American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-05-08
An ERROR IN JUDGMENT.


An ERROR In JUDGMENT.
Her life had made her what she was
"a cynic. She had always seen her
therdepreeiated, sneered Mt, trodden
on, IS the weaker vessel. Her father
had brought up her only brother to
glory in the fact that he was boy, and
II he lived. would one day be man:
when = child, IL asked how many chill
dren his parents had, it had been his
habit to answer, "one;" he generally
added: % to be sure there is girl; but
then girls don't count" and people
laughed at him for a bright lad. She
had taken . secondary position always;
even In baby-hood had been forced to
yield every wish to the will of this in
cipient lord of creation. In childhood,
girIhood and early womanhood, she,
with her mother, had been constrained
to serve and bow to these two. She
did this under a mental protest always
-at first she was unconscious that she
was protesting; but Mt length this took
form and shape, and broke into open
rebellion She despised her father and
brother, and hated all mankind. Was
It narrow and contracted for her to
Judge all, by two? Perhaps it was, but
two. that she knew intimately, and we
are apt to judge the unknown by the
known She had heard women rallied
at always, their mental capacity scorned,
their physical strength laughed at; and
she, woman. was angered, insulted, en-
bittered. She did not stop to consider
that Knockers of women are always men
of ignorance and conceit; men inflated
with themselves, pulled up and bloated
with self-pride; did not stop to review
the growth of intellect, and to discover
that in Nations of most refinement and
culture and education women met with
honor and esteem; but in barbarous
Nations where the order of intellect
was low, where men were debased, and
brute force prevailed, she wa, least
regarded. These two men, with AFRO
gancc absurd in itself, assumed to know
Ill that was to be known upon every
subject, whilst she constantly found
herself in possession of fund Of knowl-
edge which to them was closed book.
She met them ut every point with sullcn
silence; was bitter. hard, unsympathetic
70 every one but her mother. She be-
ieved that all men considered women
made to serve them, to make their
homes orderly, and pleasant; believing
thus, her position, as we have said, was
but natural.
When she was twenty four her mother
died In her last hour, the crushed,
though latent strength of her character
revived; she demanded q lawyer, and
in the very presence of her husband and
son, willed her somewhat considerable
property wholly 10 this, her only
daughter, and appointed as her sole ex-
n yxfl
she had scarcely met a dozen times, but
whose face she trusted. Standing on
the border of the spirit-land, she had
had the courage given her to do this
thing The daughter sat holding the
hand growing steadily colder, with q
look Of despair; the husband stood with
slow red creeping up to his white
forehead, then dying away, and leav-
ing him pale in the presence of this
rcbuke; whilst the son, a coward in the
presence Of death, shivered and left the
room.
That was year ago. In all that time
she had devoted to her father magnifi-
cent home all the conscientious care
that her mother had bestowed upon it
during a lifetime; had treated these
two with cold politeness. the chill of
which had penetrated even their self
compiacency. They were not comfort
able in her presence, and she only a
woman In that year she entertained
their guests for them Their meals,
when alone. were silent and embar-
rassed; hence, for relief, they had con-
slant visitors Among these she won
the name of being a brilliant woman,
but cold as an iceberg. In that year
she even had offers Of marriage; she
declined them each with the horror
and scom that freed slave would feel
for renewed vassalago. This very
scorn, this very bitterness, had its
power; men of intellect and culture
eagerly sought her society, charmed by
her well-st0red mind, her ready wit,
and the underlying vein of disbelief
and sarcasm that continually cropped
out At length, when her mother
had been in the better country a
whole ycar--such respect did this
man show to custom and her MEM
Ory-he announced at the dinner
table, in the presence of his son, as
u he had lacked courage to tell her
when alone, that he purposed bringing
home . bride. She did not make a
comment; for few moments there was
silence-full of miserable discomfort.
Her face was thoughtful and quiet, like
one who considers before making a
decision; then she said, and there was
not even tremor in her voice, 1.-The
house will be prepared and at your dis
posal-"
They both understood her as well rs
II she had explained her plan. The
same deep red that had crept up to his
forehead at the making of his wife's
will did SO now, and the same pallor
followed. but he said nothing. The
son, whose manner until this past year
had been n perpetual sneer, was silent
also, and handled his fork nervously.
That evening Mr.. HOLSTER, her execu-
tor, received q note requesting him to
call the next morning, as she wished to
see him on a matter of considerable i'm
portance to herself; she was sorry to
trouble him and would make a point of
being rs brief as possible
Her father had invited this gentleman
TO the house continually. They both
felt the embarrassment Of the position,
and sought to cover it over with good
will, hence the Invitations were
accepted - given. To Mr.. Hollis
Ter the circumstance in which he found
himself was unaccountable. Why a
: lady in dying should have appointed him.
strmger. to MI the place Of tho nat
ural guardians Of her daughter Puz-