Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-02-01
From the Aldinc for FebruaI,
Inside the Door.

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-THE ALDINE for FabrU0sU.
From the Aldnc for FebruaIy.'
Inside the Door.
! Yes, the small brick house on the
corner did need something more than the
bay window which occupied nearly the
whole width of the building; something
| more than the Iuxuriant wisteria which
wreathed and draped the window: some
thing more than the pretty iron balcony,
and the exceeding neatness suggested Of
the interior, to make it the home it seemed
to be to foot passengers, who often found
themselves lingering as they approached
the place, enchanted BIZ the scent of
mignionctte that f0urished in the grass
plot, and by the lovely tints of the wan
dering jew, which seemed to ditfuse
themselves, like a pleasant atmosphere.
around the enclosure
But did the organist of ST. James
Church, who lived three blocks beyond.
suspect it? How could she Hurry
ing past the house, on her way to music
lesson and rehearsal, she often found
herself slackening her pace, and taking
in the attractive scene, and going on
ward felt refreshed by what she had per
ccived, and still more perhaps by what
had been suggested; for give the woman
single thread of beauty, and in her
hand it was equivalent to clue to all
desired delight. The only difficulty
with her was, that she never found time
to follow its leading far-elsc, times
over, she had discovered heaven upon
earth.
The outside of the house suggested to
her no end Of interior beauty. Some
times, in passing, She heard violin,
sometimes piano, sometimes a voice
that, as She declared, electrified hcr--it
was so genuinely sweet, rich and 50 UNI
worn. SOthat, turning the corner weared
and rasped to Impotence, the mere sight
of that small abode was refrcshment
She hailed it as pilgrim halls the green
spot in The deSert-and alas, not seldom
the mirage also.
Within the little Birds Nest. as the
organist. with more poetical feeling than
originality, was wont privately to dcsir-
nate the house (shc had some secret
source OF comfort, this hard-workcd
creature. which were not for every
carr, within this little Birds Nest. on
Sultry June evening. behind the bay win
dow. and the wisteria and hOneysuck.c.
wandering jew and mignioncttc stood a
desperate-hearted woman. with as play
fUl and composed COuntcnance as some
OF the martyrs, let lis believe. have
shown ere now on their way to the
fagot
This woman is thirty-fye. perhaps.
but she looks older Find her up stairs
any hour of the long dav, when she is
alone with her sad thoughts for com
pany. and you shall see a woman who is
looking towards the future with distract
ing fears. but who, in the effort to with
stand their drift and pressure, is fore
tasting all the bitterness of disappointed
age. She has now bright ribbons in her
hair and around her neck, and. by gas
light, she looks almost happy, almost
young. At the piano sits her husband.
And now the story is nearly told
1t is Saturday evening. and what
is she doing if she is not endcavoring
ing, by every kindly artiicc, to keep
who sits on the piano stool SO she has
persuaded him to the piano, and he has
been singing, and they have talked now
for at least an hour about their favoritc
compositions, and discussed as critics,
ments they have not agreed with each
other so constantly as to make the con-
ycrsatiOn tiresOme. But the talk is
proving too much Of good thing to the
husband: evidently he is wearied of it.
He has allowed himself to be persuaded
into playing and singing good deal and
into talking much, during the last half
hour he has betrayed increasing restless
l. I,
disguised impatience An Indifferent
listener might almost say, in the blunt
speech Of Indifference, that he was get
ting cross and quarrelsome, and awfully
disagreeable. Is he becoming suspi-
cious Of his poor Louisa? Does she de
sign to keep him at home when she
knows very well about his Saturday
night engagement to 90 to the Archi-
tects Club? Poor architect, whose own
foundation seems to be tumbling in, he
must be faithful to his club, though to
everything else unfaithful
lie even begins to suspect the pleas
ure which he knows his wife takes. and
always has taken in his music. Does he
need to be reminded of the many times
she has said to him, that single melO-
dy from him is worth more to her than
tht iOuu anu SpicHtlltl performance OF Il
well directed orchestra-feeding a more
subtle need, and sustaining a diviner
life? He talks in way that would
make one suspect his intention to attack
her soon on the ground of that one de-
light she has found in him, which has re-
manned unquestionable.
His wife understands these symptoms
well enough to know that in as thirty
minutes at furthest, he will somehow
have passed beyond herreach. Is it not
a sad, sad conviction to be pressing on
the heart of the woman? You know
now why | shook my head as looked at
the pretty bay window and the outside
green and perfume Anybody WAC
knew the old Pharaohs intimately, in the
days of their glory, would grieve, am
sure, if coursing over the sands of mod I
ern Egypt, on swift Arabian charger,
he came across the great Pyramid I
stripped so bare of its external beauty.
To think of the hopes with which that
woman set up housekeeping in that lit