The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-09-10

love the stronger. 1 have seen his pic
ture; it is that of thick-set, strong
looking man, with regular features and
such beautiful, large brown eyes. One
forgets the rest of the face in looking at
those eyes, and Beth says it does not
flatter them one bit. She has read me
extracts from some of his letters; they
sounded to me quite ordinary, but to
| her they are wonderful. She thinks he
is almost too quiet, and that is all the
fault she has to find with him.
Mr.. Case, it seems, was not quite sat-
isfied with her promising to marry such
an almost utter stranger, and so he
wrote to the postmaster at N for
information regarding his character,
etc. He returned most favorable re-
port, which has somewhat satisfied Mr..
and Mrs. Case; but i doubt if any in
reference on their part could change
matters now. Beth is thoroughly in
love. She is so happy can talk of
nothing else; is busy as can be- She
has learned how to cook, and has sew
eral such pretty workdresses. forgot
to tell you that her husband is farmer.
She has studied all about making but
ter! She told me the whole process
from beginning to end the other night,
and really believe she could do it.
The house they are to live in must be
delightful! 1t is just two miles from the
village of N and stands on hill, with
woods on both sides, and creek run
ming through the roomy yard. Think
how lovely it is! so much nicer than
brick walls and gardens ten feet square.
Then the house, they say, is old fash
Toned, large and roomy. 1t was the old
homestead, and he and his mother live
there now. So she has no buying of
furniture to bother about, but can spend
all her money on pictures and books
and brtc-0-brac
DO you know, l almost envy Beth!
To have such strange courtship, then
to move off into a new country, full of
flowers and woods, and begin house
keeping in that old-fashioned home
stead! No doubt, rare and quaint old
furniture and china and silver are much
nicer than to begin, as Joe and shall
do Not that would exchange Joe for
her lover; don't think that for one mo-
ment! but | have known him ever since
we went to school together; then we
were engaged in most ordinary way,
and | know just where we are going to
live. He has bought the lot, and |
know Just what our house is to be. So
we shall begin in the little town where
| have always lived, with, everything,
even to the plants and trees in the yard,
new and lust started' looking. How
| dislike it! Of course l shall be near
home, and Beth will not, but then her
parents can go to her often, and she
can come home for gay time in winter.
There is Beth calling me. We are to
look at hammocks and out-of-door
games to-day. She is to have her yard
tull of them, she says. So must stop
at once and get ready. Will write again
soon. With love, FLORENCE.
DEAR LAURA: have only time for a
few words, as l am getting ready to 90
home. Well, the wedding is over. The
bride was lovely, in pale-blue satin, the
presents elegant. and all went off nice
ly. l was somewhat disappointed in
the groom. 1 could not see much par
ticularly to admire or dislike in him,
and his eyes, though lovely, seemed to
me little too dreamy. / trust he will
make Beth happy. He would be a
wretch if he does not, for the life of
this home has gone with him. 1t is not
at the time that weddings are so bad,
for then all is confusion, with so much
to see to and such hurrying that one has
no time to feel badly. But it is after
wards, when the hasty good-byes are
all said and the guests gone. Then one
wanders through the empty and silent
rooms, sees the faded flowers, has time
to think, and feels as if there had been
a death and funeral in the house.
And in one sense it is such! for, as Mrs.
Case says, she will never have her
Bertha, her own little girl, back again
Henceforth their paths will be differ
ent. Some one else will share all her
joys and sorrows, and new scenes and
new plans in life will gradually change
her child into different person, into q
woman with cares and responsibilities.
What strange world this is! To think
of anything changing Beth from the
bright, gay butterfly that she is now,
or weaving her from home. But of
course Beth will change. l wonder
how! 1t seems somehow as if it is
more circumstances than ourselves that
make our characters and lives what they
are.
But no more moralizing at present.!
l must fly to my trunk and finish pack
ing. then hurry below to comfort Mr..
and Mrs. Case as best can. But | am
afraid it will be poor comfort. for feel
too, almost as if Beth were dead
Hastily, Flo.
AT HOME.
DEAR LAURA:-Six months since l
last wrote to you. What long time!
But then young housekeepers gener-
ally have their hands full, so there is
little time for letter-writing, and / am
no exception to that rule.
All the branches of housekeeping
were thoroughly mastered, as | sup
posed, before we were married. But |
find there is great difference between
4 being head of the household, with its
responsibilities, and a half-a-dozen
things to do at the same time-and now
and then cooking a meal, with Bidde
and mother to consult and help.
We have been housekeeping just four
months, and like it so much! The
| g, e