New-York tribune., 1882-03-12
"IN A GLASS DARKLY."
A STORY IN TWO PARTS,-PART I.

concluding words over and over again. .
|, Janet Grain, spinster, rather prided myself
upon being good Judge OF character. ,
This was the first time Mrs. Westmacott had
written to me- and looked upon handwriting as
characteriStc Certainly the specimen now held
In NV hand was pecular-largcr aud clearer than
tine general run OF feminine callgraphy. Meaning
That every word SET down in black and white
meant Just what il conveyed neither more nor less
that Margaret Westmacott was mine gratefully
now would be so if we were drited apart for long
years. meeting again when both were changed IN
all outward sembl0nce would oc, IN hel ltlInlui
heart, II we parted TO meet no more In me lhaI
she was not only mine ever, but gratefully so, IN
that had saved hcr little Maize her only child the
sunshLe of her life, from a cruel death. mus was
There bond between us that neither time nor DIS
tauce could sever. even alternate, and yet had
known her but through the wearing OF one sweet
surjngtidc to fuller swceteI summer. Our friend
ship indeed had like the season Which saw It's
birth bOs,Omed quickly.
When the first buds on the tall swaylng poplar
tree i'm my garden burst their shcathS and pushed
forth tiny green shafts into the sunlight dld lot
know that the worlI held such woman as Mar lar
Garet WestmacOtt When my poplar waved TO ana
fro in the soft summer wind, mighty, rnstllng,
blue-green plume, scarce an hour OF my HE passed
that did not hold some thought of her.
All INV life | had been looked upon as hard
woman hard-featUTed. hard-mannered. sel!-cOn-
.o;nad circumstances had rendered nv life a
peculiarly isolated one, and at fifty years OF age,
Crav-hairci, sour aged-embltteTed 1ear, by
the heavy trials which had been given me to bear,
instead Of softenel-I settled down TO log-trot
sort of existence in the immediate suburb 81 pq'y
north country town. selecting the place cheuy be-
cause 10 one in it knew me- and knew nobody
Sorrow had been my lot. | wanted to brood over
IT, | wanted perfect quiet; no interference from
ANYBODY; a comfortable place where could read
i love books thinking them better companions
tban men and women-knit, walk ont in all
wcathers, take my meals at any hour chose. ana
have no callers except the rates ana taxes; am
Scotch and the best friends and warmeSt admirers
of that hard headed nation viii not accuse them OF
any tendency to Over-tenderness of disposition.
In truth from the far-Oh days when my step
mother i-treated me- ordering me TO do a thing as
if were a slave, and then beating me for not doing
1t properly up to the time when quaTreIled Wlth
the ONLY remaining member of my family and came
TO settle in Beech Grove, near the good town OF
WeavertOn, / never seemed to have known the
touch of tender hand, or the Kiss OF loving lips
Until | knew Margaret WestmaCOtt. She held my
hands close enough, and kissed them too with her
yelvet-soft mouth--kissed them over and over
again. Had they not caught little Maize back from
under the ho0fs of a runaway horse; had they not
carried her, dumb with fear-not shrcklng alond
rs another child might bave done, but white and
silent as a little Statue-acrOSs the crowded street
10 her terrified nurse, who stood wringng her
helpless hands paTalyzed at the result OF her own
carelessuess beyond the power of taking any
aciion more useful than loud lamentaton
If there is a thing detest more than another 1t
mixing myself up in other peoples alialrS DRntI Rnt
went home with that nurse and her charge. More
than that asked the woman TO get her mistress 10
send the little one 10 see me. pnued the Daoy ETl
with the promise of seeing and playing WITH 1ouf
kittens IN a basket. | made thorough fool of my
self in fact and then l went back to Number
Fourteen, Beech Grove and sat knitting at the
front parlor window all the rest OF the DAY, won
dering if the vioet-eyed cmld win the goldeh
locks would come next morning. | even went so
far as TO have the kittens brought IN for my inSpec
tion. and with my own hands tied bit OF blue
ribbon round each little furry throat
That will please missy, | thought, ana nad o
time think more, for peal at the door bell maGe
my heart leap, while Polly, my seryant-mald' nearly
dropped the kittens. basket and all.
