Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-04-29
MY ONE CLEAN OF ROMANCE.

l am afraid that 1 am only prosaic
sort of being. Now and then the young
ladies whom meet in society think me
unromantic and perhaps uninteresting.
The gay hues of morning become lost in
that "light of common day" which be-
longs to the afternoon of life. For me
it is a quiet, cheerful, happy afternoon;
with the music of the voices that love,
the fragrance of the flowers / tend. 1
know, too, that for me the bracing even
skies be flushed with immortal hopes.
Once had a CLEAN of romance, which
grew, indeed, into steady radiance;
it is mainly the ordinary episode of
woman's life-I think it perhaps more
romantic than happens to most young
ladies of the period, and hope that they
too, may have a CLEAN equally pro-
pitious.
We were the six daughters of coun-
try vicar; we lived four miles from the
county town, which was also the cathe-
dral city. We were very happy nest
of girls, save for certain unpropitious
love affairs, which, however, came all
right before the end of the third volume.
Our 'Squire's son was very attentive to
my elder sister, and our Squire, though
very civil to us, was not supposed to like
it, for he had trotted off his son for
long tour, and nobody knew for how
long it might be. My second sister was
engaged to my fathers curate; help
lessly, hopelessly engaged. He had only
hundred year, and was not to
think of marrying until he had at
least another hundred. I came third.
The rest of my younger sisters have
become engaged to the series of subse-
Quent curates. My father could not af-
ford to send us to school, but we grew
up somehow, and, like flowers, we grew
up toward the sunlight. The education
our good mother gave us was some
thing like s. Shakespeare. taste, and the
musical glasses but our father added a
robuster fibre. He considered that boys
and girls ought, to q certain extent, to
have the same education. Like Shakes
peare aforesaid, we had a little Latin and
less Greek, As far rs Greek goes never
got beyond the irregular verbs-those
rocks which have shipwrecked many a
young scholar-but in Latin I read sew
eral Of the easier classics. did not COM
pose any Latin verses; because my father
very properly said that young ladies
should not write verses, but have verses
written to them. I had done the first
three books of Euclid" and in algebra
had gone as far as quadratic equations,
but not into them. do not mention
these humble attainments boastfully, but
Because it will be soon seen that they
have something to do with my little
story.
My father was able to give us good
home, but then knew it was not a home
that would last always. did not see
that there was any necessity in the ma
ture of things that we six maidens should
always be living together OF course, it
is necessary that one or two girls should
always be at home looking after the father
and mother, but half dozen were really
more than sufficient. Imade up my mind
thus: should like to go out as governess.
the notion. The living was fairly good
one, and the notion had never entered
their heads; but it had fully taken pos
session of mine. was naturally fond of
teaching, and had done even more than
my share in teaching the younger ones.
Moreover, should like to see bigger
world than that which our village made
/ p, except that on Saturday we went to
I he neighboring city, where we did some
saopping and marketing, walked about,
and went to hear the anthem in the Ca
thedral. One day saw an advertise
ment which seemed to suit me precisely.
A governess was desired by country
gentleman in the NIidlands, to teach |
three little boys. Now it was that my
boyish education came in excellently.
These lads were intended to go to Rug
by, and it was discovered, after some
little correspondence and comparing of
notes, that should be able to educate
them up to the point of entering Rugby; |
even my father said SO, and my father
was man who was sternly just and par
ticular in these things. and would not for
worlds let any of his children fly false
colors. Then this gentleman and lady |
wanted my photograph, and was rather
ashamed to send It, for I was only apoor |
small brown little creature. Those who |
loved me said that had loving eyes, |
just like our dog Pompey, who, am !
sure, had eyes that were simply magnifi-
cent, only eyes do not come out very |
well in photographs. However, the
matter was ultimately arranged between
my father and these people. suppose
few young ladies made 50 good start
first off in the governess world as did
at nineteen, and all because I was
able to teach the boys Latin and
mathematics. was to have fifty guineas