第1章
Asitwas，heplayedatbeinganarchitect——andsucceededinbeingacharmingfellow。
MysisterJessicaneverlostanopportunityoflaughingathisendeavorsasanarchitect。
"Youcanbuildanenchantingvilla，butwhatwouldyoudowithacathedral？"
"Ishallneverhaveachanceatacathe-
dral，"hewouldreply。"And，besides，italwaysseemstomesomaterialandsoim-
pertinenttobuildalittlestructureofstoneandwoodinwhichtoworshipGod!"
Youseewhathewaslike？Hewasfrivo-
lous，yetonecouldnevertellwhenhewouldbecomeeloquentlyearnest。
BrainardwentoffsuddenlyWestwardoneday。IsuspectedthatJessicawasatthebottomofit，butIaskednoquestions；andIdidnothearfromhimformonths。ThenI
gotaletterfromColorado。
"Ihavemarriedamountainwoman，"hewrote。"Noneofyourpunybreedofmodernfemininity，butaremnantleftoverfromtheheroicages，——aprimitivewoman，grandandvastofspirit，capableoftrueandsteadfastwifehood。Nosophistryabouther；noknowledgeeventhatthereissophistry。
Heavens!man，doyouremembertheron-
deauxandtrioletsIusedtowritetothoseprettycreaturesbackEast？ItwouldtakeaSagamanoftheoldNorselandtowriteformymountainwoman。IfIwereanartist，Iwouldpaintherwiththenorthstarinherlocksandherfeetonpurplecloud。
IsupposeyouareatthePier。Iknowyouusuallyareatthisseason。Atanyrate，I
shalldirectthisletterthither，andwillfollowcloseafterit。Iwantmywifetoseesome-
thingoflife。AndIwanthertomeetyoursister。”
"Dearme!"criedJessica，whenIreadthelettertoher；"Idon"tknowthatIcaretomeetanythingquitesogiganticasthatmountainwoman。I"moneofthepunybreedofmodernfemininity，youknow。Idon"tthinkmynervescanstandtheencounter。”
"Why，Jessica!"Iprotested。Sheblushedalittle。
"Don"tthinkbadofme，Victor。But，yousee，I"vealittlescrap-bookofthosetrioletsupstairs。”Thensheburstintoapealofirresistiblelaughter。"I"mnotlaughingbecauseIampiqued，"shesaidfrankly。
"Thoughanyonewilladmitthatitisratherirritatingtohaveamanwholeftyouinablastedconditionrecoverwithsuchextraordinarypromptness。Asaphi-
lanthropist，oneofcourserejoices，butasawoman，Victor，itmustbeadmittedthatonehasarighttofeelannoyed。But，honestly，Iamnotungenerous，andIamgoingtodohimafavor。Ishallwrite，andurgehimnottobringhiswifehere。Aprimitivewoman，withthenorthstarinherhair，wouldlookwelldownthereintheCasinoeatingapineappleice，wouldn"tshe？It"sallverywelltohaveasoul，youknow；butitwon"tkeepyoufromlookinglikeaguyamongwomenwhohavegooddressmakers。
Ishudderatthethoughtofwhatthepoorthingwillsufferifhebringsherhere。”
Jessicawrote，asshesaidshewould；but，forallthat，afortnightlatershewaswalkingdownthewharfwiththe"mountainwoman，"
andIwassaunteringbesideLeroy。AtdinnerJessicagavemenochancetotalkwithourfriend"swife，andIonlycaughtthequietcontraltotonesofhervoicenowandthencontrastingwithJessica"svivacioussoprano。Adrizzlingraincameupfromtheeastwithnightfall。Littlegroupsofshiveringmenandwomensataboutintheparlorsatthecard-tables，andoneblondwomansanglovesongs。TheBrainardsweretiredwiththeirjourney，andleftusearly。Whentheyweregone，Jessicaburstintoeulogy。
"Thatisthefirstwoman，"shedeclared，"Ievermetwhowouldmakeafitheroineforabook。”
"Thenyouwillnotfeelunderobligationstoeducateher，asyouinsinuatedtheotherday？"
"Educateher!IonlyhopeshewillhelpmetounlearnsomeofthethingsI
know。Ineversawsuchsimplicity。Itisantique!"
"You"resureit"snotmerevacuity？"
"Victor!Howcanyou？Butyouhaven"ttalkedwithher。Youmustto-morrow。
Good-night。”Shegathereduphertrail-
ingskirtsandstarteddownthecorridor。
Suddenlysheturnedback。"ForHeaven"ssake!"shewhispered，inanawedtone，"Ineverevennoticedwhatshehadon!"
