Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-06-13

mered up from the asphalt pavement in
Washington.
ooh, for a rest - she sighed "for q
few days in some cool country house,
where vines cling around pillared
porches, aud fresh ideas come with the
chirp of the birds and the morning
breezes. Will there ever come a rest
for me wonder? Will | always grind
out ideas, write adds and send in "space
work" to earn my daily bread, butter
ing it with poetry-spread on thin
-?n
After day spent in breathless pur-
suit of just how many diplomatic and
official people ride wheels; how, when,
where and with whom they ride, what
they wear and what the world says,
this weary newspaper woman went
'home' to her lodgings with the perspi
ration running in rivulets- down be-
tween burrows of dirt and powder on
her face and in creek down the middle
of her back.
She kicked off her suit, threw her
bonnet on the floor, looked at her jsd-
ed, hot, soiled face, in the glass and lift
ed up her voice and wept.
Life seemed so cruel and hard to her,
she felt completely discouraged. Her
work didn't suit her and her brain seem
ed empty, except of hot air.
That night, when not breath of air
entered her room, when sleep refused
to come, when piles of unfinished manu-
script haunted her, when the thermome-
ter acted as if it were flying machine,
she tossed and worried, and prayed for
rest and relief from business cares, il
only for week, that she might recuper-
ate her energies and do better work.
Two. days later, as she once more go.
into her wrapper, after a hot day's
search for specials" for her papers, she
saw on bureau letter addressed in a
fine, old-fashioned hand, which she
had not seen for three months. She
| read through pages of family matters,
detailed with the interesting precision
Of day when letter writing was an &C.
| complishment, and was about to fold it
up, when her eye rested on last ad-
ded line: "Come over on Saturday and
make us a visit"
She put up her letter and her back
hair, dabbed some cool rice powder en-
her hot cheeks; nearly stuck her bon
net pin through the bump of self esteem
and flew down stairs to get leave from
her chief.
The next morning, like giantess re-
| freshed, behold her, in q cool lawn,
whirling, by steam, to dear. quaint,
sleepy, lovely old Alexandria, with her
cherub by her side. The cherub was
| always by her side. 1t was case Of
the hen with one chicken. Love me,
love my cherub" was her motto. She
| neared the stately old house on ST..
| Asaph street. Green venetian doors
stood invitingly open, and in few mo-
ments she found herself in heaven;
that is, to her; a cool, lofty, saloon par
lor, 20 by 40 feet, with windows on
three sides, where vines crept in and
| roses and hopeysuckle sent their fra
GRANGE. Two hostesses advanced to
greet her; one, the writer of the letter,
q doll baby, gray haired beauty with
the blue eyes-of childhood in her face,
| and the welcome OF a friendly heart
shining there. The other sister,
graver and more stately, with
matronly bearing and kindly
smile, completed the spell OF
enchantment which fell over the en-
raptured scribe. She felt as if she bad
| been waited thousand miles from heat,
dust, worry and work. The crowning
touch was given, when, in the wide hal, (,
stood courtesying, the veritable old Viz
| ginia family servant, with snowy tur-
ban and spotless, ample apron, and q
| rare smile of welcome upon her honest
brown face. The grateful and enchant-
ed writer found herself escorted by the
entire force to Virginia early supper
| table, where coffee, whose aroma told
of real mocha, was served from silver
in egg shell china, and real cream pour
eu from quaint silver jug. Beside ber
plate stood the regulation pile of golden
brown hot biscuits; in front, on silver,
q yellow print of butter, which smelled
of the meadow and clover blossoms;
broiled fish, strawberries, with more
cream and q host of other daintities,
caused the Washington lunch rooms to
assume purgatorial proportions, IN her
minds eve. The cherub stuffed and
smiled, and stuffed more, and grew
perceptibly fatter each minute. Rest
of mind and body ensued, and sleep,
such sleep as babies in the cradle have,
came that night. The morning brought
the voice of birds and balmy breezes
laden with the sweetness of flowers.
Sweet-faced, low-voiced women, called
to see her, and pressed their hospitall-
ties upon her. Lovely girls, in the
freshest and daintiest of summer frocks,
strolled by the open windows. A
stiffness like eternal blessedness per-
yaded the atmosphere, and the
happy woman sat and drank in new
life. The cherub ran up and down
in yard two hundred feet long, troll
icked in the deep grass, made wreathes
of roses, while 'sAunt Ellen" crammed
her litter stomach with more biscuit
and butter, between every meal; sos
de dear little lamb won't be hongry p
and the days fed by, until refreshed,
recuperated and rejuvenated, the hap
] py scribe said farewell to the cool, de-