The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-06-01
RETTINE, THE DANsEUSE.

clever. Her relatives had all laid down
/ heir burden of responsibility and died
of thankfully upon the slightest provo
cation, until BeJtine was very much
alone in the world, and of an opinion
that it was very improper place for
her to be in, in her unprotected condi-
tion.
| However, her particular provocation
to retire from this sphere Of mortal
action in decent Difference to the GUS
toms of her family had not yet appeared,
and lingering along in life the young wo-
man found among Inc necessities OF her
situation the necessity for work.
l have before mentioned that Bettine
was neither very pretty, very accom-
piisbed nor wonderfully clever, either of
which endoWments might have gained
her living through the respectable
door Of maTrImony; but, being the kind
OF negatlon that she was, Bettine could
neither become upper servant in gen.
tleman's hUuse, nor yet goyerness in his
family, nor could she turn herself TO any
such business as clever women make
gain OF when forced 10 fight their in
dlyidual battle In the arena of lite, and
she therefore did diligently the one lit
tie thing that her hands found to do,
which was branching artificial flowers
for one of the great shops.
Being quiet girl by nature, Bettine
maze lew friends, and none at ali in the
tcnattering, small, necessitous world OF
lfloWer-branuhers | in which she was en-
ployed, but, there were three ladies'
three testy, kindthearted, precise maid.
Ell ladies who showed her much kind
ness IN their testy, precise waY-at
whose house, on rare occasions, she EN-
Ijoyed tea.drinking, from whose narrow
and painfully orthodox collection she
sometimes borrowed b0ok, and from
whom she always received that precise
amount OF good advice TO which the
young, hard-working and unprotected
are entitled from those Of maLured judg.
ments VINO have leisure in when TO
mink pure thoughts and to practice vir.
tue.
Nevertheless, and in a measure be.
cause Of the iriendliness OF these be.
neVolent, pious and precise ladies, Bet.
tine was often a very lonely and very
melancholy little nody.
The room in which she lived, moved
and had her being was not in the slight.
est degree q pleasant place to stay in
Her human nature Was starved and tor.
tured by her human surroundings, thai
were continual indignites TO sigh
taste, and smell-the divine within nel
L
array OF chimney pots ebscuring hel
window, and atm0spheres OF cooking
dinners, Of burning bltumen, and innu.
merable wasning-tubs cons sLituted the
skies continually stretching above her.
considering THESE circumstances, il
is not to be wondered at 50 much thai
Bettine, had only the taintest possible ap.
probation OF that exceedingly blue and
circumspect hereafter held in such
dreadful awe by those respectable
maiden ladies who were her friends
and that the two greatest goods, oi
which the girl had any real unuerstand.
ing was the beautiful Central Park and
lis wonderful museum-that the two
greatest am bltions OF ner small existence
was to possess, for her own, a case Of
gorgeous butterflies and grotesque bugs
sucn as hung in cases on either side VI
the stairway In the museum building
to be buried, when she should be relieveu
from the necessity Of living no flower
branching, in the shining sea where
by some process Of Intelligence quite
IuneXplainable and uncOmprehendeu by
her, she lully expected she might arrive
at a thorough knowledge and under
standing of all those pink-lined, fancifu
and glislening shells at which she now
could only look with intense longing as
they lay before her spread cut in theil
long cases, and about which she dreamed
strange dreams, fantastic as fairy tales
tpure aud roseate AS the corals white and
pink, brilliant as the WaVe-groWn ahem
one.
But there came a day when the anx
ieties of mere existence and the pangs
OF hunger gave Bettlne something be-
sides golden-winged butterflies or Gun.
| Nf " lp
or z I'D, OF irridescent, TO think about.
Inc firm lor which she had worked heI
little work OF artiticiality failed, aud
with them failed that small weekly In.
come upon which the young thing de-
pended tor subsistence. And Bettine Was
not clever. Such mind as she had was all
absorbed in those longings alter knowl.
edge and the beautiful, which mad stolen
from those prOsaic details or eating and
slee ping to which the cieverest OF us dc
deyoir. Such little skill as she had. been
able TO acquire all lay in the graceful
scentless combinations, in imitation o
natures sweetest forms, to which hei
work.lite had been devoted, and this
failing her, what should she DO?
I The three ancient and honorable la
dies, VINO OF a surety would have All
yised her, and perhaps have lent her as.
|
friends are apt to BIZ In the hour Of ones
need, and after weeks OF weary striving
70 1T herself into some little groove ol
labor where, by the grace OF God, she
t might decently continue to exist, Bel.
tine at last found herself pennlless, des
olate, and utterly discouraged in all
plans of usefulness toward which she
, mad directed her small endeavors.
AS she sat thus dlscons olate in thai
j.. little dingy, heavenless room OF hers
weeping as the young and weak weep
who are tired, incapable, alone, anc
hungry, felfow-lodger came rapping a.
The uoor.
This fellow-lodger was also young ant
heayy-s pirited. She had also her little
broken columns OF hope, her little his
tory OF poverty, and it is easy to speal
t of famine and distress where peopl,
, meet on common grounds. So the un
/ happy little floWer-Drancher told he
story OF trial and despair, asking at tht
, finish only that assistance which tn,
uoor may lend each other:
"WhaL shal doW
"Oan you dancep asked the visitor.