Thenextmorningearlywemadeuparidingparty，andIrodewithMrs。Brainard。
ShewasastallasI，andsatinhersaddleasifquiteunconsciousofheranimal。Theroadstretchedhardandinvitingunderourhorses"feet。Thewindsmelledsalt。Theskywasraggedwithgraymassesofcloudscuddingacrosstheblue。Iwasbeginningtoglowwithexhilaration，whensuddenlymycompaniondrewinherhorse。
"Ifyoudonotmind，wewillgoback，"
shesaid。
Hertonewasdejected。Ithoughtshewastired。
"Oh，no!"sheprotested，whenIapolo-
gizedformythoughtlessnessinbringinghersofar。"I"mnottired。Icanrideallday。
WhereIcomefrom，wehavetorideifwewanttogoanywhere；butherethereseemstobenoparticularplaceto——toreach。”
"Areyousoutilitarian？"Iasked，laugh-
ingly。"Mustyoualwayshavesomereasonforeverythingyoudo？Idosomanythingsjustforthemerepleasureofdoingthem，I"mafraidyouwillhaveaverypooropinionofme。”
"ThatisnotwhatImean，"shesaid，flushing，andturningherlargegrayeyesonme。"YoumustnotthinkIhaveareasonforeverythingIdo。”Shewasveryearnest，anditwasevidentthatshewasunacquaintedwiththeartofmakingconversation。"ButwhatImean，"shewenton，"isthatthereisnoplace——noend——toreach。”Shelookedbackoverhershouldertowardthewest，wherethetreesmarkedtheskyline，andanexpressionoflossanddissatisfactioncameoverherface。"Yousee，"shesaid，apolo-
getically，"I"musedtodifferentthings——tothemountains。IhaveneverbeenwhereI
couldnotseethembeforeinmylife。”
"Ah，Isee!Isupposeitisoddtolookupandfindthemnotthere。”
"It"slikebeinglost，thisnothavingany-
thingaroundyou。Atleast，Imean，"shecontinuedslowly，asifherthoughtcouldnoteasilyputitselfinwords，——"Imeanitseemsasifapartoftheworldhadbeentakendown。Itmakesyoufeellonesome，asifyouwerelivingaftertheworldhadbeguntodie。”
"You"llgetusedtoitinafewdays。Itseemsverybeautifultomehere。Andthenyouwillhavesomuchlifetodivertyou。”
"Life？Butthereisalwaysthatevery-
where。”
"Imeanmenandwomen。”
"Oh!Still，Iamnotusedtothem。I
thinkImightbenot——notveryhappywiththem。Theymightthinkmequeer。I
thinkIwouldliketoshowyoursisterthemountains。”
"Shehasseenthemoften。”
"Oh，shetoldme。ButIdon"tmeanthoseprettygreenhillssuchaswesawcom-
inghere。Theyarenotlikemymountains。
Ilikemountainsthatgobeyondtheclouds，withterribleshadowsinthehollows，andbeltsofsnowlyinginthegorgeswherethesuncannotreach，andthesnowisblueinthesunshine，orshiningtillyouthinkitissilver，andthemistsowonderfulallaboutit，changingeachmomentanddriftingupanddown，thatyoucannottellwhatnametogivethecolors。ThesemountainsofyourshereintheEastaresoquiet；mineareshoutingallthetime，withthepinesandtherivers。Theechoesaresoloudinthevalleythatsometimes，whenthewindisrising，wecanhardlyhearamantalkunlessheraiseshisvoice。TherearefourcataractsnearwhereIlive，andtheyallhavedifferentvoices，justaspeopledo；andoneofthemishappy——alittlewhitecataract——anditfallswherethesunshinesearliest，andtillnightitisshining。Buttheothersonlygetthesunnowandthen，andtheyaremorenoisyandcruel。Oneofthemisalwaysintheshadow，andthewaterlooksblack。Thatispartlybecausetherocksallunderneathitareblack。Itfallsdowntwentygreatledgesinagorgewithblacksides，andawhitemistdancesalloveritateveryleap。
Itellfatherthemististheghostofthewaters。Nomanevergoesthere；itistoocold。Thechillstrikesthroughone，andmakesyourheartfeelasifyouweredying。
Butalldownthesideofthemountain，towardthesouthandthewest，thesunshinesonthegraniteanddrawslongpointsoflightoutofit。Fathertellsmesoldiersmarchinglookthatwaywhenthesunstrikesontheirbayonets。ThosearethekindofmountainsImean，Mr。Grant。”
Shewaslookingatmewithherfacetrans-
figured，asifit，likethemountainsshetoldmeof，hadbeenlyinginshadow，andwait-
ingforthedazzlingdawn。
