Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-07-12
THE RICHMOND OVERWHELMINGLY. JULY II. 1855

in the schooi tnfee Years, feccN
ing y,sits from her father. hut never
visiting her home during that tine. Az
last. when she was sixteen. she return
ed to her mothers arns, il not the
.al. accomplished maid " Of Holiness
poem, at least possessed Of the two
great bases Of knowledge-when she
Knew thing to hold that she knew It,
and when she did not know a thing to
allow that she did not know it. Her
first letter to me after her return home
gave me amusing side-lights on Agnes
There is an iron will in this house.
she wrote. sand that will is my NAM
mas. The recollection Of my mamma
that have been carrying about with
me all these years is Of an oppressed
and down-trodden little mother, with
whom we children were in secret to re-
sist the exactions Of the tyrant man,
my terrible papa. OF course, all girls
ale in secret league with their mother;
but the reality is, ] am almost
ashamed Of myself for being in
league with the party so distinctly
in power. When mamma jokes she
will say the most dreadful things, and
everybody must smile, because it IS all
fun ; but when papa tries to be as funny
as he can he is ruthlessly wiped from
the face Of the earth. Seriously, and
quite too seriously, my father and
mother are too much in earnest. They
treat the lightest things in the world
with Just the same consideration that
they give the weightiest. Oh, dear, it
is such a mistake! wish | could get
hold Of the people who have written
about the intense meaning and cruelty
of words spoken in jest. Wouldn't |
give them a piece Of my mind? /
want to find some one TO preach
that triles are trihcs. 1t is only
hOrrid people in society, who are
Jealous of you, that say little mean
things with stings in them, not your
very own flesh and blood. kiss and
careSs my over-sensitive, terrible little
mamma, and make her laugh at herself;
and | rush valantly into the con-
versational field, and receive into my
virgin bosom the shafts meant for papa,
who has discovered my tactics, be-
lieve, and will be n valuable ally in
making our family mirth less dazzling
and more harmless. lam also working
to have Nettic sent away just as was.
She is growing up critical and morbid
and brooding, and, with her natural re-
serve, will be very unhappy unless she
gets out into the world, where things
are not 20 strained
In later letter Tony wrote
II know now what my mothers
long grievance against my father is. 1t
is my cousin Antoinette. Not to put
too fine a point upon it, hate my cou-
sin Antoinette but | remember her
cats WAYS from of old, and she is the
last one to be fought with frank aver
sior-for to fight her ! am resolved.
This is the last summer she is to visit
this house. do not quite know how
1t will be. but have the glimmeringS
Of a plan far back in my head, and as
a doctor once told me that the way to
get control of crazy people is to gain
their confidence, my first move shall be
TO gain my cousins confidence"
4 later letter ran:
81 have gained her confidence. |
hatter her necessarily. | am dark,
plump. and am called 'yiyaciOuS ;
sheis willowy (mildfor lean, blonde,
and languid. She is more than willing
to be seen withme. set her of. Men who
come to scofl-wth me, remain tOpray-
to her. Don't you know how, n old
English plays, after some one has said
something good. the stage direction IS,
RetiIes up | am constantly re-
firing up in cousin Antonettc's favor.
- Sccne-The circle at the Presl-
dio. Antonette and in the carriage
listening to the band. Mr.. WigSby APP
proaches on my side Of the carriage.
"'Mr. Wigsby: How is the beautI
full Miss TIatton to-day? Cruel as ever.
Daring to come ont among all this gun
powder with those beautiful eyes, etc.
81 (girgling weakly. As if unable
to cone with the SituatiOnl-l am very
well. ] am not beautiful. | am not
cruel, and don't see any gunpowder.
49, Antoinette lin the voice that
always makes men start and look
Non son damigclla. IN bella, something
or other, braccio dun signor.
"'Wigsby All, Miss StandiSh.'
Crosses to the other side Of car
rage. | retire up.l
Il tell her at nghts-wc have talks
at night-that every man loves her TO
madness that fear We shall lose her
forever. She tells me she never means
20 marry, and my heart falls plump to
the bottom of despair She also smiles
icily, and says that to lose her for
ever would not strike every one in
the house as such a calamity as | imply
that it would me. Iput my arms around
her. 'Antoinette, why will you never
marry? You would make a lovely
bride Il see too much married I'M
happiness. child she replies, acting
the part Of the lovely woman toward
the ignorant little thing, till ! long to
run pin into her. You would not
be unhappy, AntOinette. A man whom
you would marry would love you so
that he would make you happy CUR
gle on. TO feel that you make a
mans home Of heart replies An
toinette in an utter tone; but mems
hearts will not stay at home. loved
man once, and he loved me we
should have been happy, but we were
too young to know what we felt. |
know now"
Thinks she's q woman in a book !,
II she was talking about my father,
then-the conversation was too much
for my self-control. | literally retired
up"
wrote Tony sober letter OF warn
ing, and this was followed by long
silence, and then came the following
Eureka 10 triumphe and all the
foreign words in the back Of the die
tionary. The man came, | saw, and
Antoinette conquered. lie was a rich
Englishman, and he brought letters to
papa. He was something of an invalid,
too, and from the first | saw that he