The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-07-23
4 WILLFUL WOMAN.
From Harpcr's wcckly.l

ian say is this, said Mrs. HnNman, with
much emphasis, us II she were leading
up "a a crushing crisis, 81 sH@il hav" no
patience with Won. and shall think Won
are acting very ioollshly.
The person addressed gaze Il little
laugh. which sounded unc1nVintrl, al
though for the last half honr she had
lc,n assailed 10y arguments on the above
subject. some good deal Dtf ia" line If
application. others undcnilbly true.
Yes. Won may laugh" said Mrs.
HinNman. resuming the charge after II
moments pause, "but | can t2il You
one thing: this life Won are l"Il;ug Is by
no means improving. | do N: say II
has hurt YOU vet, although goodness
knows. the heads of many would have
been almost turned 10y all th2 the adj
miration ana runningaftcrIou hay" had.
But what il 10 bccom" of II all ? That Is
what | look ~. Ii can no! las. forever,
and It will be wonder if .,oH are not
snoiled for married life. or II single one
either, soon. Now, rs Mr.. Cnchton's
wife"
at has not been proved vet that Mr..
Crichtuu desires at all 10 have III" i'll
capacity" said Miss Graham, with anotl-
or little laugh. And if II were, my
OWE inclination goes for something III that
the matter, | suppose.
Your own inclination oIght Ia be
for what is good for Won. sad Mrs.
Hinxman senten:iuuSly.
"Slrsaparilla? Brilns:on" and trcacle?
What is il Won give your children III the
spring, Emily. especially III, naughty
ones 2?
Yes, that Is just what Won are lik--
vcry naughty child-mul you ought 10
know better NJ Your age. Aud So,
hope. Won will. conciUded Mrs. HinN-
man. shaking her hand at her friend, rs
she rose from her wiring table.
Friends tried and tine they v ere, since
their schoul-frllow DAYS. some dozen
vcarsago. Mrs. Hinxm N Aal soon mar
RED and settled down 20 household cares
and periodical babies. Alh,r:" Graham,
beautiful. clever, and attractive III al
VANS. had, on the coli.rarT, taken her
full pleasure ont of life. and now 1t
thirty was better looking than she had
been at twenty. and, What was = 10 "X-
pcctcd, considerably moro wilful. Like
the Lady Of the Lea; she had objected L.
the tlralldomof marriage. although, like
that Inflated dame, she had almost un-
had been always rs untouched as APP
p,ared, il would be impairment here 10
inquire, since the matter has nothing Ia
10 with the present history. Ii one
might hazard Il con- ,cture, il probably
had not, being warm 10y nature, however
much kept in check 10y strength Of will.
About month ago she had come on
visit Ia her friend Emily HinXman, VIII"
80, l.v IN, t,
heart If rural sulitudCs III the west If
ENGLAND. Welsh hills formed the hori-
Zpu al one side, but here tho land WAS
rather fiat than uthcrV is, with hIllow.I
uuuuIs rising here and th"le, and long
lawns ami meadows that now were green
with Nav, own sweet grecnerv. The
many interscctmg lanes and dells and
hedges were white with blossom and
featLcry white bloom. and fair, quiet
and sweet rest " seemed capable OF Icing
found here, II anywhere uu earth. Mr..
Hinxman WAS not a particularly nca
man, but he hunted, shot, iished, cDuIs"'t
at Their various seasons, and was cIlmly
cuntentcd with his good little wife and
pretty children; and what can country
gentlemen want more? In good truth,
he cnyied no man living, and, if he did
not rave at his good fortune, did perhaps
Il wiser thing in enjoying it practically,
without too much endangering thought
as To its component parts.
For EiIus Achates he had a neal
nrIghbor-nO other than the Mr.. erich
ton so much recommended TO Miss Ora
ham 10y her friend Emily. Mr.. Crirh-
toms house WAS larger than Mr.. HiuX-
mans, his property more extensive, and
his income more desirable, and Mrs.
Hinxman had not been wrong iii prIising
him, or in taking his intentions fOI
Granted. Her only error in the matt@I
lay in supposing that Nature, who never
mistakes our capabilities, Lad intended
her for q matchmaker. With very
truthful turn Of character, vehement
sincerity of manner that bOTdercd upon
bluntness, and disregard Of caution ano
tact that would have been the despair o
a diplomatist, She yet had entered with
ont lnisgiving ON this her maiden field o
action. Moreover, her warm little hear
being much interested in the result, she
WAS now a good deal heated and discom
flied that Alberta could not he brOugh
to own the right amount of interest in tn,
lnuch-praised Mr.. CrichtOn. Alasl i
was with this very much-praiscd Mrs
HinXman had defeated her own ends
Had she been endowed in the smalles
degree with penetration of character, sh'
must have seen that to urge Alberta /,
the match, TO praise and be forcve
bringing up Mr.. Crichton's virtues, Il
throw the pair together too obviously
and point ont the advantages Of tin
union in every moment OF privacy, wa
precisely tine way to set her willful frien'
against il. Happily, however, it ha'
not shaken the friends Ill their affection
for each other.
As Mrs. HinXman prepared to leav
the room, she said, "There! / shall
leave you now to mediate on my goo,
advice" and Miss Graham, rising too
opened glass door leading out on to
balcony.
The morning sun had kissed an,
warmed 1t, leaving it happy for the day
although stepped III shadow; aud Alberta
looking out from it into the fair sunshin
dappling all the countryside spreaC
wide before her eyes, took i'll the blen
perfume of aromatic leaf and swcc
flower with half unconscious apprccii
ion. Mr.. Crichton had walked over +
breakfast with them, ON the plea Of
matter TO talk over with Mr.. HinxmaIi
which would have kept month withou
injury 10 any living mortal, and now tia
pair were together i'll some Of their uslla
haunts about the place.
Alberta sat down III the balcony, dom
for once exactly as her friend had nd
yised her-thmking over her advice
There had been some truth III IT, beyon
doubt Conscience on being appealc
TO, replied To Alberta, that it WAS poss
bic even she was getting little hpoile
10y the life she was leading, a little to
independent on the homage and fiattory
even though she might laugh at them;
little too confident Of her conquests.
little too callous toward the hearts sll
made 10 suffer. She had honestly trie
10 steer clear of these shoals, but to
much prosperity and pleasure are no
less dangerous now than Eschylus es
teerned them in his day. Then tlli
quiet, settled life, so full Of its own cali
duties, giving leisure TO cultivate tn
best and noblest part of the nature
alike Of men and women, had grow
upon Alberta more than she had bee
prepared for. The very mountains o
the horizon had become dear, and tn
country had something Of briery wild
hess and sweet freedom about it that he
own home, situated in one of the tril
fiower-garden counties, seemed to lacl
But did she care for Mr.. Crichton