The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-04-27

| ihlUVs' Nnat flOra furlOng COuId work
out as to his salvation did not occasion Law
renee thought; but her luminous black
lashed eyes, with their long white lids. and
the way she had of lifting them, her melt
ing mouth and velvet skin, her hair like fine
spun gold, her luxurious hesh-al that was
a fascination, and if he was not passionately
in earnest he was in a fair way to be so.
"Why, she's nothing but clay, rose-leaf clay
flesh aud blood | don't believe she has
soul, or anything that answers for one Z"
cried Mrs Hounslow to herself "a Fur
long never did"
Flora Furlong to fill the measure of these
Dire unS of her4 to make her boys home
If he was to have a wife. she was to have a
| daughter and the daughter was to be her
acquisition or her burden all day long, and
Lawrence's delight but an hour or two
LaNrence's burden, too, instead of his bles-
sing, by and by,it it should he the Furlong!
And she had As good right to ass 3rt her will
as he had 10 assert his she krew the best ;
and were not she and Lawrence one, after
all? So ran her revere
Foolish Mrs, HOunslow! The wind bloweth
where il listeth and you might as well try
to turn that wind back whittier it came by
blowing ain-t it as to turn the young mans
fancy 10y any breath of yours.
1t was Flora by whose 81 Lawrence was
ever to be seen 1t pleased his sense of beau
ty to look at her it pleased his sense of
pride to be seen with her it fed his bud
ding passion to feel the magnificent creature
by his side He squandered his money in
flowers and books and music and the like.
She wore the flowers but when with her it
meter occurred to him that the leaves of the
books were uncut aud as for the music, he
was in that state when frog, if it had been
as beautiful as Flora, would have croaked
divinely.
But Mrs. Hounslow was not a woman tc
endure without struggle. She called some
wisdom to council. She did not express per
sonally the slightest dissatisfaction with
Flora, but she allowed other people to speab
disrespectiully of her when Lawrence wa
within hearing, knowing the force of publ,
| opinion she took care to admit her beauty
although in the same breath telling some in
cidental tradition to the discredit of he
family and she was very hospitable to tw,
fat old toothless auntS of Eloras, dwellin,
with sympathy aiterward on the loss of tn
beauty OF their youth, and the exact like
ness between their youth and Flora's. &"
suppose" said Mrs Hounslow, "that Flor
will look just like them twenty years away
u Well, it is something to have had beauty,
9 What fate, to see ones self turning t
blubber ! Perhaps it would be wors, ,thoug
to see another, ii YOU cared. By the way
Flora ca d here Tia 8 afternoon. She ha
tAe oveIiest enamel belt buckle she ca
wear one the size of Il spread-eage." The
- his mother looked up at him with twink
that could hardly help beirg contagious
"Ah ah ~ she said "what Il thing it is t
be Lawrence Hounslow's mother have u
the pretty girls declaring me the most de
lightful old woman But | suppose | mu,
leave choice"
"When | marry, mother" LawrenC
Indignantly began.
2. "You will suit yourself-and me, toe
Dear me !" she went on, 81 had almost fol
gotten your Cousin Fanny is coming, poe
thing, and | am inviting all hese girls t
: come and make it cheerful for her. Sh
loves young people, for all her crabbedness.
And as Lawrence acquiesced, no one but HI
mother knew how his heart was beating a
the time.
Poor Mrs. Hounsow Lightly as she spok
/ then, it was not without tragic scene j
:. her room, with her husbands portrait ft
e sole spectator, that she had come to the cor
}, cluSion to try her experiment. not becaus
r of the experiment, but because of its reason
d All! there was the btterness-that the idC
t was broken, that Lawrence. whose fatht
G all, nothing but clay She wiped her eye
0nly for another burst of tears, another bla2
n \ Of Indignation, to think that her marvel of
e rnsGl was so small as to be tricked out of h
y will by such a subteriuge as her contempt
. BILE experiment.
a As they lived few miles from town, Mr.
p Hounslow had some excuse for her comps
n ny. She had often heard that you neve
r know persons till you live with them; Law
renee was to have chance to know Flor
Furlong. What if il should end by his pun
70 suing a better acquaintance with Louis
: Mandell! She began her operations by cor
v, fiding in Cousin Fanny-a maiden lady {
uncertain age and temper.
Il "Qute right, responded Cousin Fanny
r. 81 suppose men are necessary in the scheme
G but if had been making the world coul
a have dispensed with the element"
IS Fanny" cried Mrs. Hounslow, regare
ing this as derogatory to her defenseles
IS husband and outrageous to her living son.
= "Oh, indeed !" said Cousin Fanny, 18th
:. best of them is only stomach. They al
all simple elevations of the jelly y-fish, thei
g great prototype and he is nothing else. Yo
d can reach their feelings, their affection
z; their passions their intellect through tn
d stomach How many q man has marie
: his cook The whole secret of domesti
a quietiijust to keep that stomach we'll filled
Mrs. Hounslow could not say word 1t va
o on exactly that theory that she was prC
1t ceeding.
e Three days of the visit had not passed b'
fore an easterly storm gave her an opportl
3 nifty B3rs. Hounslow had been scarcel
g, able to conceal her disgust over Lawrence
J. devotion to Miss Furlong. "There is som,
" thing animal about that girl ~ she exclain
i once, as Flora left the room.
n very" echoed Cousin Fanny, "Whe
s she eats-l declare, when she eats' expe
= to see her put down her face like dog an
's lap the gravy"
IT Lawrence's banging the door shook Il
'e house Lawrence was douby kind to Flol
g that night. lie sang with her, and then
l. took her into the little conservatory. "YC
,! should always wear those rich stripes"