Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-03-17
Overwhelming nj


certainty. Yes, my dear, know that
in your eyes this is folly, but at the
same time it is nature. You don't un-
derstand. Princess, fear, sets undue
value on intellect, holding less brilliant
endowments cheap beside it. And we
must admit, Berkeley, dearly as we love
Jim Byrd, and noble fellow as he Is, he
has not the intellectual power which
commands admiration. With all my
respect for intellect. I can see that Prin-
cess greatly overrates it. She has often
declared that unless man were intel
lectually her superior she could never
love him."
"Intellectually-a fiddlestickI" scoffed
Berkeley contemptuously. 'tShe don't
know what she wants or what is good
for her. Women rarely do. They make
their matrimonial selections like the
blindest Of bats, the most egregious of
fools, and then, when the mischief is
done, go in for unending saekcloth or a
divorce court. Pocahontas will get hold
of fellow some day who will wiring her
heart-with her publishing longing after
novelty and intellect and fine scorn of
homespun truth and loyalty. We're
woman should esteem the size of my
husbands heart and the sweetness Of
his temper matter Of more Importance
than the bigness Of his brain or the
freshness Of the acquaintance"
every true, my son." assented Mrs.
Mason gently, "but you are powerless
to alter women. Their hearts must 60
as nature wills, and lockers on can only
pray God to guide them rightly. But,
Berkeley, you are unjust to your sister.
Pocahontas has sound discrimination
and very clear Judgment. Her inabil-
ity to meet our wishes is no proof that
her choice viii fall unworthily." t
Berkeley made no response in words,
but he looked unconvinced, and soon
withdrew to attend to the plantation,
:ndulging in profound conclusions about
women, which were most of them erro-
neous.
In the afternoon Pocahontas, provid-
ing herself with book and gayly col
ored feather fan, established herself COM
fortably in the old split bottomed rock
ing chair in the deep shadow Of the
porch. The day had been close and sui
try, and even the darkened rooms felt
sitting; outside it was better, although
the morning freshness had evaporated
and that of evening had not yet come.
The sun sank slowly westward, sending
long rays across the bosom Of the river.
whose waters were so still that they
cleaned with opalescent splendor. The
slender leaves of the old willows at the
foot Of the lawn dropped exhaustedly,
showing all their silver Innings, and the
sky was one tawny blaze of color. The
sailboats in sight rocked gently with the
sluggish flow of the current, and drifted
rather than sailed on their course.
Once a noisy, throbbing steamer, in
stinct with life and purpose, dashed by
tumultuously, churning the still water
with impatient wheels, and rupturing
the slumberous air with its discordant
whistle. 1t Jared upon the quiet beauty
Of the scene, and it was relief when 1t
swept around bend Of the river, leav-
ing only trail of blue smoke, which
was harmonious.
One of the settlers who had secreted
himself in the house during the hot
hours, stepped out with overdone limo
cence and stretched himself in a shaded
corner, painting and yawning dismally.
Pocahontas formed the only bit Of
GOODNESS in the picture, sitting in the
shadow Of the old porch in her pretty
white dress, with q cape jasmine bios
som showing purely against the bronze
knot of her hair and another among thC
laces on her breast. The volume o.
Emerson selected for the enlargement o.
her mental vision lay unheeded in hel
lap, and the big fan moved lazily as thu
gray eyes gazed and gaZed out over TIT
parched lawn and the glistening rive
until the glare nearly blinded them.
She was thinking of Jim, and feelini
pitiful and sad over her old friend, VIII
must break away from every home as
ISOLATION, and far from kindred and fam
lily, among strange faces and unfamiha'
surroundings, make for himself new
life. She was sorry for Jim-grieved 70
his pain in parting, for his disappoint
ment in regard to herself, for her owl
inability to give him the love he longet
for. She would have loved him If it hAt
been in her power; she honestly regret
ted that the calm, true, sisterly affection
she felt for him could not be converted
into something warmer. Her friend
wished it; his friends wished it. It wa
the natural and proper thing to hav
happened, and yet with her it had no
happened. IA
! With Pocahontas, marriage was
very sacred thing, not to be contem
plated lightly, or entered into at Al
without the sanctifcation Of q pure, mr.
selfish love. II she should marry Jir
now, it would be with the knowledg
that the depth'of her nature were M
= stirred, the true, rich gold still bidder
It did not seem to her that her old play
5 fellows hand was the one destined
+ stir the one or discover the other. Sh
? might judge wrongly, but 80 it a
peared to her, and she was too loyal I
r Jim to imagine for an instant that b
: would be satisfied with aught save hi
very best.
4 The evening freshened as the sun WEI
: down, q vagrant breeze stole ont frol
I, some leafy covert and disported itse
l,liAhnlr The inios Iriah naAkan.l move