The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-08-07
A COMMENTED WOMAN
or the West Who Lives Without Society,
aud Who Lool.s Upon Lie ObisetIYeIy.

WI Nhe NeAt VINO AAfeA NAH"NN eeeNNtgt
and Who Looks Upon Life OBjsetiVsly.
Chicago News When Omaha was a
struggling village, a young bride came
up from the south, Her husband put
~ a brick house for her-perhaps It was
the FIRST brick building erected in the
citg-ani while II looks a most ridicu-
lous little contraption now, II was con-
sldered almost a mansion then,
The bride had trosseau appropriate
to the condition of life In which she had
lived, but they wern't wearing decoiiete
gowns In Omaha then, and the young
southern won the reputation for affecta-
ton and even for immodesty She went
to sewing societies and church soclables
patiently for time, but her ways were
too elaborate, and she observed that she
was the favorlte topic of conversation.
So, having rather intense prejudices, as
southern women often do have, she
said she couldn't find any society in
town worthy OF her and in the future
She would associate only with men and
women In books, whom one might Sc
lect at ones pleasure. dismiss at will
and cut dead without oftense. She said
some more foolish things, too, and the
hard working, sensible, ambitious, self
respecting women OF the new city were
up In arms and ceased to trouble her
with their society,
In course OF time the southerner's
family, increasing rapidly, had grown
too large for the brick house that had
been thought 50 imposing and so
much fined and more attractive struc-
ture OF wood was built on top of hill
In what is now the center OF the town,
Fruit trees and ornamental trees were
planted around it. The southerner
taught roses to Chamber over the big
porches or galleries,as she termed them,
which ran around two stories of the
rambling house,
She bitterly resented II when the town
began to grow around her the graceful
hill was sliced down like cheese to
make way for the city streets 1t left
the pretty house perched sixty feet
above the level Of the pavement and
the cuts Of yellow clay made fine places
for the swallows and beautiful back
grounds for the passing city crowds, IL
only there had been Beraud to see
and paint-whlch there wasn't. But
the Italian fruit vendors, with that In
stlnct for the picturesque, which Is just
as much part OF them as 1t is part
Of the swallows to borrow and bore, put
their stands on the walk In front of
these great perpendicular cuts and
wound grape leaves about the frame
work of their carts and made beauty In
the midst Of ugllness,
A pair of stairs with three landings
ran up this height TO the garden In the
air and there the lady raised her chill
dren, beholden to none, As the noise OF
the city became more marked, as the
electric cars whlstled by, as the Jail was
built block beyond her, and the county
court house little nearer, and the the
alter on q corner OF her husbands land,
and the city library Just beyond that,
and ell the common herd insisted on
going by on foot, in cars, in carts, car
riages, patrols and hearses, she grew
more and more exclusive.
Summer and winter she dressed in
whlte-to show that she kept her skirts
unspotted from the vulgarity about her
and any summer day he who looked
down from the windows of one OF the
adjacent office buildings might see her
IllUNlUb uluuuu AMINO ApsNSt
guId, elegant, stately, with her parrot
perched on her shoulder or calling to
her from his gllded cage on the gal
lery."
1t sounds like fiction, but it's the ex-
act truth. that she has not set her foot
on the street for nineteen years, save
once. when she followed the coffin OF
one of her many daughters down those
narrow stairs between the clay walls,
and saw her to her last earthly resting
place.
! A few ladies' call on her-army people
mostly, and southerners-andt they say
she is charming that there Is an air
Of refinement and repose about her, the
like of which Is not to be found in any
other drawing room in the city. This
drawing room, by the way, is quaint ano
elegant, and has an atmosphere Of Its
own. When she desires to buy a piece OF
Sevres for It's cabinet or etching for its
walls she sends for the merchants II
those materials and they come with thell
wares. When she desires n jewel--and
Jewels look well on her hands and bosom
the diamond merchant comes with hi
wallet Of stones and sets them in de.
signs of her malSlng-not that she Is very
wealthy, but she can afford well select
ed luxury now and then,
Her daughters are too pretty TO believe