The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-10-03

ter, whose early death has left in the
household that "silence that aches through
the house"
Mr.. Howells returned and edited The At
lantic Monthly for some years, but the fam
sly were more or less sojourners abroad, and
some time in New York city, before they
came last year to the home they have since
occupied in Boston. Their earlier Boston
residence was on the water side of Beacon
street, one or two doors from Dr. Holmes
house, and the interesting library is shown
in the picture.
Then they had a suburban home at Bel
mont, some ten miles out from Boston-a
house of wonderful charm and stately
beauty.
On their latest return to Boston they
took a large apartment in a fashionable
hotel on that magnificent thoroughfare,
Commonwealth avenue, with its double
boulevard and its esplanade of trees and
statuary between the two broad drives.
From the drawing room windows is an en-
chanting view of tie sunset from the west
ern end of the avenue, where, silhouetted
against the sky, is Miss Anne Whitney's
statue Of Left Erickson. Nearer are the
statues of Garrison and others, and across
the street live families of historic name.
The Howells family took premier floor.
In the drawing room they hung an origi-
nal water color by Fortuny, presented to
Mr.. Howells, with a special little history of
it's own; picture by Rosetti, and one by
Alma-Tadema, with "To Ny Dear How
els" in the artists writing in the corner,
and many other bits of artistic value and
association. In an adjoining room some
old pictures from Florence were displayed,
and out of the larger room is a delightful
little alcove furnished with a sofa and a
writing desk
Mr.. and Mrs. Howells viii not, however,
remainin Boston. They returned from New
York to be near the only son, John Howells,
who graduated from Harvard this year,
and is now TO study architecture with his
uncle, of the celebrated firm of Mead,
Mckim & Co. The family includes only
this son and one daughter, Mildred. so
pleasantly known to the reading world as
the Little Girl Among the Old Masters"
In that most unique of art books bearing
this title. The "little girl" is n tall. slen-
der maiden now. A graceful, gifted girl,
who enjoyed her first season last year with
all the zest of the debutante
Miss Howells is called beauty and O
belle; but with this she is more-a brilliant
girl intellectually, with cultivated artistic
and literary tastes, and with much of that
atmosphere OF poetic enchantment about
her that should characterize young girl
Mrs. Howells is always in delicate health,
but she is so spirituelle, so captivating. so
full Of charm that one forgets TO inquire
how she is feeling. Was it Hannah More's
physician who was so beguiled by her con-
versation during one of his professional
calls that he forgot TO inquire how his pa
tient wasi
Mrs Howells goes out very little, but is
usually able TO see her friends who come
to her, and an hour with her is one of the
utmost enchantment. She has tasted the
fne aavors of art and literature and socie-
", and is the truly cultivated woman, for
cultivation and mere requirement are two
very different things. Mrs. Howells has
civinaeion, esprit, and that nameless sym