The Republican journal., 1874-04-09
ROsamond and her Lovers
El HARRIET PRESCOTT SPoFFoRp

1t was a dreadful day and night we
passed. My husband had been on the spot,
Resamond was helpless in Mysteries, and
though the kilograms came every hour,
there was no good word in them; and
RoSamond only came out of one attack
long enough to ask and hear that there
was nothing certain yet before she went
off into another; and Of course neither her
sister Emma, nor the house-maidS nor
could at first spare time for hope or fear,
so busy We're we about the poor child who
to our unpracticed senses, looked in rs
much danger of death as anybody.
Rosamond and Emma were not relations
dear friends. and when they died we had
us, and so they had spent all their long
vacations under our roof, and Buttons. our
page, had waited on them as u little heath
en- would wait on his idols If he could and
his face turned as pink as though he was
boiled, and all the hair on his round bald
ish head bristled with pleasure, whenever
they looked at him or spoke to him. Poor
Buttons. he was standing joke among
us. and we never could think Of him. even
when the school days We're over and the
girls had come home permanently. and
there was no longer any Buttons in the
house, without q laugh.
OF course we had 10 authority over the
yirls hut that OF affection. but it was Il
pleasure to have the dear things round us
only when Rosamond. the brighter and
prettier of the two, began to have her
lovers, we saw that it was 4 little while
we should be able to keep her, and con
graduated ourselves that at amy rate we
should retain Emma.
Rosamond was nothing like Il beauty.
and vet she had all the effect of one; she
had that rich skin which any color be-
comes, and her eyes were always beaming
and her unruly hair was always tuning
up in little curls, and she had the sweet
est mouth in the world, and the prettiest
curls in it; only her nose was anything
but what she wanted it. suppose she
would have gone to extremes. and have
had as keen an aquilme as any hawk
beaked Roman lady's, could she have had
her way, for, rs it was, she had to make
the best of what she called a pug As Tor
Emma, she was simply Kosamond's shad-
ow-not quite so plump, nor quite so fresh
colored OF curly-headed, and not by any
means 50 charming. For Rosamond, with
her vivacity, her quick temper and her
good heart. her obliging ways, her con
tiding air, and her singing. certainly was
charming, and after she came home the
number of boquets, i'll compliment Of her
singing. that were thrown into our ground
floor windows by her feeble minded young
lovers, with courage overwhelmed by in
iatuation, kept us supplied with flowers.
Well, the truth is that Rosamond was
1rt Emma wasn't; she never had the
chance, as Rosamond told her once, in an
swer to the accusation. instantly kissing
her and crying over her, and begging all
the pardOns that there We're, and from that
moment making over to Emma, 50 form
ally as to render ii laughable to us, who
saw it all, the best beau she hada pro
ceeding that the beau took in such dud-
geon that he ceased to come to the house at
all But as | was saying. Rosamond was
a pronounced tlirt; she had tlirted with
the serious head-master at school, and
with the frivolous music master, and had
given the dancing master to understand
that she believed him one OF the old no.
blesse in disguise; she had tried her arts
on the minister; and when the doctor
was called to her diphtheria, of course She
tried them on him Not that they were
arts at all-they were a part Of the child's
nature; it was 4 necessity with her that
every one should care for her If they
didn't love her spontaneously, she had to
vile them into il. and generally they did
it spontaneously enough.
1t was not with equanimity that Emma
viewed these successes of Rosamond'S 81
WONDER she would bemoan herself, swhy
everybody loves Rosamond and nobody
loves me.''
My dear exclaimed, '.doesnt Rosa
mond love you? doesn't your cousin Maui
rice don't ~
"Oh. dare say" Emma moaned again :;
"'but | want to be the very first to some
body You love cousin Maurice better
than me, and he loves YOU better than me,
and Rosamond is all ready to love any
body better than me. Oh, bother that
sort Of love- - cried Emma. between laugh
ing and crying. 1T would be so delight
full said the poor little simpleton. "to be
loved the way people are when they are
engaged"'
While Emma held forth in this way, Dr.
Randolph was looking down Rosamond's
throat with the handle of Il spoon-the
only thing that ever kept down that little
tongue of hers, | thought The doctor,
who had just taken our family physician $
place-Parisian education, talent, and
every sort Recommendations pronornc-
ed hOs;tuionds illness not serious, but :
dercd confinement to her room, and came
twice q day for some time. and then he
came once a day And | began to bethink
myself, as saw the long calls of Young
DR.. Randolph, and heard the conversation
turning on anything but symptoms, and
looked at Rosamond, with her returning
color, her smiles and dimples. her blue
wrapper, and all the dainty appliances OF
Il sick room toilet, that some instinct
taught her; and | observed that this Sc
clusion kept other lovers off And perhaps
the latter clause struck Rosamond's per
ception also, for one day, while the Doctor
still continued his visits and without hay
ing received any permission from him, she
descended to the parlors, and there, when
he came in, he found her, with young
MCreery turning her music on one side
and young Waterman listening on the
other
"Whatr' cried Dr. Randoph-"in :his
draught. And you are not attempting tC
singn'
folHS Sic Sdlu, turning on nm, as tllt
only thing to dol don't believe | evel
shall sing again. Your wicked diphtherias
and potashes and things have ruined my
voice" And she was so charming as she
sat there on the piano-stool, with her higl
color and her pouting lips, that | didn'
wonder the Doctor seized both her hands
in his. He pretended he was only feeling
the pulse.
What is thise said he. II beg you
pardon, Miss Rosamond; you must bic
these young gentlemen good morning, ane
60 to your room directly, unless you wan
a relapse, which would be worse than tn,
original Illness y and he halt lifted her b,
the hands, and led her to the foot of thu
stairs, she hanging back like naught,
child, and looking unutterable things a
the two lovers, and still more unutterabl,
things to this independent young docto
who had them at such disadvantage