Litchfield enquirer., 1878-02-07
From Blackwooks Magazine. THE TENDER RECOLLECT1ONS OF IRENE MACGILLICUDDY.
PART II,

Oi IlC HCAG tAO f6dTS dlICI l1AAoAOlsoiiS with Chowder, oscillated good deal Some times 1 sought distraction in gaiety, and then swung back into study. One of my principal settlements was fighting papa in the matter of my settlement, which, now that there was to be no Chowder, he wanted me to consent to cancel. This 1 stubbornly refused to do, and, as will appear later, to good purpose. By degrees, 1 found myself becoming rather an awe-inspiring creature to the young man of the period, which was all the more aggravating to him, because, pecuniarily was so desirable. Now and then one in shy, timid sort of way would muster up courage to propose to me on quite inadequate encouragement; and one per tinacious man would not be content with four refusas. This made me rather cynical and when I was not cynical, was learned, with a materialistic tendency, and theory of evolu- ton of my own. Decidedly was becoming dssagreeable, and so, finally, I found myself drifting away from my old associates in to a sort of literary c0terie where my talents were more appreciated, and where could meet | men whose conversation was pore congenial to me than that usually indulged in by the Spuyten Duyvellers. And here I would wish, pttr 1oarezatlese to say few words to those young gentlemen, for whom 1 have a cordial and tender feeling. In the words of the old song We have lived and loved together; ;" 30 am sure. if I'venture to gi ve them little wholesome advice, they will take it in the spirit in which 1t is offered. 1 am speaking not only for their good, but in behalf of my own sex. l remember one evening half-a-doze en of us girls, counting up the young men i who could converse intelligently on any of the literary, scientific, or even political, ques- tions of the day. When wehad got up to two we were obliged to stop. Now this is very l hard upon us. We don't want to be driven to resort to old married men or foreigners for in- | teilectual recreation; but what are we to do? | When you are not down in your eternal Wall Streets, you are out at Jerome Park, or look
 ing out of your club windows; but as for i'm forming your minds, and giving your natural l ly bright intellects some wholesome food to | digest, which should make you instructive az as well as agreeable members of society, you won't do it. No wonder we have to fall back on English dukes, or any distinguished stran- ger we can, when our own countrymen will not qualify themselves properly to be the hus- bands of intelligent and well-educated girls. I am sorry to have to speak so sharply, but nobody seems likely to, if 1 do not, and l feel that l owe you some explanation for hav- ing taken an Englishman when 1 had the whole Spuyten Duyvel Club to choose from; 1 have made it, and l hope you will ponder over it. and profit by it.
 Thus it happened thae dining one evening with the celebrated Professor Bivalve, whose researches have done so much to throw light upon the history of the human race in connect ion with the remains of jackasses recently dis covered in transition state, in the western part of this continent, 1 found myself sitting next to a remarkably handsome man of about thirty evidently, from his accent, English, and from his naughty look, and polished man uers, aristocratic There was a breadth and power in his massive forehead, and light in his grey eye, and a decision in his strong firm mouth and jaw, which captivitated me at once; in word he was magnificent illustra- ton of the survival of the fittest. 1 was evi- dently etil susceptible, whatever l might have thought to the contrary. The bril- fancy Of his conversation was quite in keeping with his intellectual appearance, though it Had not I yet been addressed to me, as we had not been introduced. My kind host, soon relieved us from embarrassment on this score, by present. ing him to me as ''NIr. Tompkins." It took me a minute or two to recover from the blow which this very plebian name inflicted up- on my feelings, and in my confusion, quite lost some very curious facts which the profes- sor was narrating in regard to his own special origin as bearing upon natural selection in gen. eral. However, soon recovered, and as an agreeable preliminary remark, T opened the conversation by asking my companion wheth- CT he did or did not consider the existence of Battrybius put in doubt by the voyage of the Challenger. It is needless for me to attempt to give here, in my imperfect language, the entirely new and startling theory in regard to the past history, the present condition, and the future prospects of the human race, which absorbed me by its entrancing interest throughout the whole of dinner
 MT. Tompkins found me such an intelli- gent disciple and listener, that he readily agreed to take me with him on the following lv>I, nomena which have heretofore been overlook ed on the banks of the Hudson, in connection with the Palisades Indeed, all round New York, if people only knew iA there is an inn mense field of inquiry for the scientific mind Mir. Tompkins and |, regardless of the risk of chlls and fever, examined it thoroughly There was nobody to intefere with us; he never went near the gay yand fashionable world. 1 was too happy to abandon 1t utterly in such delightful company, and thus keep him away from the snares of the other girls who, al though they could not have appreciated his lofty intellect, would certainly have been fully alive to his manly beauty. Mamma had ap- parently given me up as hopeless {; 1 was quite out of her depth and did not think it worth while to introduce Mr. Tompkins to her dur ing the early stages of our acquaintance as 1 felt sure they would not suit each other The only aggravating thing about him was that he never would for moment leave the ground of science for that of sentiment. We clipped rocks and dissected molluscs together, but he appeared to be profoundly unconscious that he was chipping my heart and dissecting my feelings all the time in the same ruthless man. ner, and it seemed quite impossible to make him take a hint He was apparently absorbed to the exclusion of every other consideration till quite got to hate it for, after all, what ever our origin may have been, or whatever may be in reserve for us inthe future it is evi- dent that if the species is to be kept going at all, it must occupy itself with the present. I often triedin the most delicate way nthe world, to suggest this view of the question to him. Theoryis valueless five neglect the most favor able opportunities of practical test and experi- ment. Imagine my horror when one day in answer to these hints, he gave me to under stand that he had completed his labours in the neighborhood of New York; but that there was still missing link of which he was in search, and that he could only hope to discov- CT it by going out west and living among the Indians, where he could make the acQuain- tance of squaw.
 That afternoon I brought Obadiah-I for got to say that was his dreadful name-to our house, introduced him to papa and mamma, and made him stay to dinner; it was getting too serious. The idea of his continuing his ridiculous investigations at the price of the most treasured feelings ofmy nature was in supportable. Moreover, felt sure that he was under some extraordinary delusion. It was nonsense to tell me he did not care for me- It was impossible for two such congenial souls to be thrown together as we were, having every thought and interest in life in common, and not to care for each other. AS for myself, I | have been so frank hitherto, that 1 may con- tinue my confessions recklessly. I never knew what love meant till l met Obadiah. When 1 compared my weakness for Charlie, my incli- nation for Chowder, with my devouring pas tie there was in name, in family and wealth, or in rank. By the way, it had never occur red to me to ask him about either his family or his means; and when mamma cross-exam- ed me about them, I was obliged to plead to- total ignorance. This alone shows pretty plain ly how genuine my affection was for him. Next day we went by the ferry across to Stat en Island, in order to examine rock under going the process of spontaneous concentric