The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-05-19
CHAPTER Y.
AN INTERCEPTIOS.


The course Of true love, If It never-runs
smooth, very often runs slowly. no one can
say that Car or Sibyl Temple married for
love; we need not assert that they sold them
selves; marriages such as theirs are mads
every day, with the sanction Of the church
and the praise Of the world; but they are not
ideal marrl ges, not ronantic-nCt the stuE
out Of which love can be made. Sweet
Sophia Temple, the beauty and heroine or
this tale, Was not proposed to 50 alb. upty.
nor married so hastily.
Young Brent was shy To increase his shy
ness ! 9 was passionatelv in love. and love
made a thousand things delights 70 h m which
a well-informed modern man might do for
his lady once but not twice. certainly. For
il stance, young Brent wOuli stroll about the
town half a morning waiting for a chance
meeting; and IT, after he had executed
perfect walking II atch in slow time. he met
Sophia, and she gave him smile, or ex-
changed a few words he would return homo
all aglow. and could hardly sit down to his
geOlory, SO hot his fame would burn Week
after eb this went on Silly young fellow,
when he might have been tathinE 10 the full
tide of courts hip, to be thus tmdiy treading
the margin Of the golden seal ' ct perhaps
rot so silly after al; since most people agree
that loves prelude7 are so delicious that they
may wei be Enlightened; and 81 ne say that
the water is pellucid rear tie slore and tur-
bid when we venture further out.
This / viii say in defense 0f m Sophia,
more than most women, Vas fitted for this
slow, worshiring kind Of courtsbip. II often
struck me that she was already what one
nigh, imagine a cool. warm-hcarted and
beautiful woman becoming IN more ex-
alted state Of existence. She had the golt OF
our nature. with very little Of its dross. From
knew, OF man either, did ] learn how conely
human nature may be when harmoniOusly
developed; how various qualities Of mind and
soul which we are apt to think conflicting,
such humor and devotion, passion and
rurity may, when combined in proper pre-
portions. be zach the complement Of the
other. Sophia changed from mood 20
mood With an ease, an absence of
constraint, which was the siru Of
rature reconciled to life IN the hest sense.
/ am going TO mention trivial occurrence,
hut to ne it was significant. l saw her
one morning greatly interested Ia an account
of a welding robe its color. tri innings, and
the usual sequels-just as serio usly inter
ested as the most dressy OF her sex could nave
been A little while after, when a piece q
poetry was read aloud by somebody IN the
conn anyone Of Tom Hoods, l think, fJIst
published, little fragment written ia that
note Of ningl 4 humor and sadness which
was so much his OWL aw Sophias face
wieh ripple Of fun On it passing, with the
poem. into seriousness. 1t seemed as il the
soul of the Toet, IN its double mood Of laugh
I ter and tears, were expressing it5ef in her
lovely features. II Is a small matter to men,
ticn-laug liable, perhaps-but 1t impressed
me, and il was indeed disclosure of her char
acter. She had frank. spontaneous syn
pathy with life al round and IN every part.
sIch as ] never met IL any one besid9 herself
/ By reason Of this virtue she was always IN
/ terested in what was gong On, and the very
/ quality which subdued her Individuality n
one way made her character fresh and de
/ ightful in aro,her. Sophia charmed, by her
constellation OF charms. the grouping Of viz
tues and graces OF 6ody and mind, which
seemed to make ker sympat hetic with the
most opposite persons, aud at home Ia ths
most various scenes.
Was there key to AZ thisi or was she 3
| Phoenix In muslin, a paragon, admirable and
inexplcable; 1t is my conviction that her
/ moth. rs constant lect uTes on The subject Of
women making themselves fascinating-lsc-
lures which fel on ears that interpreted
every word into new and higher Ian suage
than the original-gave that bent TO her dls-
position which made her what she was he
| little morning room disquisltons, with ba1
| O.ns and lawns ana Gunner taDle5 4OI tSAtss
concerning dreses and marriages and car
riages and fortunes and smiles and postures
an j witty answers and complaisancy-th
all Sopha carried up TO higher levi OF idea
and aspiration. She resolved to charsn others
with happiness and goodness in view, not
mere society conquests. Mrs Barbara Tenn
| mes reflections were delivered in the spirit
of Lord Chesterfeld, low and selfish,
under thin disguise Of goo1 hunscr.
Sophia. by the instinct of a lofty
nature. resolved to use the means her
mother recommended, but with diff
| ferent cod in view. And here was the pleas-
| ing ori ,inality of her life; she used worldly
methods for most unworthy ends Tho
polish. the graccs, the social attractions. the
accomplishm mt, literature and Wit, which
saints either despise or as best only tolerase
she used as the very material cut Of which
| hr unhie purpose must be woven Aud -
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