New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-07-19
Prom TIE Ied!es' Repository
ALICE @ A II Y.
BY PHdBE CARY.

born on the goth day Of April, 1920
She WAS the fourth OF six daughters and OF nine
children who made glad the heart and home OF her
Parents Robert and Elizabeth Cary The house in which
they lived at this time small, Imprinted wooden
building without the slightest pretensions to arch
tectural beauty 1t was story and half in mght
the front looking toward the west and separated from
the high road 10y strip of dooryard grass
low porch ran across the north Of the house. ana om
the steps of this path of blue Aagsones led to cool
unfang well of water few feet distant Close TO the
walls two sides, and almost pushing ther siGp SS
thrifty boughs through the little attic windows onlshea
c bo the ony thing near that seemed designed
solely ornament almost covered the other sue o tno
Beyond the dooryard and sloping toward the sonte
lay small garden. with two salsht ToS 20
laid either side Close against the fence heae
the ward grew several varieties OF roses anda Few nau
and common flowers bordcred the walks. In one corner
thriving peach tree threw, In summer, us Snac 49,
row ~ Idehves and In another its wthered mate sup
poTtCd md was quite hidden by fragrant bower OF hop
vines. little the rear OF the dwellnE sloou ~
sy hauuf OF the restless swallows and quiet comora-
be doves: and in an the ever new ana unIaihg
stately and symmetrical oak which had been kindly
SHARED from the when the clearing Tor the mouse
WAS made grew near IT, and in Summer threw its thick,
shadow The road making gldleui Sbetef Tor
rbildren whose voices now so many of them stlcd.
once made life and music there throughout the hyeong
In the house where she was born, and in the midst of
such leaec4, 9T"e, H0 a f beT f sSd here
Wandering much in field and wood, acquired that
strong love o. nature aud that habit OF studying the
ways birds and insects which she retained 50 long
She lived.
sister her senior by years, was during this time
her nscparabe companion. The elder strong, self
reliant and hopeful, the yonnger, weak shllnklng ana
small shelf OF the cottage lay an the literary treasures
The History OF the Jews, Lewis and Clarkes Travels
Pope's Essays, aud Charlotte Temple, "a romance
more forgotten, and there was, know, mutated
novel by an unknown hand called 1.-THE Black Pen
ei Tie book were gomez lifelong regret TO Alice.
Yet with such iselected and scanty food for the mind
great needs and small resources left little time Tor
thing but the stern practical part Of lie. these children
Alice was neither unusually precocious nor noteeahy
her allotted tasks conscenioisly and enjoyed heartily
her full share of play and fun. She was not quite so
strong however as most OF her brothers and sisters ana
they from school az night, she was often seen
dropping Little behind the rest with 6and pressed
Whenever tine nsepaTabe sisters could gam time for
al Idle afternoon Ia inc W9Ods, OF WAen tney Wet 70
apples from tie orchard berries from tie hedges or
while walking TO and from the district school the only
one Alice ever az ented her eaer SStsd Mouu Ocg9c
the time by telling wonderful stories the product OF her
lmaidod fancy 10 her rapt aud adniIlng Listeners SIN,
Ee I'g ol'gn ann diISpt before one whom She
felt e. be much her superior, would sometimes ven
ture TO repeat her fret rude attempts at [hyme
,rinsiTy the farm had been paid for and arger and
more comfortable dwelling erected and 10 tins the yet
of tie dangher one little child, the other m the carly
dawn Of womauhoOd, the pride and beauty OF lhs
hold were carried of by malignant fever III the snort
space of month. This was Alices nist sOIIow a'
one the effects Of which she never eniIey teeUN
cred for the elder of these girls was hei play maze 'uu
hcr more th1n sister, - m ,,,t,,o,
