Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-12-04
StletteO Storp.
HER OWN PILOT.

1, all happened st Swsmpscou. Not 8
very promising scene for q romance, you
may say. But on this great stage-thC
world-there are many exits and en-
frances; and if all the men and women
were not in some sense players, very
pretty audiences might be gathered for
the private and often unconscious theatri'
Gals at even such quiet little seaside
town ss Swampscott. 1t is not Newpor'
or Long Branch, 10 be sure, nor even
Nahant-it you take Nahanter's opin-
ion on it. But more beautiful drives 1t
is not easy to find than the Ocean road to
Lynn and beyond. or out TO quaint old
Marblehead- whore fire has SO recently
devastated what time, and storm, and
the march of So-caIled improvement had
spared. The rocky bluffs are crowned
with dark forests, where one may lie on
the moss-mattreSSed rocks and hear the
restless spirits OF the pines sing their
Eolian melodies to the accompaniment
of the far-sounding sea, amidst solitude
as dense as when the Indian chieitains
brought their families hither 90 cure fish
and play OF vacation. There are three
6ae beaches for bathing, and the shore
line is broken aud diversified by rocks
trees and lawns. The summer houses
are handsome and ye; home-like. and the
small fishing fleet and cottages add to
the picturesqueneSS Of the scene. 10
the left the open sea stretches away to
the horizon. while the eucircling haTbor
and distant light houses complete a pic
ture which makes the barren stretches OF
beach. scattered along our coast. with
their great human hives Ut hotels, seem
ike huge burlesques upon pleasure re-
sorts.
Well down TO Swampscott, one sul,cJ
July day. came pretty Grace Chandler,
her poor head tired with months OF
"school-ma aming." Her goOt aun:
always saved q cosy little room. with "a
sea view, window latticed with creeping
vines. Tor Grace" Entertaining angels
unawates the dear old soul declared was
well enough in is way, bu; she preferred
to be sure OF her angel; aad 50 sac LAID
claim % the Courageous girl who met The
disaster 10 her fathers fortune 10y seeking
3 p.ace-she did no, call II accepting a
siua,ion"-in the pu0hc school. The
High school l-ds. wh5 as4 Sned their
rouuc-about-. .aul came 10 that de.iciously
tormeutlug age wheu boys just oegio t"
tee there is difference IN gIris, declared
that the ancient maideGs aud crusty old
bachelors OF the school committee kept
Grsce in the primary departments out Oh
pure spite to them. But those OF Us who
have "cone 10 forty years could tell by
one look at the subject OF the lads admira-
ton, thai unless "obiecl teaching" in
that most intricate of all studies woman
nature-were ths purpose OF the school,
Miss Gracie's place certainly was not in
the upper grade.
OF course am not going to tell you
how the young woman looked. What
the wise De Maistre said about pictures
that the best part of them dehes descrip-
tiou-is even more true of women. She
was twenty; slender, but normally
healthful-with one OF those 1.-the, deli
eately outlined, trim figures that reconcile
one 10 the "pull-back," and convince
the most skeptical beholder that some
women are superior 10 the dreadful test
of q bathing suit. What more need be
| said. except that Grace had the easy,
gliding step that tells of the gymnasium ;
that she could sit horse, or pull an oar,
or shoot an arrow like girl in the latest
/ English novel; and that she had one oil
those faces and complexiOns, often seen
/ in the old New England towns, limiting
| plainly OF DR.. Holmes double-sash plate
| glass protection in winter and out door
| lie and luxury in summer. for four or
| FIVE generations back. She had large,
clear, steady eyes-"gray as glass, as
Old CHANGER described the type for all
time-illuminstiug q face that at once
piqued interest, and excited admiration
/ A discerning man would as soon think OF
I being silly or rude 10 his grandmother, or
| disres pectiul to the mother-in-law ne
hopes to win. as OF trying any nonsense,
| with the owner OF that face, whose calm
eve, takes bis measure as swiftly and ae-
I curately as fashionable womsn Will in-
ventory the wardrobe oil her rival. Grace
was not phenomenal. but typical high
type Of girl. She spelled her culture
/ with sn 7, and didn't prsle about II al
I that. The things that she needed 10 use
she knew thoroughly, but didn't omit to
/ pack away a great many useful odds and
/ ends of Information, and pretty accom-
plishments of various sorts, for tear OF
being called superficial" She read the
I books that she liked, just as she ate the
! food that agreed with her. and could play
hand OF whist without losing her tenn
per. darn a stocking without verbal oI
mental accompaniment at the nature o
the work; she never read Emerson, mol
pretended to dcte on poets, aud in gen
ersl she could do girls work IN the way
a sansiole mother had trained her.