"Ihadaterribledreamonce，"shewenton；"themostterribledreameverIhad。
Idreamtthatthemountainshadallbeentakendown，andthatIstoodonaplaintowhichtherewasnoend。Theskywasburn-
ingup，andthegrassscorchedbrownfromtheheat，anditwastwistingasifitwereinpain。Andanimals，butnootherpersonsavemyself，onlywildthings，werecrouch-
ingandlookingupatthatsky。Theycouldnotrunbecausetherewasnoplacetowhichtogo。”
"Youwerehavingavisionofthelastman，"Isaid。"Iwondermyselfsometimeswhetherthisoldglobeofoursisgoingtocollapsesuddenlyandtakeuswithher，orwhetherwewilldisappearthroughslowdisastrousagesoffightingandcrushing，withhungerandblighttohelpustotheend。Andthen，atthelast，perhaps，somelucklessfellow，strongerthantherest，willstandamidtheribsoftherottingearthandgomad。”
Thewoman"seyeswerefixedonme，largeandluminous。"Yes，"shesaid；"hewouldgomadfromthelonesomenessofit。
HewouldbeafraidtobeleftalonelikethatwithGod。NoonewouldwanttobetakenintoGod"ssecrets。”
"Andourlastman，"Iwenton，"wouldhavetostandthereonthatswayingwrecktilleventhesoundofthecrumblingearthceased。Andhewouldtrytofindavoiceandwouldfail，becausesilencewouldhavecomeagain。Andthenthelightwouldgoout——"
Theshudderthatcreptoverhermademestop，ashamedofmyself。
"Youtalklikefather，"shesaid，withalong-drawnbreath。Thenshelookedupsuddenlyatthesunshiningthroughariftinthoserecklessgrayclouds，andputoutonehandasiftogetitfulloftheheadlongrollickingbreeze。"Buttheearthisnotdying，"shecried。"Itiswellandstrong，anditlikestogoroundandroundamongalltheotherworlds。Itlikesthesunandmoon；theyareallgoodfriends；anditlikesthepeoplewholiveonit。Maybeitistheyinsteadofthefirewithinwhokeepitwarm；ormaybeitiswarmjustfromalwaysgoing，aswearewhenwerun。Weareyoung，youandI，Mr。Grant，andLeroy，andyourbeautifulsister，andtheworldisyoungtoo!"Thenshelaughedastrongsplendidlaugh，whichhadneverhadthejoytakenoutofitwithdrawing-roomre-
strictions；andIlaughedtoo，andfeltthatwehadbecomeverygoodcompanionsindeed，andfoundmyselfwarmingtothejoyofcompanionshipasIhadnotsinceI
wasaboyatschool。
ThatafternoonthefourofussatatatableintheCasinotogether。TheCasino，aseveryoneknows，isaplacetoamuseyourself。Ifyouhaveaduty，amission，oranaspiration，youdonottakeittherewithyou，itwouldbesoobviouslyoutofplace；
ifpovertyisaheadofyou，youforgetit；ifyouhavebrains，youhastentoconcealthem；
theywouldbeaseriousencumbrance。
Therewasabubblingofconversation，arustleandfluttersuchastherealwaysiswheretherearemanywomen。Alltheplacewasgaywithflowersandwithgownsasbrightastheflowers。Irememberedtheapprehensionsofmysister，andstudiedLeroy"swifetoseehowshefittedintothishighlycoloredpicture。Shewastheonlywomanintheroomwhoseemedtoweardraperies。Thejauntyslashandcutoffashionableattireweremissinginthelongbrownfoldsofcloththatenvelopedherfigure。IfeltcertainthatevenfromJessica"sstandpointshecouldnotbecalledaguy。
Picturesqueshemightbe，pastthepointofconvention，butshewasnotridiculous。
"Judithtakesallthisveryseriously，"saidLeroy，laughingly。"IsupposeshewouldtakeevenParisseriously。”
Hiswifesmiledoverathim。"LeroysaysIammelancholy，"shesaid，softly；
"butIamalwaystellinghimthatIamhappy。HethinksIammelancholybe-
causeIdonotlaugh。Igotoutofthewayofitbybeingsomuchalone。Youonlylaughtoletsomeoneelseknowyouarepleased。Whenyouarealonethereisnouseinlaughing。Itwouldbelikeexplain-
ingsomethingtoyourself。”
"Youareaphilosopher，Judith。Mr。
MaxMü；llerwouldliketoknowyou。”
"Isheafriendofyours，dear？"
Leroyblushed，andIsawJessicacurlherlipasshenoticedtheblush。ShelaidherhandonMrs。Brainard"sarm。
"Haveyoualwaysbeenverymuchalone？"sheinquired。
"Iwasbornontheranch，youknow；
andfatherwasnotfondofleavingit。In-
