The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-12-25


new friend. She allied herself warmly 10 our
daughters, put up with the school-boy pleaSan-
tries of our sons, and before the evening was
over was dressed up as ghost for tho amusc-
mcnt of some neighboring children VINO
were brought in to play snapdraSon. MIS-;
Gresley, as she drank her tea and crrmDled
her Bit of cake, seated on q distant sofa, was
not so happy, partly because she remembered
her old gown, and partly because our VIE was
n stranger to her. Mary had forgotten both
circumstances before the dinner was nall over.
She was the sweetest ghost that ever was seen;
How pleasant would be our IDEAS oi departed
spirits if such ghosts would visit us iIcquent-
ly! e.o
They repeated their visits TO us not unirc-
nucn,iy during the twelve months; but as the
whole interest attaching TO our intercourse
had reference TO circumstances whicn tooh
place in that editorial room of ours, 1t VIII not
be necessary to refer further to the hours very
nlcosant TO ourselves, which she spent with MS
in our domestic life. She was ever made wei
come when she came, and was known Dy us rs
n dear well-bred, modest, clever lltl!c glrl.
The novel went on. That catalogue oil the
skeletons gave us more trouble tnan I'LL tlle
rest. and many were the tears wnlch She Sliea
over it. and sad were the misgivings by whlcn
she was afflicted, though never vanquisned
How was il to be expected that girl OF
eighteen should portray characters such as slle
had never known? In her intercourse Win
the curate all the intellect had been on hcr
side. She had loved him because II was rcqli-
site TO her 10 love some one; ana now, a. sllc
had loved him, she was rs true as steer W hl'u.
But there had been almost nothing iOr Nel ~
loarn from him. The plan of the mover went
ON. and as il did so we became more ana more
dcspondent as @ its success And through IL
all we knew how contrary 1t was 10 our OWN
Indictment TO expect, even to dream vi, any
thinr but failure. Though we went on WoIh-
ING with her. finding it 10 be quite ihpo'ssioic
TO resist her cnireatics, We dld tcii hef lolh
day to day that: even prcsmins sue We Tetn n,,a, r,i
titled TO hope for ultimate success, she must
ro through an apprenticeship OF ten years
Tofnrn size could reach il. Then she would
sit silent. rcpressing her tears. and search
inr for arguments with which 10 support her
'".:l; "Workins hard is apprenticeship" she said
yes. " g Mary; but the work will be
more useful, and the apprenticeship more
wholesome if you will take them lor "ii''l
they are worth" c,o coil
.sIr Won thought so You would not intend 10
marry Mr.. Donne. But, even. were IL certain
that such would be your fate, now can tiiat al-
for tho state of things The world Will know
nothing of that; and If it did, would the WORM
buy your hook ont OF pity
& want no one TO pity me- she said; " put
,rart vnn In helm me- So we went on help
inr her. AT the end OF four m0ntns sne llau
not nut pen to paper on the absolute Dody OF
her projected novel; and yet she hau worheu
daily at it, arranging its future construction
VIII.
During the next month, when we were in the
middle of March. CLEAN OF real success came
n her We had told her frankly that we would
nublish nothing of hers in the perl0uica whlch
we were ourselves conducting Shc had oe-
come too dear TO us for us not to feel That
were we TO do so, we should pe doinS IL
rather for her sake than for that OF our
readers But we did procure for her the pup
lication of two short stories elsewhere. For
thcsn she received twelve glincas and it
seemed to her that she had found an FL Dora
do of literary wealth. | shall never forget her
ecstasy when she knew that her work would
he printed or her renewed triumph when the
first humble check was given inlo ner nahHs.
There are those who will think that such Il
trinmph. as connected with literature. must be
eordii For ourselves. we are ready To ac-
knowledge thai money payment Tor WORK done
is thr hest and most honest test OF success.
we are sure that it Is so felt by young barliS-
tcrs and young doctors, and We do not see
why rejoicing on such realization Of long
chc;rishcd hone should be more vile with the
literary aspirant than with them. "What do
Won think iii do first with it y she said. We
ihouuht she meant to send something to her
jovrr and we told her so. ''l'll buy mamma Il
bonnet TO 70 to church in. didn't tell you
before. but she hasn't been these three sun
doys because she hasn't one tit to be seem" ]
changed The check Tor her, ana sue went OIL
and bought the bonnet.
ThUuml was successful for her in regard TO
the two stories, could not 20 beyond that
We could have filled pages OF periodicals with
her writing had we been willing that she
should work without remuneration. She her
sclt was anxious for such work, thinking that
it would lead to something better. But we op-
posed il. and, indeed, would not permit H. PC
iicyinr that work so done can bc serviceabie
10 none but those who accept II that pages may
be filed without cost.
During the whole winter, while she was thus
WORKING. she was in 4 state of alarm about her
lover. Her hope was ever that when warm
weather came he would again be well and
strong. We know nothing sadder than snch
hone founded on such source. For uocs not
the winter follow the summer anu lntn asI,n
comes the killing spring? AT this time she
uscd 10 read us passages from his letters, In
which he seemed TO speak Of little but his own
health. In her literary ambition nc never
seemed to have taken part since shc hau dc-
claIrd her intention OF writing prolane novels
As REGARDED him, his sole merit TO us seemed
TO be in his truth to her. He told her that Ill
his oninion they two were as much joined to-
rrthrr rs though the service Of the church
hal hound them; but even in saying that he
spoke ever of himself and not OF her. Wen,
Nav came, dangerous, doubtful, dcc"ltiul May
and he was worse. Then. for the ilrst llne,
the dread word, consumption, passed her lips
II had already passed ours. mentally, 4 score
or lines We asked her what she herself
wonld Ike TO do. Would she desire 10 go
down TO Doysrlshirc and see him She Thought
awhile and said that she would wait l!tllc
longer. ~
TRc novel went on, and at length. in June,
She was writing the actual words on which, as
she thought. 50 much depended. She nal
rrall: brought the story into some shape IN
the arrangement Of her chapters; anu some
times even began 10 hope There were mo-
mrnts in which with her hope was al
most certainty Towards the end Ol
Jane Mr.. Dome declared himself 10 be
better. He WAS to have holiday III
August, ana then he Intended 10 run up
to London and see his bctroihcd. He still gave
details, which were distressing ID Us, OF ms
own SYMPTOMS; but it was manifest that nc
himself was not Responding, and she was gov
ernrd in her trust or in her despair altogether
bv him. But when August came the period OIL
his visit was postponed. The heat had made
him weak. and hc was to come in September.
Early in August we ourselves went away lor
our annual rccrcation-n0t That We Shoot
grouse. or that We have any strong OPINION
that August and September are the best months
In the wear for holiday -niaking-bnt that every
hodv docs mo in August. We ourselves are not
snrcially fond of August. In many places 10
which one goes a-louring mosquitoes Dllc III