The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-02-27
OUT OF HER SPHERE.

OUT OF HER SPHERE.
II CANNOT believe that Mark Con-
greve fancies such a hoyden as Flora
Gibbs"
You will have to believe it, my
dear, for the engagement is announced.
All, Clara, if you live to be as old as I
am, you will believe anything Of the
fancies of men-anything, mean, that
iswild, and capricious, and extravagant.
Men never marry the women one would
select as appropriate; their choice is
almost invariably disappointment to
their friends. But l confess this affair
surprises even me, Mark Congreve is 80
exceptionally refined, and fastidious,
and esthetic, and Flora Gibbs is so COM
pletely outre and uncultured."
"Ies, the match is absurd; you, Aunt
Emma, may call it wild. or capricious,
or extravagant; l call it stupid.'
The speakers were Mrs. Orville and
her niece, Clara Hunt. They were busy
at their embroidery one rainy morning
in November, and feeling just in the
mood for gossip.
II pity Mrs. Congreve," continued
the elder lady; "she had other dreams
for her only son. There seems to have
been fatality in Marks return from
Europe six months before his mother.
She is expected now, so Della writes,
by the next steamer. What changes
she will find! Let me think; it is hardly
more than four months since Mrs.
Gibbs and Flora came to NJ, and
positively they have changed the tone
of the town. Mrs. Congreve used to
say that of all provincial circles our
circle of M embodied most refine
ment, most culture. We had. not one
inharmonious element until this Earring
encroachment of the Gibbses. To think
that Flora should be actually admitted
into our set! That is DIR. Erwin fault;
he is slightly obtuse ON some subjects,
and l suppose it has never occurred to
him that his mistaken kindness has put
the girl entirely out of her sphere"
While this conversation continued,
the November rain that had promised
to last for a day ceased suddenly, like
an April shower; the clouds were
breaking away, and with the clearing
of the storm footsteps sounded along
the wooden walk that skirted the villa
terraces of NJ. The gate of the
Orville villa was opened; a clear, ring.
ing, decidedly loud but not harsh voice
was heard saying, "Down, Fido, down!
Jack, lie down at the gate! do you
hear, sir? Don't come step further"
The doOr-bell rang; visitor was an
nounced: Miss Gibbs
"Show her into the library" said
Mrs. Orville. "And Clara, my dear,
remain; we will receive her quite in
formally"
Flora Gibbs entered, and was greet
ed with amiable politeness by the la
dies, but with decided luminosity by
the lap-dogs, which sprang from their
rugs at their mistress feet; Prince, the
tiny terrier, barking and leaping, and
Canute, the Dandie Dinmont, shaking
his fiossy head and protruding his
sharp little tongue with unfeigned dis
dain and enmity. After the salutations
this uprising of the beasts was ex-
planned, for Flora produced from under
her tippet white kitten and presented
it to Mrs. Orville.
"Mamma told me-" she said, show
you fancied our white kittens the day
you so kindly called, when she was ill
and l was away in New York" Mrs.
Orville glanced nervously at her niece,
who fortunately was engrossed with q
tangle in her embroidery silk. The
visit to Mrs. Gibbs-one solely of curl
osity-had been made without the
knowledge of Clara. "And this has
no spot Of color excepting one coffee
colored dot on the forehead and five
coffee-colored hairs in the tip of the
tail. But fear poor pussy is not con-
genial" And she laughed merrily at
the comical attitude of the unsophisti-
Gated little animal, which, having been
placed on the floor, put up her back as
we'll as a young thing could, and
opened her round eyes in full fire upon
her sudden foes.
"You are fond of animals, Miss
Gibbs" said Clara, languidly.
"Oh, very-of domestic animals, at
least; they are so easily trained, and
they are such affectionate creatures"
"You do not agree with Victor
Hugo, them" said Mrs. Orville, in her
tone of voice ezaltee, IS or his argument
why his hero loved the bear more than
the dog, because its affectionate ap-
prOach to man was from 'the greater
distance?'"
81 have not read, or, at least, do
not remember, that passage of Victor
Hugo" said Miss Gibbs. "But no, |
have never tried to tame q wild ami
NAL unless you call a man an animal.
l tried to tame man once"
All, indeed!' bo.h ladies gasped at
breath. LET us know the process. -
1.-The process was lost: for I did not
succeed. l tried to tame raving poet
to calm prose, but he eluded me: in.
deed, he conquered me, for deprecate
his rowing life, but read his verses. -
II suppose you allude to Vincen,
Merl?" said Clara, with the air of one
who knows far more of the subjec,
mentioned than the initiative speaker
And Mrs. Orville-with q frigid stare
at the impulsive girl, who had taker
Canute into her lap and held him, nov
docile, on one knee, with the passive
kitten, evidently meditative of an hon
Orable peace, on the other-changet
the subject markedly b, an abrupt
You spent October in New York, Mis-
Gibbs. ! imagine the season was sui
hciently inaugurated to make the nsusi
Gales, the autumnal races and the ar
galleries attractive"
Miss Gibbs hesitated an instant, ant
. blushed. Then. with a perfectly con
.tiding look into the matronly face o
Mrs. Orvi!le, who she felt would com
prehend the circumstance, she an
swercd, frankly: II had not q yer,
long time to stay, and spent most o
my time in shopping" .&5. #
Il should have thought" said Mis-
Clara, that you would have preferrc'
to send your orders to As an,
SIS and Rs, and then yo
would not have lost your visit"
"0h, did not lose my visit" sai