deed，nowhesayshewillneveragaingooutofsightofit。Butyoucangoalongjourneywithoutdoingthat；foritliesonaplateauinthevalley，anditcanbeseenfromthreedifferentmountainpasses。
Motherdiedthere，andforthatreasonandothers——fatherhashadastrangelife——heneverwantedtogoaway。HebroughtaladyfromPennsylvaniatoteachme。Shehadwonderfullearning，butshedidn"tmakeverymuchuseofit。IthoughtifI
hadlearningIwouldnotwasteitreadingbooks。Iwoulduseitto——tolivewith。
Fatherhadalibrary，butInevercaredforit。Hewasforeveratbookstoo。Ofcourse，"shehastenedtoadd，noticingthelookofmortificationdeepenonherhus-
band"sface，"Ilikebooksverywellifthereisnothingbetterathand。ButIalwayssaidtoMrs。Windsor——itwasshewhotaughtme——whyreadwhatotherfolkhavebeenthinkingwhenyoucangooutandthinkyourself？Ofcourseoneprefersone"sownthoughts，justasoneprefersone"sownranch，orone"sownfather。”
"ThenyouaresuretolikeNewYorkwhenyougotheretolive，"criedJessica；
"forthereyouwillfindsomethingtomakelifeentertainingallthetime。Nooneneedfallbackonbooksthere。”
"I"mnotsure。I"mafraidtheremustbesuchdreadfulcrowdsofpeople。OfcourseIshouldtrytofeelthattheywerealllikeme，withjustthesamesortoffears，andthatitwasridiculousforustobeafraidofeachother，whenatheartweallmeanttobekind。”
Jessicafairlywrungherhands。"Hea-
vens!"shecried。"IsaidyouwouldlikeNewYork。Iamafraid，mydear，thatitwillbreakyourheart!"
"Oh，"saidMrs。Brainard，withwhatwasmeanttobeagentlejest，"noonecanbreakmyheartexceptLeroy。Ishouldnotcareenoughaboutanyoneelse，youknow。”
Thecomplimentwasanexquisiteone。
Ifeltthebloodcreeptomyownbraininasortofvicariousrapture，andIavoidedlookingatLeroylestheshoulddisliketohavemeseethehappinesshemustfeel。
Thesimplicityofthewomanseemedtoinvigoratemeasthecoolairofhermoun-
tainsmightifitblewtomeonsomebrightdawn，whenIhadcome，feveredandsickofsoul，fromthecity。
Whenwewerealone，Jessicasaidtome:
"Thatmanhastoomuchvanity，andhethinksitissensitiveness。Heisgoingtoimaginethathiswifemakeshimsuffer。
There"snoonesobrutallyselfishasyoursensitiveman。Hewantseveryonetoliveaccordingtohisideas，orheimmediatelybeginssuffering。Thatfriendofyourshasn"tthecourageofhisconvictions。Heisgoingtobeashamedoftheveryqualitiesthatmadehimlovehiswife。”
Therewasahopthatnightatthehotel，quiteanunusualaffairastoelegance，giveninhonorofawomanfromNewYork，whowroteanovelamonth。
Mrs。Brainardlookedsohappythatnightwhenshecameintheparlor，afterthemusichadbegun，thatIfeltamoisturegatherinmyeyesjustbecauseofthebeautyofherjoy，andtheforcedvivacityofthewomenaboutmeseemedsuddenlycoarseandinsincere。Somewonderfulredstones，brilliantasrubies，glitteredinamongthediaphanousblackdriftingsofherdress。
Sheaskedmeifthestoneswerenotverypretty，andsaidshegatheredtheminoneofhermountainriver-beds。
"Butthegown？"Isaid。"Surely，youdonotgathergownslikethatinriver-beds，orpickthemoffmountain-pines？"
"ButyoucangettheminDenver。FatheralwayssenttoDenverformyfinery。HewasveryparticularabouthowIlooked。
Yousee，Iwasallhehad——"Shebrokeoff，hervoicefaltering。
"Comeoverbythewindow，"Isaid，tochangeherthought。"Ihavesomethingtorepeattoyou。ItisasongofSydneyLanier"s。IthinkhewasthegreatestpoetthateverlivedinAmerica，thoughnotmanyagreewithme。Butheismydearfriendanyway，thoughheisdead，andI
neversawhim；andIwantyoutohearsomeofhiswords。”
Iledheracrosstoanopenwindow。Thedancerswerewhirlingbyus。Thewaltzwasoneofthosemelancholyoneswhichspeakthespiritofthedancemoreelo-
quentlythananymerrymelodycan。Thesoundoftheseaboomingbeyondinthedarknesscametous，andlongpathsoflight，nowred，nowgreen，stretchedtowardthedistantlight-house。ThesewerethelinesIrepeated:——
"Whatheartache——ne"erahill!
