The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
PRETTY MRS. 0GELyIE.

time she appears in church with crisp
msuye mus'ius floating about her and q
d4iuty mauve erection on her head
which presumably she calls bonnet, J
know at once how it VIII be- And Of
course the other sex viii range them
selves on her side TO 3 man that is also
beyond question. As she rises from her
knees and takes her little lavender
gloved hands from her face and looks
about her for a moment, with a sweet sly
glance, she Is simply bewitchiDg; and
doubt if any male creature in our musty
lit-ie church pays proper attention 10
the Responses FOR ten minutes aiterWard
A new face IS 8 great rarity with Us, and
such a new ace one might not see more
than once il q decade, so let Us hope we
may be forgiven.
As [ gaze ct the delicate profile before
re, the coils OF golden hair, the complex
ION ike the inside of sea she'll, the
slender milk white throat and the long
dark eyelashes, which drOop nedestIy
over the glorious gray eyes, shall l own
thst [ steal a glance OF disapproval a.
Mary Anne-my Mary Anne, the partner
OF my joys and sorrows tor twenty years
and the mother OF my ak children
Mary Anne's figure is somewhat over
blown, her hair is tinged with gray,
and the complexion of her good hu-
motei face il slightly rubicund. But
she has been q good wife 10 me, and
feel, with twin of compUnction, that
have no right to be critical, as / think
Of a shining spot sn the top ef my head
and of e little box l received from the
dentist only month sgo, carefully se>
cured from observation. But as we
emerge from church I draw myself up
20 Il - ~
trailing native robes. Jack. one of our
six, stumbles over the train. which
gives me an opportunity of rai-ing my
hat and spologz zing for the brst's awk>
wsrdness, and | am rewarded with g
sweet smile and an upward glance out of
the great gray eyes which IS simply in
toXicating.
eve must call on Mrs. OgiIvie at
once" I observe 10 Mary Anne as we
prsceed across the fields on our home
ward walk. 1t Is my duty as her
landlord to find out If she is comfortable
She Is lady-ike per n" l continue,
dir dramatically iorbearing TO alIude TO
the obvious beauty " and I dare say,
M dear, you viii ind her an agreeable
neighbor."
50 Lady-hke |" cries my wife, with 8
ring OF indignation IN her voice. "
don't call it iady-like to come TO q quiet
country church dressed as if she were 90
ing TO a fOwer-show. Besides, she Is
painted. A color ike that can't be
natural. But you men are all alike
always taken with a little outside show
and glitter"
" But, ny dear" I demonstrate, "per-
haps she did not know how very cOuu.
tTified and bucoIic our congregation Is.
l really do think it will be very unneigh-
bOrly if we don't call. It must be very
duh for her to know no one" I ignore
the remark about the paint, but IN nay
heart | give the assertion an emphatic
contradiction.
Mrs Ognvie has rented a small cot
tage which l own in the west country
village IN which I am the principal doc
tor. She IS the wife OF naval officer
who Is away in our Flying Squadron,
and has settled IN our sleepy little hams
let To live quietly during his absence.
AL her references have been quite un
exceplionable, &nd, indeed, she is slightly
known to our Squire. as is also her abb
sent husband. "a splendid fellow he
Is, Mr.. billions tells me; Stands six
feet in his stockings, and is as handsome
as Apollo indeed, 1 don's believe that
for good looks you could find such an
other couple IN England"
The following day Mary Anne, with
but little persuasion, agrees to accom-
pany me to the cottage TO call on Mrs.
O4ilvie. The dsor is opened by a neat
maid servant. She Is at home. and we
are issued into the draWing-room. which
we almost fau to recognize, so changed
illt.
Presently Mrs. Ogilvie comes in. look
T-1r~
cid the day before. She is in g simple
white dress, with here and there g knot
Of blue ribbon about it; and she has q
bit of blue also in her golden hair. Her
manner is as charming as her looks, and
as she thanks my vile with pleasant, cor
dial words for being the first OF her
neighbors TO take compassion on her
loneliness. I can see that my Mary Anne,
whose heart is as large as her figure,
bssely deserts the female faction and
goes over TO the enemy. Mrs. Ogilvie is
very young, still quite a girl, though
she has been married three years she tells
me.
sit is dreadful Frank should have to
go away" she says, and the tears well
up iu her large gray eyes; "that is the
worst Of the service. See; here is his
photograph" lifting 9 case from the
table and handing it to Mary Anne. ''Is
he not handsome?"
"He is most undeniably so, If the like
ness speaks true, and we both say so :;
Mary Anne, with the privilege OF hel
SIX and age, adding a word as to the
beauty OF the pair
80, yes," replies Mrs. Ogilvie without
the smallest embarrassment; eve are
always called the handsome couple"
l suppose something Of my astonish
ment expressed itself in my counteDsnce
for she smiles, and says: " am afraid
you think me very vain; but I cannot
help knowing that I am good looking
any more than can help being aware
that my eyes are gray, not black, and
that my hair is golden. 1t is gift from
God, like my talent, valuable one too
think it, and / own that l am proud o
it for my dear Franks sake, who admirel
il 50 much"
Yes, this is Mrs. Ogilvie's peculiarity
as we afterwards discover-an Intens,
and quite open admiration of her owl
beauty.
At tirst every one is astonished at thi
idiosyncrasy of hers, but in a little Will,
We all come to laugh at it; there il
something original and amusing about
it; and In all other ways she is so charm
ng.
My wife, with whom she speedily be
comes intimate, tells me that she is sure
she values her beauty more for her hus
bands sake than her own. "She evi,
IDENTIFY adores him." says Mary Annie;
and he seems TO think so much of hel
sweet looks. She says be fell in love
with her at first sight, before he ever
spoke to her.
But Mrs. Ogilvie has many more at
fractions than are to be found IN hel
face. She is highly educated woman
q frst-rate musician, and a pleasant and
Intelligent companion, and more ethan
all, she has a sweet, loving disposition,
true heart at the core OF all her little
vanities. She is very good to the poor
IN our village, and often when am on