New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-08-04

| In less than an hour water was boiling In
| the tea kettle, and they were sitting at tea
| table in a square room, which suggested to
| Miss Flora that possibly she might be IN
| the house of one Of Barnum's collectors or
| manufacturers. Every minute thing that
| could move on wings seemed to have flown
/ in there to be impaled. There was no end
| of butterflies, no end Of minor insects, and
| a wilderness of birds. The room WAS a
| library but the books we're the works OF
4 nature. There was no furniture BESIDE,
| except the table at which they sat and the
| chairs which supported them. DIVIDING
| the six cages Of stuffed birds and other
| preserved creatures were three windows and
! two doOrs, and through those windows, be-
! tween the gnarled branches of those bloom
| ing apple tTees-Oh, my good reader, would
that you and | might see what Miss Flora s
| eyes beheld.
1.-The like Of this will never happen to me
| again; / will enjoy it to the full extent"
| Miss Flora thought, reminding herself in
! good time that she was philosopher.
| Her hostess perhaps OWNED her thoughts.
"SbaU YOU be afraid to spend the night in
this house Z" she asked, Il am an ancient
| being. there's no denying il, but am no
| witch. These things you see around are my
fossil remains
"If you do not repent having invited me
congratulate myself said Miss Flora.
Il ought not to repent. | have plenty of
! solitude, but that's what like of all things,
answered Miss Harlem, adding one remark
! to another 90 quickly and deity, would that
| the man-worshiping "Autocrat of the
| Breakfast Table" could have heard her
! IF had not this place to come to once in II
! while / don't know how should fare"
Flora wanted just then to ask a question
! or two; but, as though persuaded that she
must hear good many new and strange
| things before she went away, she left the
| question unasked, and not only 50, but be
! fore the evening was half spent found her
| self charging elOquently upon the dlfhcul
| ties OF the work she had undertaken, and
| looking to her hostess for counsel in a way
! that seemed to imply that she had gone to
| Bushtield for the very purpose. 1t is worth
while, we are told, - look under the very
stones in our path, for there may lie wait
! ing us the helper we need. Certain IL is
that toward no point of the compass could
Miss Flora have turned her steps that night
to such excellent purpose as toward the
west, where Miss Harlem and counsel
| awaited her.
The next morning, before she left the
snug chamber which had been the family
| room Of three generations, as Flora was
told and could well believe she heard her
hostess showing about. II was near sun
rise, and she was evidently up for all day,
| and p. NJ. seemed now SO near to Flora
that she felt she had no time to lose.
She found Miss Harlem in her library,
with the doors of her book cases open, evil
IDENTIFY inspecting her treasures. 1t was
good to look at her by daylight to see
woman so active and strong and so evil
IDENTITY happy in her activity.
She seemed pleased to see Flora so early.
81 had a pleasant feeling when woke
up" she said cat first / fanced it was
because | was at home; but found on re-
Election it was because you were here,
though have you against your will"
"Since came on Fortunes imitation"
said Flora, IL have reason to be glad; if |
never was in luck till yesterday the tide has
turned, and Pun happy"
"And you will be with your friends by
sunset"
but / shall have left my friend behind
me-" said Flora, with good deal of z, nu-
inc emotion.
Il owe you something for what you told
me last night" said Miss Harlem. Il am
an outcast, tOO-a regular business woman.
| dare say you were never in place like
this before"
True" said Miss Flora; "never in one SO
delightful"
NV 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 | have gone, and will point out the
pldcb at WHICH 1 DEOh6 uOWn anu CdLllC
near ending failure"
.Do tell me about it, for know nothing"
said Flora.
ut will bear repeating, and l rather like
the story" said Miss Harlem. Il began
working at this business ten years ago
well, say fifteen. My grandfather owned
this place, and he lived and died here; but
was born in New York and at sixteen
knew as little of the country as it is posi-
II l.. i'll 30, 1ift1a bpv1So
was always too full to accommodate Us city
children for longer than night or two at
a time. ] made up my mind when was
quito young that / must earn my own liv-
ing, and we had in our library at home
books of birds and animals, which loved
above everything, and when l found that
must go to work, l consulted them about
it, Father had case of stuffed birds,
which he had prepared and set up himself,
and determined to make what had been
his pastime my means of support. WHAT
did know about competition and all that
No more than those Trinidad butterflies.
/ went TO work in my brave, happy ignO-
rance. l bought snipe and quail, prairie
chickens and sQuiTTels-yOu shall have your
breakfast in fifteen minutes; sit down" So
saying, Miss Harlem disappeared. Within
half an hour the two ladies were again
seated at the table, breakfast smoking
thereon and one OF them talking again:
- operated ON my treasures, and found
a sale for the poor things among my &C
acquaintance, and this encouraged RE so
mnch that l prepared fine lot, as | be-
lieved, and sent them, my dear, to the fair
of the American Institute.
Who so proud as Ii But when / bad
gone so far Happened to see another case
Of birds which made mine look as if every
bono in their bodies had been brUkrn-ihey
might have been the CarCassee of a lot of
4 l. ,.g,r Co.. oil Il,
behOlder could tell. Then Toasted on the
bitter bread Of Inundated pride.
zone Of the newspapers, moreover, con-
tanned a report on birds, and noticed my
wOIk-tO contrast it with that of noted
taxldermist, pointing out the difference be-
tween the execution of one who studies ma
ture at second hand in paTlOr and another
who goes to the iOun am head for knOwl-
edge. That remark had in it a spark of
fire that shriveled up my earth and heaven.
Everything was swept away in the Contla.
grafton except myself and the conviction
that whoever would deal with the works of
nature must 90 to nature herself and serve
an apprenticeship.
But why hadn't somebody told me this
beforeY Why hadn't l seen that this must
be sol Why do we never see so well, my
dear, as after We have seen3
Here began my real history. was con
tent the next spring and summer with as
little as the birds asked, almost. During
the winter following my friends took my
miserable work of my hands. l STIMULATING
that each specimen should bs exchanged
for a better so soon rs l could do better.
So l had money to 60 into the country !
again in the spring, and l lived there as
Audubon lived among the creatures whose |
living activity l had set my heart on dis |
playing in their dead forms.
mAll this IL the work did in those DAYS |