The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-11-05
DOLLY.

JUST before young Tanning went to
Rome six or seven years ago he
| showed me his sketch book
- have been up among the Moravians
all summer in Bethlehem, Pa.," he said.
ITS the only place where one can
catch flavor of age in this cursedly new
country
The little fellow, from his yellow Dun
drcary whiskers to his dainty CATERS,
was mere cXaggcration Of his mothers
aesthetic sensibilities. If nature had
thrown in to boot little back bone or
stomach OF passions it would have been
better; but, no matter AS things were,
one was not surprised the country Jared
on him. The old Moravian town had ap-
parcntly contented him; he had made
studies Of the bridge and the quaint
Eagle Hotel and the fortress like Brother
and Sister and Gemcin Houses, which
the first settlers built in the wilderness
of solid stone and which stand now un-
piles in crayons and in water colors and
in oils. with the yellow harvest sky be-
hind them, or thunder-cloud, or the
pale pink of spring dawn. Here was Il
bit Of the buttrcss with wild ivy flaming
red over it, there was dim interior of a
stone corridor and an old woman
cloakcd, with velvet slippers, and blue
handkerchief on her head, sat on a high
| backed bench, lingering the dusty strings
| Of an old violin which she had just taken
| from its case.
| THAT" he said, is one of the old
/ Sisters, Frau Baum. The Moravian mis-
sionarcs come home to these houses
| when their work is done, and find shelter
and repose. Life in them is but long,
calm twilight. That violin was un-
earthcd one day from some closet where
it had been buried almost one hundred
years! If it had been knocking about
the world in that time just think Of the
thousands of waltzes and dances and
song tunes it would have given to peo-
pie. 1t would have been worn out, or at
least have been common and unclean
But there it lay, with all its music
sacred and dumb, unwakened within 1T
like to think Of that" | could not fol
low the young mans fantastic talk
"These houses seem to have had a secre
enchantment of some kind for you"
said, turning over the sheets; and jus
as | spoke | guessed that / had fount
the enchantment. / took up carefully
finished picture Of the door of the Siste
House, a decp-arched cut in the stone
In it, as in a frame, was young Cir
looking back with laughing good-b,
before she disappeared i'll the darkness
: There was another sketch of the sam
young woman standing in the graveyard
her hands clasped, her eyes bent thought
fully on the rows of fiat, gray stones a
her feet.
"a portrait George"
I "Yes" He hcsitatcd. "The niece {
4 old Sister Baum She is nothing but
J child-has lived her sixteen years in tha
old house, just as pure as a flower tha
!, never felt the outside air. Did you eve
see innocence or unselhshncss shine S
transparent in any face? Dolly-that
her name-Dorothea That is a poo
> picture enough the real Dolly, with til
, simmer Of yellow hair about her fac
{ is fairer than one of Correggio's Madol
mas"
thought Dolly much less inspire
than any Of these virgins, who, surel
l ,l.,t, ,.l,a lnsl 4
a ideas. There were incXhaustible r
II sources of honesty and frendliness an
e sweet temper in this soft, pink-tintt
n face.
a "Your Dorothea could bear the OF
N side air" suggested
1t "Shc will never be tried, hope" su
n denly shutting the portfolio with
d scowl. Surroundings make life, as
"a background picture. This little g
,r will not leave the Sister House until
q until come back for her.
,e He went on to convince me and hi
W self of the wisdom of marrying her. I
G. ordinary run of American girls were p'
of essarily tainted by the publicity of thu
le training and free manners. The G
D. had been reared in Il seclusion equal
III that Of French convent, ETC., e
C. The Fannings, mother and son,
a longed to that class of Bostonian sw
ye stood on a level above consideration
w wealth, conventionality, or even bir
ed thought that there was every prt
" | ability that Dolly'S history as it had
as gun like story in cheap magazi
re would end in the same romantic groo
ge Mrs. Tanning was precisely the won
ed to rejoice in her daughter-in-law's
lie turesque antecedents, more than In
rs. dover Of Pennsylvania Central sto
IN. and would 60 through society max
out Of Moravians, and old Sisters,