The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-09-19

back into the empty omlng room, anu 1uo
Young man who, full of awe, had followed ner
round the house, heard her say to herself, ~,
what room for q dancer Then ne, going
out ON come errand, and suddenly returning,
saw the little dame step down the empty moor
in some formal dance, most mystic in his eyes,
and bowling with aristocratic grace to some
invisible partner. The young man recalled
his own hops at the citizens ball, and won
tlered what this grave measure could be- But
the little lady pulled up all Of sudden, Win
a whistle of her silks, and repeated for the
fiftieth time, 81 shall take this house."
Mrs. Barbara Temple" was her reply
when the agent asked her name. She de-
livered it with decided emphasis as if the
syllables might be pondered; and forthwith
she gave orders for many things to be done to
the house and grounds, saying that she would
come in next month You may be sure we
were all alive with curiosity to know every
thing about Mrs Barbara Temple. She
turned out to be a 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 penniless
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 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 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 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 eye
which went round the building, not with I'M
pleasing boldness, but with most unmistaka-
die courage There was vigor in her step
which told of a good constitution, and she
held her fan in way that signiied 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 rebuke was in it'll At
sight of the flash, old Sparkins, the doctor,
who had been watching the newcomer
,ather 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 had seen thing since
tervice began.
Three daughters came behind. The first
Impression they gave us was of profusion
b 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 geograph-
ical sense. After this, we had time to
Judge and praise the beauties girl by girl.
Girl the first, walked with a 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 were clear gray, eyes that
could search yOu-and did search you-read-
ing your face with great rapidity and appre-
tension. 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 Wilderness, and set upon that
superb bust, it was 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 Misunderstanding
looks if she has money i'll her pocket and taste
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 nose Of most exquisite
shape, large melting eyes of gray, ready to
turn blue, and she had a lovely mouth, per-
haps with little too much of the chisel about
| it, too finely finished, wanting in expression,
and with slight hint of disdain carved on its
tine corners. Beauty, professed beauty, con-
fessed beauty, and clad to distraction; so she
! glitled 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 OF delicate expression that seemed to
hover around that mouth, ready to alight and
unfold themselves whenever summoned I
had been thinking a thousand frivolous and
misplaced thoughts, but something in
this face restored me by the most de-
ightful of recalls to the mood of a
worshiper. Never, never, outside heaven.
shall l see such 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 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 l see you smile; and is not every rare
emotion bound to hide itself, lest, being seem
it should be ridieuled for eccentricityg
Those eyes could shine with earthly O,
heavenly love. In each case it would be low,
deep pure, intense, with not thought o
evil on its white and living page Tha
mouth could kiss as daughter, or mistress, O.
mother, and which kiss would be sweetes
who could fOretell from one who seemed fit T.
perform every womanly duty in the most
womanly waya In her look there was some
thing neither of age nor youth, but of what 1
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