Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 48, No. XVIII, April, 1854Various
General
Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 48, No. XVIII, April, 1854
Various
Fashion -- 19th century -- Periodicals; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Women's periodicals, American
But if she can't read, or spell, or learn, you should only hear her sing,
Nell! It is like a wild bird. She warbles every air she hears. Music
seems to gush from her like water from a fountain. Once she was caught
playing, and they say it sounded like the rejoicing of good spirits; but
she cried when they wanted her to do it again, and has never touched the
instrument since. She dances more like a fairy than a human being. And
yet when Monsieur Viaulon (the French dancing-master) attempted to teach
her the polka, she ran away and hid herself behind the great globe in the
music-room. The truth is, her dancing has nothing of the ball-room in it.
She flits about so restlessly, it makes your eyes wink to look at her. Her
feet never seem happy on the ground, and I always have a curious fear when
the window is opened that Jessie will fly out of it.
The girls are rather frightened at her restless ways and her strange
beauty, which seem to belong more to the air than to the earth. They
declare that she is a fairy changeling; and that the tale which is told of
her father being shot in a duel, and of her mother dying when Jessie was
born, is all a story. Jessie rarely goes home. The only person who comes
to see her is an aged aunt, with a face all over lines, like a railway
map. She brings her plenty of toys and plenty of sweeties; but Jessie,
apparently, does not care the least about her. The only person her flighty
disposition stops in its giddy career to alight upon is Amy Darling. She
listens to no one else without impatience--she will play with no one else,
except it is a young kitten that belongs to the cook--she will obey no one
else. But then I believe, if Amy spoke to the lightning, that she would
stop it.
I am so tired of scribbling, dear Nelly, that I can't write any more
to-day, though I could fill a whole band-box with particulars about this
place. So no more at present from your dear affectionate.
KITTY.
[Illustration]
SOME THOUGHTS ON TRAINING FEMALE TEACHERS.
BY MISS M. S. G.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account