The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-12-03

- ubb bt4DE6 young RAINING went 10
Rome six or seven years ago-he
showed me his sketch book.
g have been up among the Moravi-
ans all summer, in Bethlehem, Penn
sylvania," he said. "It's the only place
where one can catch a flavor Of age in
this cursedly new country"
The little fellow, from his yellow
Dundreary whiskers to his dainty gait
ers, was a mere exaggeration of his
mothers aesthetic sensibilities. If ma
ture had thrown in to boot little back
bone, or stomach, or passions, it would
have been better, but no matter. As
things were, one was not surprised the
country Jared on him. The old Mora
Wan town had apparently contented
him he had made studies of the bridge
and the quaint Eagle hotel, and the
fortress-like Brother and Sister and
Gemein houses, which the first settlers
built In the wilderness, of solid stone,
and which stand now unaltered in the
village street, solid enough to last for
ages. He had the gray, massive piles
IN craYOns, and in water-colOrs, and in
oils, with the yellow harvest sky behind
them, or a thunder cloud, or the pale
pink of spring dawn. Hore was q bit
of buttress with wild ivy flaming red
over IL there was a dim interior Of q
stone corridor, and an old woman,
cloaked, with velvet slippers and blue
handkerchief on her head, sat on high
backed bench, lingering the dusty strings
of an old violin, which she had Just
taken from it's case.
"That," he said, els one of the old
Sisters, Frau Baum. The Moravian
missionaries come home to these houses
when their work is done, and find shell
ter and repose. Life in them is but a
long, calm twilight. That violin was
unearthed one day from some closet
where it had been buried almost a
/ hundred years. If il had been knock.
ing about the world in that time, just
/ think of the thousands of waItzes and
| dances and song tunes it would have
! given to people It would have been
worn out, or at least have been common
and unclean. But there it Law, with all
its music, sacred and dumb, unwakened
within it. like to think of that"
1 could not follow the young mans
/ fantastic talk. "These houses seem to
| have had q secret enchantment of some
kind for you" I said, turning over the
loose sheets; and just as I spoke ]
| guessed that had found the enchant-
ment. I took up a carefuIIy-fnished
| picture of the door of the Sister-house,
a deep arched cut in the stone. In it,
as In frame, was young girl looking
back with laughing goodbye before
she disappeared in the darkness. There
was another sketch of the same young
woman standing in the graveyard, her
hands clasped, her eyes bent Thought
fully on the rows of fiat gray stones al
her feet.
"a portrait, George ?"
" Eyes" He hesitated. "The niece
of old Sister Baum. She is nothing
but q child-has lived her sixteen years
in that old house, Just as pure as a
flower that never felt the outside air.
Did you ever see innocence or unself-
ishness shine so transparent in any facet
! Dolly-that is her name-Dorothea.
That is poor picture enough; the real
| Dolly, with the simmer of yellow haiI
about her face, is fairer than one OF
Co,reggio's Madonnas."
Thought Dolly much less insipid thar
any of those virgins, who, surely, were
only Immaculate from sheer lack ol
! ideas. There were inexhaustible re-
sources OF honesty and friendliness, and
sweet temper, in this soft, pink tinted
face.
"Your Dorothea could bear the out
side air" 1 suggested.
"She will never be tried, hope,
suddenly shutting the portfolio with {
! scowl Surroundings make life, as
a background a picture. This little
girl will not leave the Sister House un
til-until come back for her"
He went on to convince me and him
self of the wisdom of marrying her
The ordinary run of American girl
we're necessarily tainted by the public
ity of their training and free manners
This girl ha dbeen reared in a seclusioI
equal to that of a French convent, etc.
etc. The Fannings, mother aud son
belonged to that class of Bostoniani
who stood on level above considera
ton of wealth, oonventIonality, or ever
birth. I thought that there was ever
probability that Dolly's hiatory, as j
had begun like story in n cheap mag
azine, would end in the same romantic
! groove. Mrs. Tanning was precisely tn
woman TO rejoice at her daUghter-in
laws picturesque antecedents, NOR
than in a dover of Pennsylvania Contra
sock, and would 20 through societ-
making ont of Moravians, and old sis
ters. and Gemein Houses q halo for Til
glorified Manonna.
George Tanning had been gone for
| year, however, when, being on a visi
to Bethlehem, heard mention of al
auction sale of some old chairs anl
crockery belonging to a sister Baum
who had died the week before; certaiY
lovers of rococo furniture bewailino al
ancient clock, which had brought TWEEN
ty-fve cents, and priceless harpsichorC
sold for firewood. Dolly, learned, hat
been carried off by cousin, living IL
Pennsylvania, who " charged herself
with the girls keep" She was, they
assured me, ga helpful young woman
a good housekeeper, and the best hand
! with children" Is more thar
| could be predicted on sight of any pic
| tured Madonna of southern Europe.
Dolly and her fortunes had died out
| of my memory when, a couple of years
! later, / landed from an old-fashioned
! stage-coacb, with a dozen other passen
gers, late at night, at the door of pre-
! tentious inn in country town in thC
/ AllePhanies. 1t was raining hard out
siaje cross women IN waterproofs
| whining little boys in knickerbockers
/ lunch baskets, screaming babies in crush
! Ell, white-plumed hats, umbrellas, and
/ gaping leather valises, were huddled il
one damp mass in the whitew ashed par
! loF, a kerosene lamp fiaring on the mar
tle-shelf, and a lady boarder, with {
chignon, calmly played Twilight
Dews" on the piano.
Suddenly, enter to us-Dolly. Hel
marvellous hair not in a frowzy halo, but
! tucked mp in a comb. She was ready
/ low-voiced she wore an apron with The
pockets full of keys. I knew her the
moment she opened the door. She
went quickly, quietly, to one and another
eyes, NADIA m, the rooms are ready
Yes, the fire is burning quite clear
| And You are all back already? Where
are the dear children? Let the baby
come to Dolly. 1 shall have time e
put her to sleep presently. An, how
wet You are :" loading herself Will
dripping cloaks and overshoes. "ComS
mp stairs at once, it is so comfortable
il is almost too warm there. I shal
bring your supper mp myself as soon as
you are dry"
One of the men asked if she was the
chsmbermaid. She might have beer
the chambermaid-these were all mental
things she did. But shelcarried quiet and
comfort about her, and we were wet and
/ shivering. What Dolly's social rank
I was did not matter 70 ms nor IN her