Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-06-03
a M I'll /
NO. 13i.
AN OUTLOOK INTO LIFE.
BY MRS. STOWE.

distance of nearly two miles from our
house, but that evening after tea, I an
nounced to my mother that ] was going to
take walk over to see Cousin Caroline.
perceived that the movement was exceed
ingly popular and satisfactory in the eyes
Of all the domestic circle. -,
Whose thoughts do not travel in this di-
rection. l wonder, in o small country
neighborhood? Here comes Harry Hen
derson home from college, with his laurels
on his brow, and here is the handsomest
girl in the neighborhood, pattern of all
the virtues. What is there to be done. ex-
cept that they should straightway fall in
love with each other. and taking hold Of
hands walk up the Hill Difficulty together?
presume that no other gossip in our ma
tive village saw any other arrangement of
our destiny as possible or probable.
l may just as well tell my readers first
as last, that we did not fall in love with
each other, though we were the very best
friends possible, and spent nearly half my
time at my uncle's house, besetting her at
all hours and having the best possible time
in her society; but our relations were as
frankly and clearly those of brother and
sister if we had been children of one
mother.
For beautiful woman, Caroline had the
least of what one may call legitimate CO.
quetry, of any person ever saw. There
are some women, and women of q high
class too, who seem to take q natural and
innocent pleasure in the power which
their sex enables them to exercise over
men, and who instinctively do thousand
things to captivate and charm one of the
opposite sex, even when they would deep
ly regret winning his whole heart. If
well principled and instructed they try to
keep themselves under control, but they
still do thousand ensnaring things, for
no other reason, that l see, than that Is is
nature, and they cannot help it. II they
have less principle this faculty. becomes
their available power, by which they can
use it to carry their own plans and pur
poses. tA
OF this power, whatever it may be, Car
oline had nothing nay, more, she despised
it, and received the admiration and atten-
tions which her beauty drew from the op-
posite sex, with coldness, in some in
stances amounting to incivility. 4 "a
With me she had been from the first so
frankly, cheerfully and undisguised affec-
tionate and kind, and such straightfor-
ward air of comradeship and literal ig-
noring of everything sentimental, that the
very ground of anything like love-making
did not seem to exist between US. Tho
last evening before was to leave for my
voyage to Europe, / spent with her, and
she gave me curiously travel-
ling case in which there was q pocket for
any imaginable thing that q bachelor might
be supposed to want on his travels. ssEs7
II wish l could go with you," she said
to me, with an energy quite out of her
usual line.
''I'm sure wish you could" said I;
and what with the natural softness Of heart
that young man feels, when he is plunged
off from the safe ground Of home into the
world, and plunged off from the safe
ground of home into the world. and part
ly from the unwonted glow of feeling that
came over Caroline's face as she spoke, i
felt quite rush of emotion, and said, rs
kissed her hand, "Why didn't we think
of this before, Caroline!" saRa SCI saz
''Oh! nonsense, Henry don't you be
sentimental, of all things" she replied
briskly, Withdrawing her hand. "Of
course, I didn't mean anything more than
that wished were young fellow like
you, free to take my staff and bundle. and
make my way in the great world. Why
couldn't it be?" esz4 s.5
"You," said /, Caroline, you with your
beauty and your talents,-I think You
might be satisfied with woman's lot in
life." "A woman's lot and what is that.
pray to sit with folded hands and see life
drifting by-to be mere nullity, and en-
dure to have my good friends pat me on
the back. and think am bright and shin
ing light of contentment in woman's
spherep"
7"But," said I, "you know, Caroline,
that there is always a possibility in wom-
ans destiny, especially woman so beau
| tiful as you are" .f
You mean marriage. Well. perhaps
| if could do as you can, go all over the
world, examine and search for the one
want, and find him, the case would be
somewhat equal but my chances are on-
ly among those who propose to me. Now,
i have read in the Arabian Nights Of prin-
cesses SO beautiful that men came in regi-
ments, to seek the honor of their hand;
but such things don t occur in our times in
New England villages. My list for Sc
lection must be confined to such Of the eli
gible men in this neighborhood as are in
want of wives men who want wives as
they do cooking-stoves, and make up their
minds that may suit them. BY the by,
have been informed already Of one who
has had me under consideration, and con-
cluded not to take me. Silas Boardman,
understand, has made up his mind, and in
formed his sisters OF the fact. that am al
together too dressy in my taste for his linn
tied means, and beside that, am too free
and independent; SO that door is closed
to me, youth observe. Silas won't have
me ~ 3l4e
The conceited puppy" said /.
"Well. isn't that the common under
standing among men-that all the mar
riagable girls in their neighborhood are
on exhibition for their convenience lfthe
very first idea of marriage with any one
of them We're not SO intensely Disagree
able to me, Iwould almost be willing 70 LET
some of them ask me. just to hear what
could tell them. Now you know, Harry
put you out of the case. because you are
NV cOnSiu and No mora think of YOU IN