Kitchen-Startling Experience-Ida's Letters-Strange Contents-A Lucky Stone-Bequest for a Melodeon-Offers of Marriage-Arrival of a

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er, a member of The Tribune staff, and for s

-like simplicity of toilette, we decided to do honor to our guest by dressing our hair quite elaborately, and attiring ourselves, despite the heat, in our best bombazines with their wei

Madame; a

usiness," said mamma to us;

t for whom, in imagination, we were

h Hawthorne draws so pretty a picture of the beautiful Miriam while engaged in "the feminine task of mending a pair of gloves," with all deference to th

ent The Tribune somewhere, the following day, just in time to catch the Pleasantv

, girls, how much worse they would have been, had the visitor been a lady! As long as a

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rand companions as Plato or Beethoven. We plan charming hours to be spent in the pine grove, where Marguerite will read to us a chapter or two of Kohlrausch'

rders,

e dashing away at a pace that terrifies our sober Quaker neighbors beyond expression. Mamma has been solemnly warned against allowing Gabrielle to drive "those fearful horses;" but we a

roadside. By a dexterous management of the reins, Gabrielle quickly subdued them, and we all looked to see what had startled them. An object was crouching in the grass, e

r arms, but I really cannot be sure, for I only looked at the face-such

on was of a very murderous-looking man-a

eard, which, was un-Indian-like, and was garbed in a dark calico gown with open sleeves, through w

ould be

eard forbids m

you a

le's conclusion that this frightful being was a convict who had

ty to Sing Sing," I said with a shudder, for

victs had recently escaped, and had entered several houses in Chappaqua-to say nothing of Mr. O'Dwyer's report that t

reated, "or between convicts and Modocs

ne

f Hayti, who has gone down on the 4.45 train,

on: The Tra

nt to unpack the superb linen that Aunt Mary bought abroad-the heavy damask table-cloths with their beautiful designs, and the immense dinner napkins, protecting one's dress so admirably against possible accident-and to take out the exquisit

far above ordinary humanity, six feet two inches being, I believe, his exact height-and his very dark compl

-morrow). Ida rarely troubles the cook with her presence, for Lina, like all cordons bleus, is a great despot, and impatient of surveillance; but as she can be trusted to arrange an entire menu without any hints from Ida, la Dame Chatela

despairing accents. "Lina has made a soup of s

crediting her words, and r

ppreciate the soup, which she considered a triumph of art, and which consis

injured tones; "King of Sweden th

ved of it, and we would show a plebeian taste if we did not also appreciate it. However, some wry faces wer

t Stockholm, notwithstanding that she did cook so admirably; but she managed yeste

, are presented with a diploma. Why could not a somewhat similar institution-omitting the sovereign-become practicable in our own country? Both housekeepers and newspapers groan over the frightful cooking of our Bridgets; P

me sacrifices for the common good-perhaps even to submit occasionally to a dinner spoilt by the experiments of young apprentices to the culinary art. Three months' training ought to suffice to make a

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t think we shall suffer from ennui-that is, if the startling eve

anger, our situation would not be a cheerful one-a household of seven helpless women, save during papa's weekly visit, and Bernard, our only protector, asleep in the side-hill ho

r her affliction, and alternately she is offered a home in Colorado and Maine. But such letters form the exception; usually the writer has a favor to request. The most modest of the petitions are for Ida's autograph or photograph, while others request loans of different sums from units to thousands. She is occasionally informed that t

Greeley for twenty-five dollars. All further misfortune will, she says, be averted from Ida if she becomes its owner; the s

knows by report to be very wealthy and charitably inclined, to make her daughter a present

ost daily occurrence. I think I would not exaggerate in saying she might reckon by the bushel these letters, written generally in very questionable grammar, and worse chirography. In very few instanc

etter together, laughed a little over it, and threw it into the waste basket. Time passed, and we came out here. Ida was greeted upon her arrival by another letter from the mysterious Hudson, who, not at all dis

inly crazy!" excl

y slowly: "I should judge him to be perfectly insane, and I on

y his expenses, Aunt Esther," said Ida quietly; "pe

usion to a love-letter!"

perty, and intruders walked and drove through the grounds quite as a matter of course, and helped themselves freely to whatever they liked in the floral, fruit, or vegetable line.

intoxicated man was sitting upon the steps of the side-hill house. She met mamma and Ida starting for a little stroll, and communicated this unpleasant

pon the piazza of the new house, but was s

e one in retaliation for our notice to

he scarecrow slowly lifted it

r. Greeley

said

s young lad

es

ve, a few letters from me,

ing some nerve and perfect self-control; so, although mamma and Ida were much alarmed upon learning the name of t

re a linen duster. He had come, he said, seven hundred miles to see Ida. Upon reaching the house

he said, "I supposed

g-froid so deceived me that I decided the supposed lunatic must be per

ma'am, but I feel a little bashful abou

aid mamma promptly; "you would not object

llowed us to the door, and breathing rather

le when alone with mamma, and the story h

g his throat with a razor. They say he was crazy, and," w

amma, sympatheti

although what connection there was between suicide and hi

d between them-a tall woman dressed as a Sister of Charity (evidently mamma, in her mourning dress and long crape veil). He then enlarged upon the awful punishment that inevitably overtook those who opposed the Will of Providence (i.e., his marriage with Ida): death by some violent means being unavoidable. At this point, the scissors were whirled more excitedly than ever, and Hudson's eyes glared with rage. I

ernard was safely out on the piazza, she unceremoniously shut and locked the door. Hudson, apparently much surprised at such inhospitable conduct, pulled the door-bell half a dozen times. When he was quite wearied with his

," he remarked, en route, "but I fear it

a magistrate. Then ensued endless hours of waiting. Mamma lay upon the sofa whiter than any ghost, now that the strain upon her nerves was rela

eir affidavits before they were confronted with the enemy. The news had by this time spread far and near, and all Chappaqua was assembled. The wildest reports were now circulated, to the effect that Hudson had pointed a pistol at

ing alarmed them to the extent indicated; that he certainly admired Miss Ida, and desired to marry her, but that he would not willingly injure or alarm the humblest creature-adding reproachfully that those affidavits would suffice to condemn

Hyatt, "I will no

the Divine Will (at this point, the audience burst into a roar of laughter). Besides, he liked our family, we suited him in every respect; and especially because we so much reminded him of John the Baptist (we inwardly hoped that the resemblance would not extend to decapitation). If Miss Greeley would not marry him, he kindly added, he would take her cousin Marguerite instead, but he must positively marry one of the family. He was now perfectly wild, and when he remarked, with

bird had flown. He was instantly followed, and discovered walking on the railway track about two miles off, swinging his little bundle quite unconcernedly. In reply to the ques