The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-12-08
BELLA'S BEGINNINGS.

BELLA'S BEGINNINGS.
Young Mrs. Cavendish that was to
be, at some time in the dim future, and
Miss Siatterleigh that was, and that, for
all she could see, was likely to remain,
be,rothed to the lover OF her choice.
but forbidden by her father to marry
till her husband could furnish his own
house, was in a state bordering upon
despair. Nor could she discover any
way out of this slough Of despond, and
into the fine establishment which both
she and many of her friends felt il ne
cessary for her to have; for Cayendish
was in the law, and the small returns of
his practice, add them over as many
times as you would, always amounted
TO the same sum, Il sum us inadequate
to their united wants in the opening
and garnishing OF home as penny
token would have been.
She used to sit down and picture to
herself the house she wanted and the
things she wanted in it. IF she could
not have it in reality, it was pleasant to
have it III Imagination and she would
locate il ana build it and furnish it and
improve it on every idle occasion that
she had, only TO see it tumbled down
again 10y the next hard fact that gave it
all blow. Still, while she was about
it, and rs it cost her nothing to speak
Of, she might as we'll have it the best
there was to be had; and thus having
undertaken the thing fancifully, it grew
to have an actually OF its own, and it
was hard TO get the habit OF it out of
her head, until she had naturally, but
rather unwarrantably, come 10 expect a
beginning with something as superb as
most people are willing to end with.
As for the house itself which was erect
ed IN her imaGinings for the future
home, it was to narrowly miss being a
palace, and was to cost whole arith-
metictul of money, IT, Judge by the
figures, while she herself was TO move
round in it dressed like princess in
fairy tale, so far as magniiicence went ::
for Miss Slatterleigh was beauty, and
knew only too well all the advantages
to beauty of purple and fine linen.
Her foot was to sink in the downy
depth Of carpets gay with all the floras
OF all the zones the light that entered
the rooms was to be sifted through cur
tains Of priceless dyes her walls were
to glitter with gold underlying all soft
tints, with marbles and bronzes and
paintings her rooms were to be clut-
tered with ormolu and majolica, and
old china so hideous as to b hand
some with Elizubethan tables and
Louis Ounce ciageres; here an ebony
chair upholstered in yellow satin, here
a mother-of pearl in crimson, here an
escretoire in carved ivory; and there
were to be velvet hassocks and otto
mans and lounges, and gilded harps
and grand pianos, and brackets and
pedestals, with Apolos and Dianas, and
holy Virgins and profane Venuses, in a
huddle OF dark, rich splendor, through
which you could hardly see your way.
1t was Of no consequence to her castle
building that in all this hurly- burly
there would not be single article hay
ing any association dear to the soul of
husband or wife, or that the pair would
only have tumbled round lonesomely
among their possessions till they could
find some little breakfast cabinet not
too good to use, and to which sea-coal
fire might lend sort of likeness to q
home; that was an absurdity that never
entered her head. That people could
fail to be happy, or could find anything
dreary, in such a palace rs she pictured,
was to her mind an utter impossbility
and she said to herself that, for her
part, she would rather wait for Caven-
dish till she was gray-headed than not
have all things just as Mary Carlisle
had had them, whenever she did marry
him.
Meanwhile, it must be confessed, she
found it weary waiting. Time was
wearing on, too; perhaps her beauty
would be really all gone before her
wedding.day--and then, would there be
any wedding.day? 1t is true, she had
had proposal from millionaire no
older than Mary Carlisle's husband, and
much more agreeable, but she had
secuted it. being in love. She meant
that Cavendsh should be q millionaire,
or, at any rate, live in something next
to millionaires houses and, OF course.
she knew there was not the slightest
prospect of it, unless somebody would
retain him on great will case in equity,
or great railroad case anywhere. Her
heart sank within her to see his worn,
pale face: to realize that youth, with all
its buoyancy, was leaving them; that
she was close upon her thirtieth year,
and they seemed to be no nearer to-
gether now than they did five years
ago. Five years ago-what a wilderness
and waste of an engagement Neither
gods nor men had any pity upon them,
plainly. =.
~ don't know that | think it at all
desirable that you should marry, Anna"
her father had said. "With your ideas,
! can't see how you will avoid driving
Cavendsh head over ears into debt and
suicide in n year"
"Fatherl"