The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-01-26

Thus he would maunder on to his
! journal, sitting alone in his ''study"-
| for since he had set up for a literary
character he must have his "study," of
eOurse-while Matte sat below stairs,
and darned little socks, and patched lit
tie aprons, and told little stories, and
sung little songs to her little brood of
bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked little ones.
But with all his conscious superiority
of intellect, Ralph was glad to avail
himself of Mattie's practical knowledge,
and he brought his manuscripts to her
to read and correct.
"You are perfect little bundle of
rules, you KNOW" he said, as he laid the
| first one before her.
"And exceptions" put in Matte.
81 suppose" he continued, "you have
all the rules of Syntax at your tongues
end, while | couldn't repeat one, though
| you did give me pretty severe drilling
in them when l was a great awkward
school-bOy. Just see if there is any lit
tie matter in the grammar that can be
bettered; the ideas will pass, 1 fancy,
and are not badly expressed, if l may he
allowed to say so; and that is the main
point. Your real genius seldom makes
| much account of grammar. He dis
dains to work in harness."
at is lucky for your genius, then, if
his wife is not one, too" laughed Mat
tie.
But she put him right in his moods
and lenses, praised his style, and told
him she was quite proud of his literary
achievement, while be stood with his
thumbs in his armholes, back to the
fire, and complacently regarded himself
in the mirror opposite.
The most of his articles were written
! for the Farmer and DdiTynlop, the
country paper, dealing with subjects of
general interest, and were really very
creditable productions.
1t was not very long after this when a
new writer, evidently a woman, ap-
peared occasionally in the f. and d.
She signed herself Bee" and attracted
some little comment by her style. Her
articles were always short, and appeared
at irregular intervals, and exhibited
only moderate talent and culture, now
aud then flashing up in little CLEANS of
sentiment, or subsiding into bits of ten
der pathos; just such, in fact, as any
bright, genial, well-read woman possess.
ing a good common education could
write. But Ralph seized upon them at
once, and declared that they were the
work of a superior mind, either pur-
pOsely disguised under garb of rustic
lty, or else not yet fully developed. He
read them to Matte at first, and was
lavish in his praise of them; but she
said she was very sorry to say she could
not discover anything extraordinary in
them. "They were well enough, she
supposed, but there were plenty of wom-
ell who could do as well-his sister Au-
susta, for instance, or-she herself, per-
maps"
Ralph laughed little ironically, and
said:
NOW, Matte, don't be absurd But
| never knew woman yet who could
bear to hear another woman praised
without showing pique."
He avoided any furthur reference to
Bee" in Mattie's presence, but he men,
| toned her quite frequently to his jour
nal; and at last, after due deliberation,
/ he wrote her short note, saying many
complimentary things of her articles,
and hoping that he might be so fortu.
nate ere long as to make her acquaint-
ance. "Might he not hope for a reply I?
! And would she not trust him with her
real name aud address ?" He then
added a postscript, to the effect thai
Mrs. Wallingford, although not so
happily gifted in mental point of view
as the 'Bee,' and whose mind was al
most entirely absorbed in family mat
ters, would still feel it great honor to
| necOme personally known to a lady OF
such acknowledged literary abilities.n
He did this for the purpose of giving
| her hint that there 9UdS a Mrs. Wall
ingford, for he did not wish to appear
under false colOTs, he said, and though
| Matte had not authorized him to say
anything in her behalf, and was ignor-
ant of the whole thing, in fact, he had
said only the truth; she would feel it an
honor.
He sent the note under cover to the
editor of the Farmer and Ddirqnldn,
with the request that he would forward
It to his fair contributor. He got fool
ishly impatient, for a man in his posi-
tion, before the answer came, and when
1t did it was far from being satisfactory.
The "Bee" was greatly indebted to
him for his flattering opinion. 'He
did her quite too much honor in pro-
posing personal acquaintance; but her
judgment assured her that, under eEiSt-
ing circumstances, it would not be wise
IN her to divulge her real name;" and
with few words of compliment to his
own success as a writer, the note closed.
!
hand; at least, it was written back
handedj otherwise the form of the let
ters seemed familiar
Well, he felt the rebuff keenly; but he
thought of her all the more. He wished
he knew what those "existing circum
stances" were. Were they unhappy d?
Nothing she had ever written would in
dicate that such was the case, but rather
the reverse; though that proved moth
ing. No one was going to make theiI
private griefs and trials the subject fol-
newspaper articles. He did not. FaI
otherwise, of course. He finally settled
upon the belief merely because il
suited him best to think so-that she
was situated very much as he was
united to some good, plOdding, but un-
appreciative soul, with whom she could
have no real companionship. From
that, he began thinking what mutual
help they might be to each other, if be
could but overcome her objections to q
personal acquaintance. How they might
strengthen, and encourage, and sympa-
Chize each with the other! And Matte
too, he said, what refining and elevat.
ing influence the occasional association
with such q woman would exert ovel
her. He would write again, after 8
while, Notwithstanding the cool recep.
tion with which his first overture hat
been met.
He did so, and with better success thi,
time. The "Bee" consented to CORE.
spond with him in friendly way, but
I E 1 l.