New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-10-31

tempte TO overcome II. There was only ont
Of them who had succeeded in breaking tn,
circle of this reserve, and her intimacy will
the WOodwards seemed rather another o
her oddities than anything characteristic O
them.
The household of the boarders displayed
that disparity between the sexes which il
one of the sad problems of the New Eng
land civilization, and perhaps enforced it
little more poignantly than was just. They
were not all single ladies; a good third o.
the fifteen we're married; of the rest som,
marrying, and it could not be confidently
said of others that they wished to change
their state. Nevertheless, ones first sense o.
their condition vas vaguely compassionate
1t seemed pity that for six days in the
week they should have to talk to each
other and dress only for their own sex
Not that their tiolettes were elaborate
they all said that they liked to come tt
the WoOdward's because you did not have
to dress there, but could 20 about Just az
you pleased; yet having the taste of all
American women in dress they could NO,
forbear making themselves look charming,
and were always appearing in some surpris
ing freshness and fragrance of linen, OF
some gayety flannel walking costume. The
same number of men would have lapsed
into upshaven cbins and unblacked boots
had their pretty looks on their consceneee,
and never failed to honor them. Some of
them even wore flowers in their hair at
dinner-heaven knows why; and the your z
girls were always coming home from the
woods with nodding plumes OF bracken in
their hats, and walking out in the dusk
with cOguettish head-gear on, to be seen
by no one more important than some bare
footed, half grom, bashful farm boy driv-
in q homa tho Tho aka c<a 4
their children out every morning in clean,
whole clothes, and patiently put aside
at night the grass-stained, battered,
dusty, dishOnored fragments. Even one or
two old ladies who were there for the coun-
try air were Jealous to be neatly capped.
The common sentiment seemed to be that
as you never knew what might happen, you
ought to be prepared for it. What actually
happened was the occasional arrival OF the
stage with an express package for one of
the boarders, and passenger for some farm
house beyond, who ut very rare and excit.
ing intervals was man. Once day the
young ladies went down to the village after
the mail, and INDUCED themselves with the
spectacle of gentlemen dismounting from
the stage at the hotel, which at such mo-
ments poured forth on piazza and gallery q
disheartening torce of lady boarders. Reg
ularly on Saturday night, when everybody
had gone to bed. this conveyance drove up
to the door of the farm house and set down
the five husbands of five Of the married ladies
for whom it called again on Monday morning
before anybody was up. These husbands
were almost as unfailing as the fish balls at
the Sunday breakfast; and when any one of
them was kept in Boston it made great
talk; his wife had got word from him why
he could not come; or she bad not got word
it was just as exciting in either case. The
ladies all made some attractive di ference
in their dress, which the wives when they
went to their rooms asked the husbands if
they had noticed, and which the husbands
had not noticed, TO man. After break
fast, each husband took by the hand the
child or two which his wife had scantly
provided him Ia family of four children
was thought pitiably large, aud marvel of
responsibility to the mother), and went of
to the woods. whence he returned an hour
before dinner, and read the evening papers
which he had brought up in his pocket.
In the afternoon he was reported asleep,
being fatigued by the ride from town the
day before, or he sat and smoked, or some
times went driving with his family. His
voice as the household heard it next
morning at dawn had gayer note than at
any other time in the last thirty eight hours,
met the regulation jest about her renewed
widowhe cd with q cheerfulness that was
apparently sincere.
1t may not have been 80 dull a life for the
ladies as men would fiatter themselves;
they all seemed to like it, and not a woman
among them was eager to get back 10 her
own house and its cares. Perhaps the re-
membrance of these cares was the secret of
her present content; perhaps women. when
to comparatively natural state
are more easily satisfied than men. 1t is
certain that they are always enduring ex-
tremes of ennui that appear intolerable to
the other sex. Here at Woodford farm they
had their own little world, which dare say
was all the better and kipdlier for being their
own. They were very kind to each other,
but preferences and friendships necessarily
formed themselves. Certain ladies were ha6-
itually visiting, as they called it, in each 9th,
er's rooms, and one lady on the ground floor
was of hospitable genius that invited
the other boarders to make her room the
common Longing and gossiping place.
Whoever went in or out stopped there; and
the mail, when it was brought from the
p0st0ffice, was distributed ana mostly read
and talked over there.
Till bed was put into the parlor one of
the young ladies used TO play very little
on the organ after breakfast on rainy days.
One OF the married ladies, who had no chill
dren, painted; she painted cat tail rushes
Scuoi uOb worry llAo, buu you PLAINLY re-
cognizable. Another embroidered; she sat
with her work in the wide doorway, and
those passing her used to stop and take up
one edge of 1t IS it hung from her fingers,
and talk very seriously about it, and tell
what the had seen of the kind. Some of them
were always writing letters; two or three
had special gift of sleep, both before and
alter dinner, which distinguished them from
several nervous ladies, who never could
sleep in the daytime. The young girls
went up the mountain good deal when
ever they could join a party; twice when
one Of their brothers came from the city
they camped out on the mountain; it was
q great thing to see their camp fire after
dusk ;'Once they came home in q rain, and
that was talk for two days, and always q
joke afterwards. They had q lot of novels,
not very new to our generation, which they
read aloud to each other sometimes; they
chapter, but believe they
never finished 1t; the youngest kept q
lurnAl, but she did not write in it much.
She could also drive; and her timid elders
who rode out with her said they felt almost
rs safe with her ~ with man. All the
ladies said that the air was doing them Q
great deal of good, and, it not. that the
complete rest was everything; none of them
had that worn-out feeling with which she
WIS told that she would see the change
when she got home in the fall. Two or three,
In the mean time, were nearly always sick
IN bed. or kept from meals by headache.
From time to time the we'll ones had them
selves weighed 1t the village store, to know
whether they had gained or lost. They all
talked together good deal about their
Of which, whether they were
sick or we'll, they each had several.
this the lie ct Woodward farm, to the en-
tire simplicity of which am afraid 1 have