American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-01-23
VOL. XIV.


MIR. Scrid seemed TO stare down il
round-cyed surprise at the unusual pro
| ceedings from the wall, and little stove
erected for the day blazed spitefully
blushing red on one side, and emitting 8
strong odor of backing from the other
| Flower-pots from the Captains con
servatory were disposed about gilt
looking glass. Mrs. Scrid and the neigh
bors who assisted her skurried about with
flushed faces, and whispered nervously
together in corners.
| The minister came with his book then
the bride, conscious of her blue silk
gown; then the bridegroom in white
waistcoat. Talk about the worldliness
of city life! Condemn the European
marriage de conUendnce! Verify, a tritle of
the leaven must have crept into our
country homes when young Deborah
stood there in her blue gown willing to
wed bottle-nosed Capt. Crocker for the
house on the hill. The minister made
| them man and wife, and Deacon Bangs
| overturned one of the fiOwer-pots by way
of conclusion to the ceremony. Perhaps
the roses of Deborah's girlhood were
then crushed forever. She enjoyed her
hour of triumph. ROckybeach was very
respectful to Mrs. Abraham Croker
| Uncle Asa cracked his joke with the hap
by couple. Cake was served, and 1umpy
reluctant freezer. Rockybeach did not
taste ice-cream every day. Returning
home, the walk of the would-be spinstcr
Abby was enlivened by doleful signs on
the part of her mother and occasional
shifts from Uncle Asa, more eloquent
than words.
Grandmother piped over the dough
she was kneading, $50 DeboraA's gone,
ehs and we've got our Abby agin.''
Oh
blessing" said Abby, grimly. And in
deed it is small wonder if the poor soul
scas grim by that time.
She sought her own chamber, and
took a handbook from the cupboard. A
faded daguerreotype and packet of let
tiers were enshrined in this homely re-
ceptacle. All me! little consolation even
here. These relics belonged to Albert
Marshall, lover of her youth, who had
lifted her. At least she could be faith
full to the memory of her dead love.
II is unpleasant to be no longer young,
and still more unpleasant to be sharply
reminded of the fact. While the Cap
tain and his bride were jaunting away in
the stage-coach on their wedding jour
ney Abby Fowler was fighting her own
battle in her little room. She sat with
her elbows on the sill of the window,
through which her longing eyes had
searched hungrily for a wider horizon
many years. She was tryingto face her
to paint it in vivid colors she could find
only pale neutral tints on the palette of
her imagination. 1t looked blank enough,
certainly. The first bloom of youth,
which glorifies the plainest face, had
vanished forever. The Captain, in all
his repulsive ugliness, was her last
chance of having home and family of
her own. She was to join the army OF
old girls. Tears came to her eyes as she
pictured herself the unwilling recruit to
swell the ranks.
"God help us air. cried She "Why
could there not be war for women, to
restore the balance? / suppose there's
the heart of robbed mate bleeding
somewhere for every soldier sleeping on
our battle-fields" If there was work
for her to do in the world she was will
ing to do it; the puzzle was to discover
in which direction it lay. Her spirit re-
belled against believing that the path of
duty led only to the brick school-house.
She longed for wider sphere; there was
all the dormant energy in her nature
which had carried her brothers to sea to
perish in its storms.
"They died like brave men," said
Abby, proudly.
Jane White could teach the academy.
But she-what could she not do if she
tried, with enthusiasm enough to learn?
Here she made a mistake. No school
marin taught the young idea of Rocky
beach as well as herself, especially in the
matter of geography. This was the key
of her ambition She wished to see the
| world, and SO described countries geo
graphically 10 the children IN way that
could not fail to interest them. To be
principal of the academy had once been
her highest ann.
At the age of four her small feet had
carried her up the hill to the fountain
held sacred in all New England homes
the schOol-house-to receive her initia-
tion into the mysteries of the alphabet.
In those days master reIgned over the
boys and girls-a master of the dry,
reticent, learned type, wearing a wig,
and addicted to snuff
Later a girl of twelve, tall, thin and
freckled, with a limp sun-bonnet under
her arm, stood before his table to hear
the master dissect her first Greek transla-
ton. This girl was Abby Fowler. How
he pierced it with little sarcasms and
quotations.! How he revealed the faulty
construction of sentences! With a smile
curving his thin lips the master, having
demonstrated that larger crop of errors
could not have flourished on the strag-
Cling page, gave it back. The girl re-
ceived the paper in silence, but there
| was a warning glitter in her eye. If
there was true metal in her it would en-.
dure encouragement, the master re-
| Elected. There was metal, although he
did not dream of the form into which
fusion, from the fire of his severe rebuff,
would shape it. Her pride was stung by
this public exhibition of ignorance.
will learn enough to fill your place
yet-see if | do notr' Thus spake the
| flashing eyes as they shattered rays of
| indignation on the back of the masters
| wig. Night and day the busy young
brain toiled, stimulated by this aim.
| The pages swan before her eyes, her
dreams became nightmares of uncon-
querable verbs and Sphinx-like problems.
She worried herself into fever, and out
of it again, thanks to a strong constitu-
| ton. The town came to speak of her as
likely gal" Albert Marshall, young
| and enthusiastic, said: "Good for your
Hopeful Marshall laughed indolently,
while twining violets in her dark tresses,
| using the brook for "A mirror. g What's
the use of a woman's knowing so much? ~
The solid structure of Abby's educa-
| ton, founded on a broad mathematical
basis, had also domes and pinnacles of
| Greek, Latin and Hebrew, although she
had no familiarity with modern
| languages, or music beyond the bounda-
| ries of psalm tunes. The old master was
| superannuated, and Abby duly installed,
| for Rocky beach held Il unanimous opin-
| ion that girl who could read the Scrip
| lures in Hebrew, instead of plant En-
| glish, was capable of reignIng over the
| academy. But her spirit was progressive.
| She was infected with the indefinablc
restlessness which stirs all the nerve
currents of nation still young, with a