The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-08-30

Flora have turned her steps tha
night to such excellent purpose a.
toward the west, where Miss Har-
lem and counsel ava tied her.
The next morning before she left
the snug cham Der, which had been
the family-room of three genera
tions, as Flora was told, and could
we'll believe, she heard her hostess
moving about. 1t was near sunrise,
and she was evidently up for all
day, and 3 p. m. seemed now so near
to Flora, that she felt she had nc
time to lose.
She found Miss Harlem in her
library, with the doors of her book
case open, evidently inspecting her
treasures. And, it was good to
look at her by daylight, to see a
woman so active and strong, and SO
evidently happy in her activity.
She seemed pleased to see Flora
so early.
"I had a pleasant feeling when
[ woke up" she said at first I
fancied it was because I was at
home, but found, on reflection, it
was because you were here; though
have you against your WILL"
4" Since [ came on Fortunes in
vitation," said Flora, CT have rea-
son to be glad if 1 never was in
luck till yesterday, the tide has
turned, and Pm happy"
" And you will be with your
friends by sunset"
" But [ shall have left my friends
behind me-" said Flora, With
good deal of genuine emotion.
1" I owe you something for what
! you told me last night" said Miss
Harlem. l am an out-cast too
a regular business woman. I dare
say you were never in a place like
this before"
" True" said Miss Flora, " nev-
er in one SO delightful" ]"
My dear, [ believe you. These
creatures are my fossil remains, as
[ told you. If you know anything
about this art Of mine, you will be
able to tell where L began, and how
l have gone on, and point out the
place at which 1 broke down, and
came near ending a failure
Do tell me about it, for I know
nothing" said Flora.
It Will bear repeating, and [
rather like the story" said Miss
Harlem. " I began this business
ten years ago-when, say fifteen.
My grandfather owned this place,
and he lived and died here; but /
was born in New York, and at six
teen knew as little of the country
as it is possible for a girl to know.
This little house was always too full
to accommodate us city children for
longer than night or two at
time. [ made up my mind, when I
was quite young, that I must earn
my own living and we had in our
library, at home, books of birds
and animals which I loved above
everything, and, when 1 found that
[ must 90 to work, [ consulted
them about it. Father had a case
of stuffed birds, which he had pre-
pared and set up himself, and L de-
terIpined to make what had been
his past time, my means Of support.
What did | know about competition
and all that? I went to work in
my brave, happy ignorance. /
bought snipe, and quail, prairie
chickens, and squirrels-you shall
have your breakfast within fifteen
minutes, sit down" So saying,
Miss Harlem disappeared. Within
half an hour the two ladies were
again seated at the table.
operated on my treasures and
found a sale for the poor things
among my acquaintances, and this
encouraged me so much that | pre-
pared a fine lot, as l believed, and
sent them, my dear, to the fair at
the American institute. Who so |
proud as [? But when I had gone
SO far happened to see another
case cf birds which made mine seem |
as if every bone in their bodies had |
been broken-they might have
been the carcasses of a lot of felons |
l had bought up cheap, for all the
beholder could tell. Then l feast |
ed on the bitter Of humiliated pride. |
One of the newspapers, moreover,
contained a report on birds, and no
ticed my Work-to contrast it with |
that of noted taxidermist, pointing
out the difference between the execu-
ton of one who studies nature at |
second hand in a parlor, and anoth-
er who goes to the fountain-head |
for knowledge. That remark had |
in it a spark of fire that shrivelIed |
up my earth and heaven. Every
thing was swept away in the confa-
grafton except myself, and the con-
viction that, whoever would deal |
with nature, must go to nature her
self and serve an apprenticeship. |
But Why hadn't somebody told Of
this before? Why hadn't / seen
that this must be so? Why do we |
never see SO well, my dear, as after
we have seen ? Here began my
real history. l was content the |
next spring and summer with as lit
tie as the birds asked, almost. Dur
ing the winter following, my friends |
took my miserable work off my
hands, l STIMULATING that each speci- |