The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-03-24
TORRICELLI.

Ny old friends Jack and Helen Bur-
bank left me mistress of their elegant
mansion on the Hudson while they took
one of their unexpected flights to Europe.
This time it was for Brides eyes. Birdie,
their idolized daughter, was then a
"sweet girl graduate" fine type of
the frail American beauty. She had
been abroad several times already, but
no climate gave roses permanently to
her cheeks. Jack was big handsome
fellow, who for some years had been
doing business in Wall Street. What
business precisely L never found out.
When he entertained his male friends
they always talked of margins" and
puts" and calls" and ''straddles, :"
and made me think of what St Augustine
says: THE trifiing of adults is called
business" Once ventured to quote this.
One of the heavy men present looked at
me for long time, debating whether it
were worth the while to pay any atten-
ton to me, and then he said, ponder
ously: MADAM, we brokers are the
Aliases that bear the world upon our
shoulders. All business is supported by
and through us.'' did not know how
t9 answer him, but all the same aiass u telt
silenced instead of me. Subsequently |
learned a great deal about those Aliases.
A few words will give an idea of Tor
ricelli, the costly home of the Burbanks.
Jack, somewhere in his travels abroad,
had been greatly charmed by an old pile
with sugar-loaf towers-quaint, pictur-
esque, dreamy. Helen shared his ad-
miration, and Torricelli was the result
The towers, already ivy-clung, were won
derfully beautiful, especially in the moon
light, overlooking the lovely terraces,
decked with fountains, statues and shrub
berry; that separated the mansion from
the river
One summer afternoon | sat with Helen
on one of the broad piazzas. Lovely
trailing vines curtained us from a too
glaring light, and cast their shadows
upon the floor of real mosaic Birds
sang in the shrubbery or bathed them
selves in the fountain basins; bees
hummed above the cups of luxuriant
flowers of every kind that an extravagant
professional florist could make grow III
the open air or in his greenhouses. Helen,
tanning herself languidly as she sat in a
luxuriant armchair, said: ''How are
you ever going to anuse yourself in this
barrack while we are awayp'
You call this barrack, and vet the
drapery of single window has cost a
thousand dollarsn l spoke reproach-
fully, for l felt that Helen was an I'M
grateful woman. did not understand
then what became very clear to me
afterward
30, well, cousin. You know the
all ha and omega of jack business creed
is visible opulence. He says nobody is
rich only so long as people believe him
to be SO. We have two houses full OF
costly things that we can not use and
really do not want, and all the world
envies us our grand fortune. Do you
know never think of us as fortunateP''
And with this Helen rose, made a turn
across the Veranda, and then dropped
back into her seat with sigh.
''Helen Burbankr' cried "Do yor
mean to tell me you are not happy
womanP Is not Jack the best of hus
bandsP''
40 yes. 1 suppose am a. happy
woman, and of course Jack is a gooc
husband, but Come, Cousin Jane
let us ride around the grounds. Thu
carriage has been waiting an age" AnC
Helen dragged on her hat and gloves anC
her costly dolman. As we descended
the broad steps of the mansion footmal
in blue and cream colored livery ceremo
niously opened the carriage door, shut i
when we were seated, and then mounted
his seat behind the elegant barouche
where he sat like statue with folde'
arms. t'."
The park of Torricelli was beautiful
the day magnificent; yet as the luxuriou
carriage rolled noiselessly over tn
graded roads, could see that Helen wa
i'll at ease. thought it was that gor
geous footman, and told her so. Sh
smiled, and said: ''Jack thinks we mus
have everything, and that includes
coachman and footman in livery. | hat
the whole thing and know he does; an,
now, Cousin Jane, never mention tn
subject again. - Hupu -f.
My cousin Helen had changed wonder
fully since she became fine lady, indif
ferent to all the pleasures in the world