The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-12-16

the serious illness of her mother, she
capped SUBMITS and grand solitudes of the
mountains, and some oil sketches by which
without instruction she had attempted to
preserve some of the scenery she admired.
She returned developed woman. The
incidents of her frontier life had taught
her the real value of external surroundings
and conventional society. She had looked
life and her own real soul in the face, and
could never again be satisfied with a rou-
tine only for the sake of living.
Her sisters were now young ladies at
school. She entered into their pursuit of
knowledge with full sympathy. The insti-
tuition where they were was new. The
principal was anxious to collect a cabi-
net for the study of natural history and
she volunteered to assist him, and with
him, for this purpose, she stuffed her first
birds. They had very little instruction
from any one. What they lacked in knowl-
edge she supplied by invention.
At length she returned with her sisters
to the old home at Madison. Its rooms
were low and bare, but her genius made
them beautiful. Her mother, with a pas
sion for flowers, had a profusion of roses,
fuschias and geraniums, and magnificent
English ivy. This she trained over book
shelves and cabinets, windows and doors,
and perched among its dark green leaves
scarlet tannius, golden orioles, and many
other less brilliant, but not less graceful
birds. A large engraving CT Stuart's Wash
iugton was framed in leather work by hor
skilful fingers, while bits of landscape en-
craving and of distinguished faces cut from
magazines, were framed in mullen stalks,
which had upon them the dried seed cap
sules. The invention was her own, but
when finished with stain and varnish, the
oval frames suspended in groups with red
cord and acorn tassels, were as beautiful as
the design was unique. Dainty squirrels
and hummng birds perched upon or slyly
peeped from behind them, the flowers
seemed growing from pyramid of moss,
while underneath her fathers pet cabinet
of geological specimens, on messy rocks,
group of young, downy wild wood ducks
sat in lazy contentment or stretched their
wings in happy delight, all but one-one
had caught sight of cunning white weasel
Just stealing round the corner of their
ledge, and was the very picture of fright.
Her little May was inconsolabe over the
accidental death of her pet rabbits, but had
them restored to her so perfect in form and
attitude that she thought they ought to eat
as before.
In less than a year the house was the
admiration of all who entered 1.-THE very
ideal home of an artist and naturalist.
From the first, her success in giving life
like attitude and expression to her speci-
mems was wonderful The family remem-
Der, with no little amusement, the usual
remarks of strangers about those rabbits.
Glow tame your rabbits are" 1es,"
would be of course replied. After MOTTO
ing few other things they would say again:
81 never saw such rabbits-do they never
move?" and, coming nearer, they would
discover how the artists skill made the
dead live again. Her sister, who had often
helped her. found one day dog curled up
so naturally in an easy chair that she cuffed
it with an order to get down, only to find
herself deceived by Mrs. Maxwell's skill.
Rosa Bonheur never stud e horses and cat
tie more faithfully and lovingly than Mrs.
it was mere recreation, however, and a
means of satisfying the artist longing of
her soul.
Mr.. Maxwell was still struggling with
adverse fortune in Colorado. She had the
care and education of her little daughter,
and her share Of the household work upon
her hands. In that household even hours
of work were also hours of study and
thought. When the sisters were together
one would read aloud while the others were
occupied, and, in this way, many authors
were read and discussed. At length it was
deemed best for her to return to Colorado,
and, accompanied by her eldest sister and
daughter, she and her husband once more
found themselves home on the frontier
this time at Boulder. 1t was there, in the
Spring of 1866, that she conceived the idea
of making collection of the fauna of that
regime for scientific purposes.
At first she depended upon her husband
and the boys of the neighborhood for speci-
mems, but as she saw many that were rare
when there was no one near to shoot them,
she revived her long ago acquired knowl-
edge of fire arms. Once having taken the
resolution, nothing dauuted or discouraged
her. She accompanied her husband ON his
business trips, camping out and sharing
every hardship, that she might secure new
specimens and the better study of their
habits and attitudes. Many Of her adven-
lures were amusing-some nearly tragic.
Once, in driving across the country, they
discovered an eagle soaring over its nest in
the upper branches of a cotton wood tree.
She felt sure from the birds movement
that the nest contained eaglets, and was
very anxious to get them, but the tree was
large and its lower branches a considerable
distance from the ground. MIR. Maxwell
declared his willingness to climb it, and
made the attempt, but failed. What should
be done? Eaglets were rare. "Could you
only put me up on your shoulders, l be-
lieve l could reach the lowest limbs and
then know l could get them," she said.
Mr.. Maxwell is six feet high and broad in
proportion; she hardly five and by no means
heavy. He laughingly declared that no
great feat for him, if it would be any ad-
vantage to her. The nest was reached and
she returned to his arms in triumph, with
one downy eagle in her bosom and an un-
Matched egg. That night, hen, upon
maternity intent, completed the incubation
of another king of birds. Unless destroyed
they are still in nest in the collection sold
in st. Louis, for she was compelled, for
pecuiary reasons, to sell the most of her
first collection when she had prepared abou.