The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-05-01


pleasant 1t was to sit on rug, under the
trees, and talk nonsense in the gayest of
manners; how delightful to have lying at
your feet bronzed and whiskered cavalier,
who dealt out to you easy compliment and
polite insinuation as If it was your heredi-
tary due; how charming the freedom, the
merry making, the songs, the romps, the
little understandings, the little private
jokesl
Icould hardly take my eyes off the men.
1t was so interesting to watch their free
movements, to see them put their big
hands on each others shoulders, light their
pipes, touch off fireworks with their cigars,
help the girls across brooks, twirl their
whiskers-to hear their deep voices and put
ones hand through their hard, their aw-
fully hard, strong arms. Even to notice
their ways at dinner was absorbing, and
took positive pleasure in seeing them
drink sangaree or ale in the mornings after
playing tennis. THAT was the first year
that lawn tennis was played, the Hathornes
being almost the first people to have set,
and the men were wonderfully keen about
it, They seemed to reciprocate my feel
ings.
Lofty used to tell me every night, while
we brushed out our hair, of some new nice
thing that man had said about me- If
had believed that deceitful wretch, Bran
Boullter, should have ended my days in
an insane asylum, for my brain would have
been turned by delusion of vanity. He
spent good deal of time with me during
that blissful week-he was one of the two
or three men who staid all the time-and,
although he was really more attentive to
Lofty, and probably at that time liked her
hntfQr 7 oar ir,f bic hact md
his most charming guile, Well, played
accompaniments, and was as agreeable as
Punch to everybody, and didn't take ad-
vantage of being Lotty's friend and didn't
show temper-and was, in short, as careful
as any girl could well have been, and
think deserved to be liked. At first
came very near using my eyes too much,
but stopped myself in time.
After that Lofty asked me to stay with
her, but thought it better not to run the
risk of firing my hosts, so I only staid a
day after the others went, in order to make
good impression on Mrs Hathorne, and
then returned triumphant to my mother.
] believe my mother would have viewed
with absolute satisfaction the prospect of
working herself to skeleton in order to
advance her daughters social welfare.
She took an almost absurd delight in my
tales, and tried my patience, if the truth
must be told, by asking me thousands of
repeated questions. was rather self suf-
fcient just then, and preferred to treat
everything that occurred to me as the most
natural thing in the world and beneath
discussion,
That summer was spent In quiet at my
grandfather's farm. | almost had fit of
crying when my mother produced (this
was before we left Philadelphia little
sum of money that she had put away for
me, which she gave me, with tears in her
eyes and half framed blessing telling me
it was for my dresses next winter. We
did certain amount of shopping in town,
and sewed good deal while we were at
Lancaster. My grandfather, too, bless his
dear soul, gave me a handsome ''tip,n as
the boys call it; and many pleasant af-
ternoon did my mother and spend to-
gether over my dresses she dwelling with
a good deal of spirit and color of language
ON the good luck she anticipated for me, I
celebrating, with little consciousness of
my own cleverness, my theories of life and
society-which were already pretty well
formed. had by this time recovered from
the SOLDERING effect of Miss Mayburp's last
words to me when | went through the
time honored ceremony of a farewell inter-
view with her before leaving school for
ever They were words that half expect
ed to hear yet half hoped not to hear.
know now why she did not give me the
praise which I secretly thought was my
due; I know now why she tried to make
me see that life was not bed of roses; but
at the time l hardly cared to have her tell
me that only hard work and an abiding
faith could bring happiness in this world.
The strong faced and dignifed woman sat
by the table in her little study in the atti-
tude which all her girls know so WE'LL
with one foot pushed forward, her arm ON
the table, her hand stroking her smooth
hair and her other hand lying in her lap
looking at me intently. Ethel" she said,
mo woman can be thoroughly good or
thoroughly happy who is not really re-
ligious woman" l returned her gaze 1
heard, but l think l knew l was going to
forget.