The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-05-08

| syliables might be pondered; and forthwith
she gave orders for many things 10 be done to
the house and grounds, saying that she would
come in next month. Hou may be sure we
We're all alive with curiosity to know every
thing about Mrs. Barbara Temple She
turned ont to he widow--a widow for the
second time, We heard-and with three
daughters. She had first married an old man
of vast wealth. who died when she was two
and twenty, leaving her with no children and
a great fortune settled on her Next, to
avenge herself for the privations of her first
marriage, she allied herself to young ensign
of twenty-five, handsome and pennies
With him she lived happily for seven years,
during which time she gave birth to three
daughters. Then the young officer died and
so, 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 1858 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 bt-
side. First comes my little dame, natty and
| brisk, and with something in her movements
that almost made you fancy she must be-
| pappet animated by enchantment Silks
feathers of the rarest sort, a fan-the weather
| being holland her frame braced up into
| such erectness, that each of her inches was
worth two; so Mrs. Barbara Temple walked
into church. There was spirit in the eve
which went round the building. not with I'M
| pleasing boldness, but with most unmiStaka-
BILE courage There was vigor in her step
which told OF good constitution, and she
| held her fan in a way that signiiied temper.
Indeed, when the pew-opener Numbered over
the latch of the door, AMI kept her waiting in
the aisle she dealt one glance at the woman
one only-but what rehuke was in it, AT
| sight of the flash, old Sparkins the doctor,
| who had been watching the newcomer
rather obtrusively, was struck with fear that
he might catch the next and he dropped into
his prayer book like bird shot in mid air,
trying to look as if he Ind seen nothing since
service began.
Three daughters came behind The first
impression they gave us WAS of profnSion
of rich dress, chosen and worn with taste
which was simply faultleSs The next I'M
preston was Of talIness OF figure, the more
conspicuous for the tiny dame who he'd the
way, The third impression was Of beauty
act out in style and fashion such as our little
town could not rival: and We dil not think
ourselves provincial in any but the gsograph
ical sense. After this. we had time to
judge and praise the beauties girl ny girl.
Girl the first, walked with mincing step
and toss of her head which though strictly
within the limits of good breeding, was
noticeable and significant Clever she locked
too, and her eyes were clear gray, eyes that
could search you-and dill search vou-read-
ing your face with great rapiditv and apprc-
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 he'd YOU taken it
feature by feature, as the children were
taught to break the taSot in the fable YOU
might have proved it poor face enough.
But taken in its wholeness, and set upon that
superb bust, it was q face which | should not
have recommended a Young fellow to gaze at
too long unless he meant matrimonv. And
then her dress-her dress! o. never tell me
UNI a NpIhn titflliN ttbubN-trbIf-Hf
looks if she has money in her pocket and taste
in her eve!
But the next was prcttier; indeed, pretty
was not the word appropriate To 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 a lovely mouth, per
haps with "a little too much of the chisel about
it, too finely finished wanting in expression,
and with a slight hint of dislain 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,-thc thousand possibilities of |
tender on delicate expression that seemed To i
hover around that mouth, ready To alight and |
unfold themselves whenever summoned | |
bad been thinking thousand frivolous and |
misplaced thoughts, hut something in |
this face restored me by the most de |
ightful of recalls to the mood of a |
worshiper. Never, never, outside heaven,
dream of a painter, and he painter whose
fancy had drunk of some celestial stream of
feeling and idea, until he had caught on his
canvas face which had in it all that could |
be heavenly in thing OF earth, and all that
could he earthly in 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 a 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
ems'tion bound to hide itself, lest, being seen,
it should be ridiculed for eccentricity?
Those eyes could shine with earthly or
heavenly love. In each case il would he love
deep, pure, intense, with not a thought OF
evil on its white and living page That
mouth could kiss as daughter, or mistress, or
mother, and which kiss would be sweetest
who could foretell from one who seemed 6t to
perform every womanly duty in the mos
womanly way, In her look there was some
thing neither of age nor youth, but of what !
should try to describe MS fullness: the mr-
ridian of the nature when the early and the
later sentiments meet, in equal strength, the
of youth, the graveness of serious
life. She was fair, and her hair light brown:
and saw a trace Of a little foot as she turned
into her pew. But when she knelt and COW
cred her face, did the same quite uncon-
sciously. 1t seemed right after the vision of
her.
CHAPTER Ill
THE PoRTRAIf OF A LADY.
That week everybody caTled upon the Tenn
nes Tina universal nlnrtssinn WINS faynr.