and not only forgive It, out
like her the better for the grace and tact and
suppleness she displays in the process OF man
ufacture. Hers are not the severer virtues, but
the gentier, the more insinuating; and abso-
lutte truth-truth at any price and on all occa-
sions-does not come into the list. Charming
women, with their plastic manners and nom
aggressive force, always have their own way IN
the end. They are the women who influence
by unseen methods, and who shrink from any
open display of power. They know that their
meter is to soothe men, TO put them on go2d
of the good humor they induce; and they
dread nothing so much as contest OF wills.
They coax and fatter for their rights, and
consequently they are given privileges in ex-
cess of their rights; whereas the women who
take their rights, as things to which they are
entitled without favor, lose them and their
privileges together. This art OF self-abase-
is given only to few to carry. to perfection,
but 10 woman is really charming without il.
In fact it is part of her power; and she
knows it. Though charming women are de-
cidedly the favorites with men. they arc care
full to keep on good terms with their own
sex; and in society you may often see them
almost ostentatously surrounded by women
only, whom they take pains to please, or
exert themselves to amusc, but whom they
throw into the shade in tue most astonlsh-
ing way. Whatever these really charming wo-
men are, or do, or wear. Is exactly tue
right thing; and every other woman fails
in proportion to the distance she ls remoV-
ed fro n this model If charming woman
is dressed richly, the simpler costumes O.
her friends look poor and mean; if she Is
a la berqere, the court dresses about her are
vulgar; If she is gay, quietness is dullness; II
she is quiet laughter is coarse. And there ls
no use IN initiating her. She Is the very Will
o'-the-Wisp of her circle, and no sooner shows
her light here than she fits away there; she
has no sooner set one fashion, which her ad-
mring friends have adopted with infinite pains
and trouble. than she has struck out new
one, which renders all the previous labor ~
vain. This is part of hor very essence; and
the originality which is simply perfection that
crnnot be repeated, and not cccentrlclty that
no one will initiate, comes in as Que Q: tho ILL
est and most potent of her charms. When she
lends her patterns to her friends, or tells them
this or that little secret. she laughs IN hcr
heart. knowing that she has shown them
path that they cannot possibly follow, and
raised ND standard to winch they cannot at
tam. And even should they do either, then
Sue knows that, by tho time they have begun
to get up with her, she will be miles away. and
that no art whatever can approximate them to
her as she IS. What she was she tosscs among
them as a worn-out w garment; and remains still
the unonnroochahIe. the inimitablc, the charm