The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-05-12

during which time she gave birth to three
daughters Then the young officer died; and
50, having got a fortune by the first husband
and a family BY the second, Mrs Barbara
Temple was now making ready TO lead the
remainder of her life according TO her own
heart.
The family came into residence on the last
Friday in April, 1855. Nothing was seen OF
them, YOU may guess, ON Saturday, and
everybody was ON tiptoe expectation for
their entry into the parish church on Sunday
morning Thither they came regularly
enough, like good worshipers, having, by the
way, spoiled the worship of everybody be-
side. First comes my little dame natty and
brisk, and with something in her movements
that almost made YOU fancy she must be
puppet animated by enchantment. Silks,
feathers of the rareSt sort, a fan-the weather
being hot-and her frame braced up into
such erectness. that each of her inches was
worth two; 50 Mrs. Barbara Temple walked
into church. There was spirit in the eye
which went round the building, not with I'M
pleasing boldness, but with most unmistaka-
bic courage. There was vigor in her step
which told of a good constitution, and she
held her fan in way that signifed temper.
Indeed, when the pew-opener blundered over
the latch of the door, and kept her waiting IN
the aisle, she dealt one glance at the woman
one only-but what a rebuke was in it, At
sight of the flash, old Sparkins, the doctor,
who had been watching the newcomer
rather obtrlsively, was struck with fear that
he might catch the next; and he dropped into
his prayer book like a bird shot in mid air,
trying 10 look as if he had seen nothing since
service began.
Il ind IA
impression they gave us was of a profusion
OF rich dress, chosen and worn with taste
which was simply faultless The next i'm
preston was of tallneSs of figure, the more
conspicuous for the tiny dame who led the
way The third impression was of beauty,
set out in style and fashion such as our little
town could not rival; and we did not think
ourselves provincial in any but the geogTaph-
ical sense. After this, we had time to
sudge and praise the beauties girl by girl
Girl the first, walked with mincing step,
and a toss of her head which, though strictly
within the limits of good breeding, was
noticeable and significant. Clever she looked,
too, and her eyes We're clear gray, eyes that
could search you-and did search you-read-
ing your face with great rapidity and appre-
hension. She was the most striking figure of
the three, being very tall, and with splendid
shoulders. Her face, it is true, would not
bear much looking into; and had you taken it
feature by feature, as the children were
taught to break the fagot in the fable you
might have proved it poor face enough.
But taken in its wholeneSS, and set upon that
superb bust, it face which l should not
have recommended young fellow to gaze at
TOO long unless he meant matrimony. And
then her dress-her dress, o, never tell me
that a woman cannot double--treble-her
l,aS ~, hpr yNoplyof Yacf
in her eye,
But the next was prettier; indeed, pretty
was not the word appropriate to a woman
who was unquestionably handsome, who knew
her beauty and was proud of it. The second
Miss Temple had a nose of most exquisite
shape, large melting eyes of gray, ready to
turn blue and she had lovely mouth, per-
haps with little too much of the chisel about
it, too finely finished, wanting in expression,
and with a slight hint of disdain carved on its
fine corners. Beauty professed beauty, con-
fessed beauty and clad to distraction; so she
glided into her pew, and we had time to con-
slider girl the third.
Girl the third Shall ever forget her face
then IN the first sweet flush of youth Shall
ever forget the light that shone in those deep
serious eyes!-the thousand possibilities of
tender or delicate expression that seemed to
hover around that mouth ready to alight and
unfold themselves whenever summoned l
had been thinking a thousand frivolous and
misplaced thoughts, but something in
this face restored me by the most de
Lghtful of recalls to the mood of a
worshiper Never, never, outside heaven,
shall see such a face again. 1t was like the
dream of a painter, and he a painter whose
fancy had drunk of some celestial stream of
feeling and idea, until he had caught on his
canvas a face which had in it all that could
be heavenly in thing of earth, and all that
could be earthly in a thing of heaven
Laugh not at me, neither call me irreverent,
if | say that one could have fancied her some
painted Madonna descending from the walls
of church, taking human form, and wear
ing modern vesture On this girl vesture
gave you no hint of fashion; her counte-
nance etherealized her attire, so that she
might have been wearing an angels floating
drapery instead of the last Paris fashion.
But ! see you smile; and is not every rare
emotion bound to hide itself, lest, being seen,
it should be ridiculed for eccentricitya
Those eyes could shine with earthly or
heavenly love- In each case it would be love
deep, pure, intense, with not a thought of
evil on its white and living page. That
mouth could kiss as daughter, or mistress, OF
mother, and which kiss would be sweetest
who could foretell from one who seemed ht to
perform every womanly duty in the most
womanly way3 In her look there some
thing neither of age nor youth. but of what |
should try to describe as fullness; the me-
ridian of the nature when the early and the
later sentiments meet, in equal strength, the
simplicity of youth, the graveness of serious
life. She was fair, and her hair light brown;
and saw trace of little foot as she turned
into her pew. But when sac knelt and COW
cred her face, | did the same quite uncon-
sciouslv II seemed right after the vision Of
! her