Inexorable，vapid，vague，andchillThedrearsandlevelsdrainmyspiritlow。
Withonepoorwordtheytellmealltheyknow；
Whereattheirstupidtongues，toteasemypain，Dodrawlito"erando"eragain。
TheyhurtmyheartwithgriefsIcannotname；
Alwaysthesame——thesame。”
ButIgotnofurther。Ifeltmyselfmovedwithasortofpassionwhichdidnotseemtocomefromwithin，buttobecommunicatedtomefromher。Acertainunfamiliarhap-
pinessprickedthroughwithpainthrilledme，andIheardherwhispering，——
"Donotgoon，donotgoon!Icannotstanditto-night!"
"Hush，"Iwhisperedback；"comeoutforamoment!"Westoleintotheduskwithout，andstoodtheretrembling。I
swayedwithheremotion。Therewasalongsilence。Thenshesaid:"Fathermaybewalkingalonenowbytheblackcataract。
Thatiswherehegoeswhenheissad。I
canseehowlonelyhelooksamongthoselittletwistedpinesthatgrowfromtherock。
Andhewillberememberingalltheeveningswewalkedtheretogether，andallthethingswesaid。”Ididnotanswer。Hereyeswerestillonthesea。
"Whatwasthenameofthemanwhowrotethatverseyoujustsaidtome？"
Itoldher。
"Andheisdead？Didtheyburyhiminthemountains？No？IwishIcouldhaveputhimwherehecouldhaveheardthosefourvoicescallingdownthecanyon。”
"Comebackinthehouse，"Isaid；"youmustcome，indeed，"Isaid，assheshrankfromre-entering。
JessicawasdancinglikeafairywithLe-
roy。Theybothsawusandsmiledaswecamein，andamomentlatertheyjoinedus。
ImademyexcusesandleftmyfriendstoJessica"scare。Shewasasortofsocialtyrantwherevershewas，andIknewonewordfromherwouldinsurethepopularityofourfriends——notthattheyneededtheinterventionofanyone。Leroyhadbeenasortofdrawing-roompetsincebeforehestoppedwearingknickerbockers。
"Heisathisbestinadrawing-room，"
saidJessica，"becausetherehedealswiththeoryandnotwithaction。Andhehassuchbeautifultheoriesthatthewomen，whoareallidealists，adorehim。”
ThenextmorningIawokewithacon-
victionthatIhadbeenidlingtoolong。I
wentbacktothecityandbrushedthedustfrommydesk。Theneachmorning，I，asJessicaputit，"formedpublicopinion"
totheextentofonecolumnadayinthecolumnsofacertainenterprisingmorningjournal。
BrainardsaidIhadtreatedhimshabbilytoleaveupontheheelsofhiscoming。Butamanwhoworksforhisbreadandbuttermustputalimittohisholiday。Itisdif-
ferentwhenyouonlyworktoaddtoyourgeneralpicturesqueness。ThatiswhatI
wroteLeroy，anditwastheunkindestthingIeversaidtohim；andwhyIdiditIdonotknowtothisday。Iwasglad，though，whenhefailedtoanswertheletter。Itgavemeamorereasonableexcuseforfeelingoutofpatiencewithhim。
Thedaysthatfollowedwereverydull。
Itwashardtogetbackintothewayofworking。IwasgladwhenJessicacamehometosetupourlittleestablishmentandtojoinintheautumngayeties。Brainardbroughthiswifetothecitysoonafter，andwenttohousekeepinginanoddsortofaway。
"Icouldn"tseeanythingintheplacesavecurios，"Jessicareported，afterherfirstcallonthem。"Isupposethereisacooking-
stovesomewhere，andmaybeevenapantrywithpotsinit。ButallIsawwasAlaskatotemsandNavajoblankets。TheyhaveasmanyskinsaroundonthefloorandcouchesaswouldhavesatisfiedanancientBriton。Andeverybodywascallingthere。
