American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-05-18
A New England Miranda.

Celia Thaxter is well known as poet
to the readers of the atlantic. She is so
thoroughly New Highlander that she
revolves around Boston and seldom APP
pears in this city. Her life has been
peculiar and romantic. Her father was
a local politician at Portsmouth, N. H.,
and having failed to get an appointment
which he had every reason to expect, he
became disguised with mankind in gen.
eral and politicians in particular, and
resolved, like Yankee Timon, to re-
nounce society. Consequently he
bought one of the islands known as the
Isles of the Shoals, and retired there
with his family, determined never to re-
turn to the main land. He adhered to
his resolution; he built rude dwelling
and remained there until death, some
16 or IS years. On the island (Apple-
dore, formerly called Hog Island) Celia
Leighton was born, and there she grew
up, never visiting the shore, her father
having forbidden her to do SO on pain
of his eternal displeasure. When about
16, lovely and natural girl, lawyer,
much older than she, went to Appledore
for his health, having heard much Of the
restorative influence of the open-sea air
upon the lungs, his own having troubled
him greatly. Her father refused to
have him under his roof but finding the
lawyer bent on remaining in any event,
and that he had erected cabin of his
own, he finally agreed to accept him as
q boarder.
The result may be anticipated. The
New Hampshire Miranda could not be
thrown day after day into the society of
the invalid Ferdinand without inspiring
and being inspired by the tender passion.
She had never seen any man except her
father and two brothers, and she would
therefore have fallen in love with Thax-
ter had he been humpback, his name
Spriggins, and his trade undertaking.
He would not have been quite human
had he been able to pass days and even
ings on the rocks girt by the ocean, I'M
der the sunshine, starlight, moon-beams,
in the delightful companionship of that
child of nature. What happened was
inevitable. Father Leighton was amazed
and enraged when the lover asked his
consent, and vowed he should never,
never, never have his daughter, Thax-
ter swore then by Blackstone, Coke and
Littleton that he would have Celia with
out the paternal sanction, and was so
sure to keep his oath that the recluse |
yielded reluctantly. The two were
Joined in wedlock, and as the lawyer |
had greatly improved in health, he took
MS bride to the main land, and they
vent to Boston on their nuptial tour.
Since, she has divided her time
between Portsmouth, Boston and the
Shoals, spending the warm months on
Appledore, where she has a cottage.
Her brothers, Cedric and Oscar, have
money by the annual influx of summer
,isitors. Celia Thaxter is the chief
ion or lioness of the place, and enter
aims many of her admirers and friends.
She is enamored of the Shoals, thinking
hem unsurpassed for pleasantness, pic
and health. They con-
family figure in her verse. She has
written little book in prose about
hem, and she never wearies of chant
ng their praises. Her husband is not
cen very often, his wife appearing to
njoy herself despite his invisibility. She
5 buxom, of liberal avoirdupois, of ex-
client health and digestion, talks flu
ntly and eloquently, and if she owns
ny secret sorrow she does not parade
for the qualification of the curious.
he is not longer young in years-she
must be 45-but she is as young in feel
ng as she was in early womanhood.
he has a son grown to mans estate
letter to San Francisco Chronicle.