Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-19

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
lily 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 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 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 the 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
its own; picture by Rosetti, and one by
Alma-Tadema, with ''To My Dear How
ellis" 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 ont Of tha Iaroar room, &c oil
little alcove furnished with a sofa and
writing desk.
Mr.. and Mrs Howells will 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 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
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. Hoyells iSalways in delicate health,
but she is so sfHrituelle, 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 was?
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
fine havors of art and literature and socie-
ty, and is the truly cultivated woman, for
cultivation and mere requirement are two
very different things. Mrs Howells has
diyination, esprit, and that nameless SYM
pathy for which we have no adequate
term, and which the Italians call gimpa-
tica.
The home life of the Howells family is
full of sweetness and charm and gayety.
Wit and allusion abound, and if at an in
formal tea on Sunday evening, when a
guest or two drops in, some one alludes to
a certain passage or poem and cannot
quite recall it, the book is at once taken
down and the elusive phrase or line is
captured. This fexible home life is SO