YouknowMr。Brainardrunstocuriosinselectinghisfriendsaswellashisfurniture。
Theparlorswerefullthisafternoonofab-
normalpeople，thatistosay，withfolksonereadsabout。Iwastheonlyonetherewhohadn"tdonesomething。Iguessit"sbe-
causeIamtoohealthy。”
"HowdidMrs。Brainardlikesuchamotleycrew？"
"Shewaswonderful——perfectlywonder-
ful!Thoseinsultingcreatureswereallstudyingher，andsheknewit。Butherdignitywasperfect，andshelookedasproudasaSiouxchief。Shelistenedtoeveryone，andtheyallthoughthersobright。”
"Brainardmusthavebeentremendouslyproudofher。”
"Oh，hewas——ofherandhisChilcatportiè；res。”
Jessicawasthereoften，but——well，Iwasbusy。Atlength，however，Iwasforcedtogo。Jessicarefusedtomakeanyfurtherexcusesforme。Theroomswerefilledwithsmallcelebrities。
"Wearetheonlynonentities，"whisperedJessica，asshelookedaround；"itwillmakeusquitedistinguished。”
Wewenttospeaktoourhostess。Shestoodbesideherhusband，lookingtallerthanever；andherfacewaswhite。Herlongredgownofclingingsilkwassope-
culiarastogiveonetheimpressionthatshewasdressedincharacter。ItwaseasytotellthatitwasoneofLeroy"sfancies。I
hardlyheardwhatshesaid，butIknowshereproachedmegentlyfornothavingbeentoseethem。Ihadnofurtherwordwithhertillsomeoneledhertothepiano，andshepausedtosay，——
"Thatpoetyouspokeoftome——theoneyousaidwasafriendofyours——heismyfriendnowtoo，andIhavelearnedtosingsomeofhissongs。Iamgoingtosingonenow。”Sheseemedtohavenotimidityatall，butstoodquietly，withahalfsmile，whileayoungmanwithaRussiannameplayedastrangeminorprelude。Thenshesang，hervoiceawonderfulcontralto，coldattimes，andagainlitupwithgleamsofpas-
sion。Themusicitselfwasfitful，nowfullofjoy，nowtender，andnowsad:
"Lookoff，dearlove，acrossthesallowsands，Andmarkyonmeetingofthesunandsea，Howlongtheykissinsightofallthelands，Ah!longer，longerwe。”
"Shehasageniusforfeeling，hasn"tshe？"Leroywhisperedtome。
"Ageniusforfeeling!"Irepeated，angrily。"Man，shehasaheartandasoulandabrain，ifthatiswhatyoumean!I
shouldn"tthinkyouwouldbeabletolookatherfromthestandpointofacritic。”
Leroyshruggedhisshouldersandwentoff。ForamomentIalmosthatedhimfornotfeelingmoreresentful。Ifeltasifheowedittohiswifetotakeoffenceatmyfoolishspeech。
Itwasevidentthatthe"mountainwoman"
hadbecomethefashion。Ireadreportsinthepapersaboutheruniquereceptions。I
sawhernameprintedconspicuouslyamongthelistofthosewhoattendedallsortsofdinnersandmusicalesandeveningsamongthesetthataffectedintellectualpursuits。
Shejoinedanumberofwomen"sclubsofanexclusivekind。
"Sheisdoingwhateverherhusbandtellsherto，"saidJessica。"Why，theotherdayIheardherruininghervoiceon"Siegfried"!"
ButfromdaytodayInoticedadifferenceinher。Shedevelopedaterribleactivity。
Shetookpersonalchargeoftheaffairsofherhouse；sheunitedwithLeroyinkeep-
ingthehousefilledwithguests；shegotontheboardofahospitalforlittlechildren，andspentapartofeverydayamongthecotswherethesuffererslay。NowandthenwhenwespentaquieteveningalonewithherandLeroy，shesewedcontinuallyonlittlewhitenight-gownsforthesepoorbabies。
Sheusedhercarriagetotakethemostex-