The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-01-01
tiCHRIs.' )

stCHRrS,"
as Mrs. B, calls him, left off smoking when
| thew were married. hadn't seen him before
since visit to the district jail last summer.
pending his application fcr pardon, W5en
Suently nv Introduction to the conversation,
OF rather preface to the interview. was con:
eratulstory. There was literary friendsWith
ma-my bete noir-whose presence tolerated
for convenience sake, because ne some times
relIeves conversation by ludicrous blunders,
and who directly got into deep converse with
the Madame, while / tackled Chris" Believe
it or diplomat that am. ana experienced
the reason that her bright, crisp comments on
teYeh the most ordinary topics, delivered as
they were In the most attractive tone, and
complete in both rhetoric and elocution.
proved so seductive that mine ears inclined
towards hersather than towards the hero OF
Fthe South Carolina impeachment imbroglto.
q THE PRESENT MRS: BOWEN.
Let me announce right here that you wne
have NOT seen Mrs. Bowen have something 10
live for, She is exquisltely attractive, though
her mind Is somewhat mascu1nei Wnlle ner
thoughts, disciplined by much reading. are
such as few women ever entertain or attain.
She is q rapid talkerr WIN eyer.ehnasnging
subject with the raptdity Of lightnlng,. as
though her active mind were pressing her
tongue and lipsto quicker utterance. Poll
tics, fashion. commerce, literature ana gossip
were the topics, which, touched by her vivid
illusions, sparkled; into gems OF living words.
My bete 7tolr, who, at. times, Is no mean con.
the field to her, while certain legal gentle
man whom we found at the table was mum
and dumb as myself Bowen, discovering
that Iwas distracted from him, or rather at
tracted by her, simply subsidized into Silent
proprietary admiration What wonderful, yet
appropriate pertness of comment regarding
the current topics of the day, as well os strtk-
ing anecdotes Illustrative OF her meaning, aad
brilliant sallles of @lt and sarcasm, we: heard
pearing that she was monopolizing the con-
s.Now;1 said our host, 'let me show you TIE
CHARLESTON NEWS, which, you, remember,
used to assail me with such. violence. Well,
read that - no, no, Mrs. Bowen, you read
It." Master stroke |! The woman was Instant
lyin arms In defence Of her liege lord. For
getting herself, and only remembering his af-
fairs, She commenced reading as rapidly as
she talked, and yet with as much regard for
punctuation as II she had been thoroughly ac-
duainted with the article that knew she had
never seen before. Article after article and
speech after speech she read, until we were
as familiar with the details OF Bowen's pro-.
gress at Columbia as we would have been If
We had been there and In his confidence the
past month.
"BYAs WHO'S BYAs?
White or eolored,n ~ she asked, because Byas
seemed to have figured most prominently In
the defence of Governor Scott. Colored, !"
answered Bowen" and had III hH pocket at
the time I made that speech an unpaid Dem
Meg fi,rnItura certificate fi,r s1 1(0OP tIDon't
You. think" she said, sthat he tChris.) now
ought to read One yof,my books, since I've
read so many of bis speeches !n We all agreed
that the books would doubtless proveto be the
most interesting reading matter, In response
to which remark she related an anecdote, IN
substance as follows:
"a fEiend of mine called the other day and
gave me copy Of my
BUSY MOMENTS OF AN IDLE WOMAN,
saying that she had heard me say wanted
one, which was true, as ! had given away or
lost my last. She had bought 1t at q second
hand bookstore. Imagine my ast0nishment
on opening 1t to find my own handwriting on
the fy.leaf, and learning therefrom that had
givea 1t to my y1tIend.. Mrs. - Of Phlladel-
rphia, now-let me see-lhree months dead.
have traced out. Mrs. ) loaned 1t to q
friend who visited Washington, and who, on
her return home, left the book In her room by
mistake. A servant finding 1t there approprl-
ated 1t and sold 1t to the secondhand dealer
for ten or fifteen cents. Such Is greatness;
but am very glad 1T happened just 80, be.
cause thereby received 1t into my possession
again at the time most needed It,"
cn3m this incident she again reverted to her
husbands speeches, aud the Interview Win
hun, detailed above, began In earnest.
r. a. s. -