The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-08-13
BEHIND ASOFA.
r,,ILTfN E"r

tne tallest furniture There I have odd
little fancies all to myself, and wish things
and dream things which nobody knows
anything about. For am different from
all the rest; my parents are tall and hand.
some, and Louise is the prettiest girl /
ever saw. Then my brother Harry. who
was Killed IN the Indian mutiny, was like
a prince in fairy story, 80 brave and
beautiful But II l am small and feeble.
cannot run or wrestle, and there is some
thing growing on my shoulders which
Keeps me from standing straight, and they
call me deformed. l shall never grow any
more; strangers think me nine or ten
years old, but when 1 count the years
from the date in the family Bible, l find /
am sixteen People always speak kindly
to me, with great pity in their eyes, and
once in a while l pity myself but not
often. l like to be this queer little figure.
Louise is like the lovely ladies in legends
and ballads, and / am like the imps and
dwarfs; when | read about them l look at
myself in the mirror, and make grimaces,
and whirl over on one hand and then on
the other, till Louise looks distressed and
begs me to stop. Being what 1 am, Of
course L don't often 60 anywhere, except
in summer when we leave town; and no
body makes me dc anything; SO l roam
all over the house, ana read, and lie with
my eyes shut for day dreams, and am mer-
~ and happy almost all the time Iwish
l were only six inches high, what fun l
would have in the world Then when we
are in the country, 1 could ride on the
birds backs and down in the woods 1
could sit astride of the great lush toad
stools, and drink from acorn -cups,-or by
the sea-shore, 1 fancy could launch a
nautilus and sail away like any grim little
sprite. However, to be four feet high has
its advantages.
When Harry was wounded, and lay in
the hospital, knowing he must die, he
wrote long letter to my father and
mother, full of grief, and comfort, too; and
then he told them thing which surprised
them greatly. How he was engaged to
marry girl in town in which they had
been quartered How sweet and lovely
she was, and how desolate she would be
now: and he wanted them to send for her,
and to love her like daughter. l clap
ped'my hands at that. like to have peo-
pie do things to interest me; and the idea
of poor Harry having fallen in lovei For
1 know very well what love is: 1 have
read the Fairy Queen" all through,
and a great many romances. And some
time ago began sly watch over Louise
on account of a certain Philip Rayburn
coming to the house very often.
But about Harry's lady-love. NV
mother does not like strangers very well
but being for Harry's sake made a differ
ence, and my father urged the plan. As
for Louise, it seemed as if she could not
be eager enough for the coming of this
Miss Emily Grey, she was so determined
to love and cherish her. For my part, as
home is all the real world there is for me
L like TO have as many characters in it as
possible. So when we heard that Emily
Grey was coming to England, we invited
her to stay with us.
She would not come at once. She was
timid, it seemed; or perhaps, Harry being
dead, she would rather avoid his house.
hold But Louise pleaded for her, and
wrote her great many loving letters, and
at last Emily came.
Emily came That first evening when
they brought her into the parlor, was
lying under the table with my head on a
hassock, thinking about the Old Man OF
the Sea in the Arabian Nights, and wish.
ing had been one of the genii of those
days. But when Emily entered, l forgot
everything else, and peered out from un.
der the table-cover at her What dainty
little lady she was! so pale and slight, she
made me think of frail, futtering, yellow
butterflies; partly, / suppose, because OF
her yellow curls, which fell all over her
shoulders when Louise took away her hat
and shawl Her eyes were wide and pale
and blue, her cheeks were colorless, and
she had a frightened, deprecating way OF
looking up, even after my stately mamma
had embraced her. But Louise kept
about her, and cheered her, and
talked to her, till she began to
look brighter. Louise was so different,
such darling nut brown mayde," with
honest, dark eyes and rosy cheeks, and
lips always ready to smile. Louise is my
beauty.
My father and mother went out after a
while, and Louise still talked to her guest
while | lay very contentedly on the floor
all curled up just where l could see all
that passed without turning my head
Louise went to an etdgere at the other end
of the room to get a little picture Of
Harry, and l idly kept watch of Emily
That moment she interested me; heI
wide, pale eyes, narrowed and grew in
tense, she cast quick, furtive glance aftel
Louise, and around the room, curving hel
little white neck, and a strange, bright
smile fitted over her lips. / thought in
stantly of Coleridge's Geraldine with the
evil eye, and Just for fun l lifted the table
cover and put my head and shoulders out
so that she could see me. l am afraid
grinned at her. She shrieked and flung
her hands before her face. Louise came
running back, and asked what had
frightened her.
"Ohr' she whispered, "such dread
full face peered at me from under the table
There it is again. And she shuddered.
Charles" exclaimed Louise, looking
around, "come out, you naughty boy, and
speak to Miss Grey. It's only my brother
Charlie, our pet He is full of freaks
One never knows where he is"
Emily Grey looked at me like the sad
dest and sweetest little creature that evel
lived, as / went up to her, and she reach
ed out her small white hand to me, ant
said, in low, musical voice, $50 this j:
dear Charlie. have heard of him. W.
will be friends, wont we?"
"Will you tell me stories?" l asked
She laughed merrily.
Yes heaps of them, child"
''Did you love Harry" l asked again
She shivered at that, and looked i'm
ploringly at Louise.
Charlie, you are unkind," said Louise
reproachfully.
"Well, then, won't ask her if shc
loved Harry. IN go off and read my
book of hobgoblins."
"Onoi don't be vexed, Charlie" saiC
Emily, with great sweetness. "Stay by
me, and / will tell you a story" So
stopped and she told me senseless story
of two girls who went to school Wher
saw it wasn't going to amount to any
thing, started to leave her.
AZ don't like that" l said, /" like witch
stories"
"AhI" she replied, smiling, "perhap.
this will be better" And then she told
me a story of an old witch who had 6
throne down in the slime of the sea, with
a string of bones around her neck, and q
toad perched on each shoulder. And thi.
witch bought souls, and gave people power
over hearts in exchange.
THAT was good story" said at the
end.
"And now, dear Charlie, go to bed.
Louise directed. So / kissed my pretty
sisters hand and glided off
Emily very soon learned to be perfectly
at home with us. She seemed to wind
herself about the hearts of my father and
mother, and as for Louise-Louise would
have walked over burning plough-shares
to do her service / liked her about hall
the time, and the other half felt like
teasing her She would grow so white
and terrified when sprang out at her