II was not missy who came to call upon cross
old woman that night just as the lampIighter was
gong his rounds i'll the Grove and setting his lamps
a-twinkling among the budding branches of the
row of linden-trees like untimcly shining fruit
No il was missys mother and, tell you, she
kissed my hands, she believed them with her tears
Well. have not said already that that spring
marked an epoch in my life !
| had never fancied tnat the world held such a
woman as Margaret Nestmacott
do not mean "A woman so beautiful, for she was
not that-l mean one with such nameleSs lrreSlstl-
Bile power of drawing the very heart from ont ones
breast. of cOOring all ones thoughts, OF growing
being all these things without the slightest appa-
rent EFFORT on her own part
TO look at she was SIMPLY remarkably graceful
. woman, slight and supple as willow wand, with
q small eXquistely shaped head, covered from brow
nape with short soft curls of golden brown; she
had sad sweet eyes. darkly gray as the water of a
mountain tarn-eyes that haunted you when you
had left her presence, and that you would have
gven-nay, rather should say, that would have
given all my world-tO make less weary, less
utterly, entirely hopeless. Hope seemed to have
been crushed out of the woman's nature, lingering
only for Maize. for her darling She would hold
Maize close in her arms and the little creature at
all times wonderfully thoughtful and silent for
such mite would push up her velV et-soft check
against the mothers making low cooling noises the
while like q cuShat dove.
The two came often to after that first day.
Maize trotting across the room and laying her bit
OF hand on my knee, would say:
Wants the little pushes Where does they be 2
nd an s w" fuTy T esnt in to my png
Then, when the child was happy and busy with
her fluffy playfellows, Margaret and l-how soon
took to calling her Margaret how soon learnt to
give her all the love mother might give to
daughter would sit apart, Oftentimes hand-in.
hand or she on low stool at my knee, talking of
all things in heaven and earth, verify believe
For Margaret loved reading and thinking of what
She read, as did; therefore never silent
for lack OF subjects TO discuss and there was always
oh dear neXhausttble, beautiful theme there
was always Maize 10 talk about.
One subject in all our talks. IN all.the intimacy
that grew up rapidly between Mrs. WestmacOtt
and myself was but lightly and casually touched
upon. And that was Margaret's husband. When |
had known the wife wei and closely for months
knew of the husband nothing, beyond the fact that
his name was Stanley Westmacott. This much
gathered from seeing an envelope IN MaTgaTets
possession addressed 10 Mrs Stanley Westmacott
not from any mention OF the name by his wife
The rare occasions when she alluded to hum at ALL
she spoke of him as Sir. WestmacOt' or my hus-
band And did not know what vocation, If any,
Margarets husband followed. - ....-
Weaverton an active, prosperous CONNER
cial city. Its magnates were merchant princes,
owning warehouses like palaces. Perhaps, |
thought, Mr.. WestmacOtt is partner in some OF the
mercantile firms hereabouts. But could not come
across his name, and. from something Maize once
said, IL appeared that he was often at home In the
middle of the day, hour when no busy bee OF the
city-hiye would have time for anything except max
ing golden honey.
So gave up that idea was never good hand
at asking questions dsliking intensely TO be ques
toned myself; and may as well say, once and for
al. that the mystery which hung over Stanley
NestmacOtts manner of life was never lifted for
me that though his life and mine came into close
contact more than once, and at the last OF ell In
terrible fashion, | never knew more Of him than
this; that he cruel and INSCRIPTIONS man,
who made his sweet wife miserable, broke her
spirit trampled her under foot sapped the light Of
gladness from her eyes, and had turned her from q
gay and merry-hearted girl into the hopeless,