The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1879-02-06

reigns."
eyes, SIR" assents Jessie, demurely,
and trips away. l. -.
Mrs Glenmoreland. sitting before
her desk, on which is piled many sheets
of paper covered with eye-e1asperating
chirography, her right hand ner7ously
waving her pen about, her left grasping
her fluffy fair hair, to its great derange-
ment, allows the wrinkle of perplexed
thought on her brow to melt away as
the pretty girl appears.
"Gwendolen, my dear, she exclaims,
turning suddenly toward her, end there
by scattering the pile of manuscript in
every direction, "I want your ear. She
has the most correct ear this to an
elderly lady who is sewing Industrious
ly by small workable in the center of
the room. "Now my prose is excellent
and my poetry not bad-so am told /;
but sometimes my rhymes don't rhyme
exactly, but that sort of thing is only
allowed to the very greatest of poets.
I'm introducing battle-song i'll the last
chapter Of my novelette,, and I'm in
doubt about shurrah and war
srah' and war Are they twins, or
are they not, Gwendolen ?"
But before Gwendolen, who is on her
knees picking up the scattered papers,
can reply, somebody comes down the
stairs with rush and bolts into the
sanctum. ...... ......
"Mother, I kiss your little ink.stained
fingers" he says. " But all the same I
must have Browneyes; want her arm.
My grape gatherer is waiting for the
wherewithal to gather the grapes"
eft isl mean are they ?" asks Mrs.
Glenmoreland, as Jessie puts the manu-
script on the desk again, and places q
paperweight upon it. And then she
smiles at her son, who, after tenderly
rufding the ruffled hair still mora, kisses
the brow beneath it.
CT don't think they are," modestly
answers Jessie.
"Thanks, dear !" And the pen is
dipped into the ink again.
"And now, Browneyes, your arm
your arml" cries Denys, striking a
melodramatic attitude.
"Tm afraid you can't have it just yet
Mr.. Denys. I have promised your ia
ther my nose for an honr or so," says
Browneyes, dropping cunning little
courtesy.
"By Jove is the governor at work
again2 Ten to one he never finiehes it
I'll look in on him for moment Or two;
he'll turn me out at the end of that
time. By-by mamma"
81 really don't know what we would
do without her," says Mrs. Glenmore-
land, musingly, letting her pen fall and
blotting the sheet before her as the
young people vanish. r--s
"Meaning Gwendolep, Browneyes,
Jessie, or whattv yer her lame is2" in
quires the elderly lady (who by.the.bye,
an aunt of the authors, on visit to
her niece for the first time in fifteen
years). . -..
"Known as Jessie to her sponsors in
baptism, explains Mrs. Glenmoreland,
"but Denys has always called her
Bro Ineyes, and have habit of giving
her the name of my heroine for the time
being it helps to keep my story in my
thoughts. Dear, dear, how many names
the little girl has answered to since she
came here four years agol And she
never objected but to two Phantom of
Yellow Hill,' and flag of Murder
Creek And I don't much wonder at
her not liking them" ~, -. ..
"Neither do I,"says the aunt, with a
grim smile. "But you have never told
me anything about her. Who is she 2"
"Havtn't I? Well, as I can't take
up the thread of my poem-that horrid
Depys II II take up the cat lifting
pretty white and black kitten from the
floor" and narrate for your especial
benefit. You know when Gerald and I
were first married we were very unprac-
ical"-
CT should think so," interrupts the
elderly lady, with decisive nod.
zone scribbler of sixteen, the other
sculptor of nineteen" ..
"But dear mamma, with whom we
lived" her niece goes Oh, "made life
easy for us until nine years ago, when
she died. Then for five years all was
experiment and confusion. At first we
tried boarding; but the people with
whom we boarded objected to our break
fasting at odd moments between eight
and twelve, and thought it unreasonable
that we should expect little suppers at
midnight. And, besides, they also
complained that Denye-then only
twelve, but already developing the ar
tistic-used their best saucers, plates,
and other things to mix paints on; and
when the dear boy borrowed the marble
slab of the parlor table for the same
meritorious purpose, they became 30
very violent we were obliged to leave.
Then we tried furnished rooms; made
coffee over the gas in the morning, and
dined at the restaurant in the evening.
But we were sooE obliged to give up
this mode of life; the principal reason
being that the bill of fare proved such a
temptation; and to our shame be it said
having the most uncertain of incomes
that when our ventures were success
full we weakly succumbed to the tempt
or, and ate birds on toast, and broiled
chicken, and omelette-souf1e, and terra
pin, and all sorts of expensive good
things, as long as our money lasted, and
in consequence were restricted to bread
and cheese and dried beef in the priva-
cy of our apartments for week or more
after. At last, after baving dined sump-
tuously one day, with few invited
guests, off medallion and three-col-
umned story, and then being obliged to
live for two weeks on one short column,
we concluded to try boarding once more,
renting room at the same time in the
Raphael building, where Gerald could
fling his clay and plaster about to his
hearts content, and Denya, who would
not 60 to school, and would paint, might
he ont of the way of the ]andlady's china