New-York tribune., 1880-06-27
MONA.
A SUN PICTURE.

A SUN PICTURE.
l.
.Tm!-an uncommonly nice little girl. Wonder 1fe
who she is. BY Jove! lively sort Of place to i've
These remarss coursed gently through the brain
for no one that ever heard of soiloQuises out of
nrint-of q Young gentleman leaning on garden
wall Neither the face nor the figure 1tthe tninKer @
suggested the habit of speculative Thought. he
forehead was broad, not high, the nose rather
prominent and narrow than broad ana cogltatvei
the eye bright and IndOent rather than thougntIuI
and dreamV : the mouth--well, the mouth left one
in doubt for it was heavily mustached; while the
chin relieved fir >m heaviness by tho clear chlsel-
ts1ss6ie 81 thnrs TSe figure broadchested
hipped powerful yet ltthe limited at actcn ratner
than repcse; while just then the attitude was
the outer man was of tweed and cut OF the latess
date while book was thrust under one arln anu
cloud Of pale blue smoke from m?erScnau atope ppe
specuiatlons were, therefore, not born OF the inner
Consciousness, but prompted by concrete oDl@ect, @
of the garden wall. A large square inclosure It
was with fine old trees knotted and gnarie'i' tnelr
branches entanged growing as they anG cbcS ee
rObbing the old red-brlck walls OF thelr IuHuy
color. That was what he saw. Chickens ciucked
and pecked on the winding ts sss that HAT
one could scarcely say where one began anu the
other ended The boS,Iees as II angGy az cress Gre
the beds crushing the low-lying margold and snap
dragon at their roots. High up waved the little
yellow flower Of the There
was the rare blood-red lobea up against the little
lilac phlox. Hard by the purple elenats cang to
flowers lifted their warm hearts to the sun.
In the tangle of this forsaken garden stood
slender little maid Hatsss 3acSetless less tapO nounGe nd
skmpy. the shoes worn and shabby. Her appear
ance altogether as neglected as her surround
abSdows on the grass set the little red head in
glow :of light, lit up the warm wmteness OF tne
throat the rosy & hg PIsH in her deepse
eyes. slender dimpled wrist, ana pahu, lonS-
firm, and tapering, were stretched up among tue
fingers. She handled it lovingly; then suddenly
frcakishly bowling to the snn-1owers, placed the
great flower reversed cap;wlse on her neaa: one
was as unconsciously aftess as o figure from a
Midsummer Nights Dream Raising her shabby
frock on either side she again bowed solemnly tins
time to an imaginary partner ana PtUceeaep She no
moved TO and fro, softly hunming to herself until
she suddenly and for the first tine caught sight OF
n stranger leaning on the wall.
.Oh-6-h exclaimed the girl. the s9n-hower cap
falling off her head she rushed OF, darting one
fiery glance at the Intruder. -. .a... .o;, &,
It is curious how even our best efforts faii IN
their fulilment, Our facetious attempts often lnVlo
small scOrn. while our most righteous wrath Is
successful only IN producing inlr m tho pio'ens en
reared in no wise disconnected; but, on the otner
hand, seemed to watch with some interest tue
pathway that had swallowedinp the fa1r dancer
Later ON the maid-of-all-work, who had been IN
duced by her little mistress to take her place IN
feeding the chickens, declared she saw some one
iump over the wall as she came out into the garden
but there miss she remarked, there's no keeping
out them boys A.,
eldest of six Mrs. NEWMAN had passed the ileC
seventeen years of existence In that pacld uneyent
full fashion usual to small minds. She had peen
roused 10 astonishnent, perhaps for the first time,
when the Rev. Mr.. Newnham intmated desire
for her neutral-tinted cOmpaniODslllp US not III.
harmonious accompaniment In vale OF tears. IL
had been a source of unparalleled JOY tQ the bride
that she had been proposed TO and lnarIled before
her three edeI ana wIsna fqo tbe Tren
stalk But alaa! the uninterrupted contemplation
of this triumph had paed during the course OF years.
For time, who heals our sorrows, deadens even a
ioy like this. One sister ero long had died. another
had gone to Australia The third & MADE ad IN muGh tI
deed was alluded to more i'll sorrow than in anger,
implying something OF loss Ill moral elevation
her own carriage.
When the Rev. Mr.. Newnham died at the early
age of thrty-six, and dissolved partnership, his
survivor found herself compelled to face hle sltua-
tion and make the best OF the dimlnutiye fortune
q conscientious mother i'll her way she became. She
sold all the furniture she did not require and be-
ing offered at Il nominal rent an old farm house
That had long been unnhabited she established her
self therein to the unbOunded delight OF the children
The battered old place lay at no great distance
from the old home, there yet remained one or two
elderly consultations compatible with her fortune
and her weeds One of these was bi-annual tea
drinking with the new vicar. Another seaL III
church facing o box-shaped tablet with two feet,
wbereon were chronicled and set forth the many
virtues and consequent regrets OF the late vicar
and has Darishioners. M,
The elder bcys were sent away to school, The
girls tunbled up rather than were brought up IN
snv strict sense of tho word. Mrs. Newman, In,
deed had the ncatest little plans for keeping up
Nona,s studies and bringing what little uncertain
history and Frenchthat yet remained to her TO pear
on her mnfhankful progeny. But the human mind
is various and the calls OF duty manifold; Whlie
Mrs Newnham was ascertaiI,Ing that the mald-oI,
all-work was unimpeachable as regards outter and
the butcher above suspicion in the matter OF fore
Quarters the minds of the little Newnhams waxed-
as new-I1ade wine-bottles-soundy yet empty.
But as Mona grew up her mental vacuum was not
conviction of her unearnedness was on the high,
road 20 mitigating her offence she devoured and
INV ardy digested every scrap OF print that came
Ia her way, IRON Jeremy Taylor TO the local news
heart tho few books that snsbbiuess had spared
for fle moral and mental Improvement OF the Newn-
haru household. Mona had In truth obeyed Bacons
injunction. read much not m% many any things when
The old vicar had died Iand the inew vicar had
come TO reign in his stead. Now the new vicar was
vonng and neutrality-suspicious. circumstances
that caused an unwonted hutteT IN the neighbor;;
on Mira. NEWMAN. The lady was affable and rust
lima. and with the help Of gold eye-glass dis
c.rs, covss,red I she was charmed with everything.
Quite o dslightfal place, reai elt 9ea-Issalonea'
In mcan 80 picturesque hhe added, perceiving 1t
xas az the dubious order of complainant
The ne xt object of interest turned out to be the
vnsusf,ecfing Nona Ny dear child, yOn ought to be
nssntsd. Now the Gsosvenor Gallery. would take
ycsd s said Mis- GibSins, rocking hsrss and
{sos and half-shutting her eyes. Beautiful hair,
suits the Bctticelli tint