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

We have known many prcttler girls than
Mary Gresley, and many handsomcr women.
but we never knew girl or woman gifted with
Q face which In suppiication was more suasive,
la grief more sad, in mirth more merry II
was face that compelled sympathy, and IL
did SO with the conviction OH The mind of the
sympathizcr That the girl was altogether un-
course with us there was, alas mitch more OF
sorrow than Of lnrth, and We may truly say,
that In her suferlngs we suffered; but still
her much Of delight mingled with the sorrow;
and that delight arose, partly no doubt from
her .woman's charms, from the bright eye, the
bestechlng mouth, the soft little hand, and
the feminine grace of her unpretendlng gar
mcnts; but chiefly, we think, from the extreme
humanity Of the girl. She had little, indeed
none, OF that which the world calls society,
but yet she was pre-eminently social. Her
troubles were very heavy, but SHE was making
ever an unconscious effort to throw them aside,
and to be jocund In spite of their weight. She
wonld even laugh at them, and ut herself as
bearing them, She was little. fair-haircd
creature, with broad brow and small nose and
dlmplcd chin, with no brightness Of complex
lon, no luxurinnce of hair, no swelling glory OF
bust and shoulders; but with pair OF eyes
which, US they looked az you, would be gem
med always either with Il tear or with some
spark OF laughter, and with q mouth in the
corners OF which was ever lurking some little
spark OF humor, unless when some unspoken
prayer seemed TO be hanging on her lips. OF
WoIRau's vanity she had absolutely none. or
her corporeal self. as having charms 10 riveL
mans love, she thought no more than dog.
II was fault with her that she lacked that
quality OF wonanhood. To be loved was 10
her all the world; unconscious desire for the
admiration OF men WAS ns strong I'm her as
In other women; and her instinct taught
her, as such Instincts do teach al women, That
such love and admiration was TO be the fruit
OF what feminine gilts she possessed; but the
gifts on which She dcpcnded-dcpendinp on
them without thinking on the matter-Wcrc
her s0ftness, her trust, her woman's weakness,
and that power of suppcating by her eye
without putting her petition INTO words which
was absolutely Irresistible. Where is the man of
nifty, who In the course Of His life has not
learned 10 love Some womaI simply because It
mas come In his way to help her, and 10 DC
good TO her In her strugglesI And Ii added TO
that source OF affection there be brightness.
some spark OF h,I,nor, socinl gifls. and d stronr
hsYor OF that which we have venturcd to cali
y numanity, such love may become almost q
passion without the addition of mnol real
beauty, '" ''"'
Mary Grcsley, at the time when VIC first
knew her, was eighteen years old, and was the
daughter OF a medical practitioner, who had
lived aud died In small town In one of the
story we will Gull that town Cornboro' DR..
Gresley, rs he seemed to have been called,
though without proper claim TO the title, had
been diligenL man, and fairly successful, cx-
~ ~ oh,o, .."L iC olCu ucioic Hc ilut uecn
able TO provide for those whom he left behind
him. Tho widow still had her own modest
fortune, amounting to some eighty pounds
year; and that, with the furniture OF her house.
was her whole wealth when she found herself
thus left with the weight of the world upon
her shoulders. There was one other daughter
older than Mary, whom we never saw, but
VINO was always mentioned rs poor Fanny.
There had been no SONS. and the family con-
Sisted oil the mother and two girls. Mary
had been only fifteen when her father
dieu, aud up 10 that tme had been re-
gardcd quite as child by all who had
known her. Mrs. Gresley, In the hour of her
need, dld IA widows do In such cases. She
sought advice from her Clergyman and neigh
Dore, and Was c0unselled to lake u lotlper into
her house. No lodScr could be found 80 fitting
as the curate, and when Mary WAS seventeen
years old, she nnd the curnte were unnarrd to
be married. The curate paid thirty pounds a
year for his lodgings, and on this, with her
own little income, tho widow and her two
daughters Ind managed TO live. The engage-
menI WAS known 10 them all as soon az IL had
6oen KNOWN to Mnry. The lOyc-Inaking, In
decd, had gone OIL beneath tho eyes OF The
mother. There had been not only no deceit,
no privacy, no separate interests, but Us fur
as We ever knew, no question as To prudence
In The making vi tho engagement. The two
young people had been brought together, had
loved each other, ~ was so natural, and had
Dec0mo engaged us Il matter OF course. IL
was an event as easy TO bc fOrctold, or at
icast4ns easy 10 Gn believed, as tho pair
Ing OF two birds. From what. we heard Of
thls curato, the Rev. Arthur Donne--for VIC
never sow him-ws fancy that lle WA q SIM