Then came more sickness and sorrow; Inc mOtn h
never strong fell into slow decline, ana ~ less thah
i've wears died Of consumption, the scourGe OF her Lam
ily; that az the age OF fifteen Ahes was ieI oee
10 and In one sense cOmpdnionless, her YEP living SIS
tCrs being either too old on too young 10 nj 'e poS w
seems 10 hayf Os s and prors the poetry in her
at14 ID Of
broke the mOnotOuy of her copy-bO0ES. Al ahOltl0n
have died with her beloved sister. Her walks, which
were solitary, generally terminated at te ntIls
family buriapluce, on green hill that rose III N~A' u
Robert Cary man Of superior intelligenee Go, Of
Of reading especially romance ana poetry Dut carry
bs ma fine for occurring ythng more than the
Tuaimeuts 90 common school education; ana tle con
g.-c., horn with him, gave him shrinking, retiring
manner and want OF confidence in his own Juaglheh
Which wa, inherited In large measure by ms OTSrln
T. was tender loving father who sang MS children 70
sleep with holy hymns, and habtua'y went anOut Ms
work repeating The words OF the grand old Hebrew poets
and the sweet and precious promises ol the Nc" Ie'l
Eza5ath Cary, the wife and mother, a wonder 10
m childhood. She not less wonder 70 me a. IeC!
u0-oy- l.v she aid 80 much work ald yet ana II Wen;
bow .r reared carefully ana governed wiser! 70 !hse
So leiiIer house beneath Lsnd
Ai i5 sieia{S s 1st. S e Soi,,a and
IS though che d queen
aud yet found time to develop by thought and reading
mind al unusual Strength ana ceaiAesS Is sun my s'eIy
e was fond Of history, politics moral essays biogra
pav and works Of religious controversy. Poetry she
itad but cared little for fictitious literature She was
fair delicate woman, with nOtceably clear blue eyes and
wealth. OF ripping brown hair. OF her nine children
inherited her personal attractions though al ha
many Of her mental characteristics.
Roth hu bond ana wife among the early converts
tn6IieatiSn of its first number til the close of their
lives was for many years the only paper seen by Alice
her ins1iiiration However with improvement in the
fortunes the family, her mental resources were en-
.1a add al
Including the works OF the poets; ana az the age
o. seventeen she was brought IN contact win several
rer0yen and other persons Of more culture and refine
ent than the generality OF the rural population Oh inc
About this time she began think of writing fos pub
icaOn, and her hst literary adventure appeared III ne
II was entitled "Tbe Child OF sorrow" and was written
In Ber eighteenth Year Ihe Hqr WIN inc exception OF
an lOna contribution 10 some OF the daes of the
same ci Was fCi many Years her only medium OF pub
$ftYT the establishment of The National Era at Wash
ipgt0p i'm 1872 ,be wrote poetry regularly for its
columns aud here she first tried her hand at prose IN
as in later years earnestly desired them TO be- quite
forgotten From Di Bailey O The Era she received the
rratuity when she had written for him some months
She afterw8rd made regular engagement TO inrnsA
him with contributions to his paper Tor small SupuIa
meanwhile, she had for several years written poetry
fot lie Ladies RepoS'toTB OF Boston, me LaattS ieoSa
tory of CINCINNATI G,0hda's Mago-ine, and for various
newspapers both Eastern and Western In 1850, through
the fundamentally OF Dr. GIlswoid VINO Ioun9 pun,
Usher, volume, entitled Poems OF Ance ana fDpDe
rry MA IVA cotca9 Of His hook about twothrs Of
which furnished by the elder sister, and which was
for the most part hut the feeble echoes OF wellkn0W
poets or al best sentimental fauces morbid plants of
soTrOWs more imaginary than real the only aruCle
%Sn A WSs 5 Rcr PnTes Of Memory and this was
rather because the estimate placed upon II 10y others
In tie Summer following the sisters left their home
for Ist time visiting some OF the Eastern enc
lived beyond The narrow boundaries OF their Western
thar w R. " q