My Wife and I; Or, Harry Henderson's HistoryStowe, Harriet Beecher
General
My Wife and I; Or, Harry Henderson's History
Stowe, Harriet Beecher
American fiction -- 19th century; Courtship -- Fiction; Marriage -- Fiction; Romance fiction
She met me at the door of her boudoir: "Harry, here you are! oh, I have
no end of things to tell you!--the door bell has been ringing all day,
and a perfect storm of presents. We have duplicates of all the things
that nobody can do without. I believe we have six pie-knives and four
sugar-sifters and three egg-boilers and three china hens to sit on eggs,
and a perfect meteoric shower of salt-cellars. I couldn't even count
them."
"Oh well! Salt is the symbol of hospitality," said I, "so we can't have
too many."
"And look here, Harry, the wedding-dress has come home. Think of the
unheard-of incomprehensible virtue of Tullegig! I don't think she ever
had a thing done in time before in her life. Behold now!"
Sure enough! before me, arranged on a chair was a misty and visionary
pageant of vapory tulle and shimmering satin.
"All this is Ida's gift. She insisted that she alone would dress me for
my wedding, and poor Tullegig actually has outdone herself and worked
over it with tears in her eyes. Good soul! she has a heart behind all
her finery, and really seems to take to me especially, perhaps because
I've been such a model of patience in waiting at her doors, and never
scolded her for any of her tricks. In fact, we girls have been as good
as an annuity to Tullegig; no wonder she mourns over us. Do you know,
Harry, the poor old thing actually kissed me!"
"I'm not in the least surprised at her wanting that privilege," said I.
"Well, I felt rather tender toward her. I believe it's Dr. Johnson or
somebody else who says there are few things, not purely evil, of which
we can say without emotion, 'This is the last!' And Tullegig is by no
means a pure evil. This is probably the last of her--with me. But come,
you don't say what you think of it. What is it like?"
"Like a vision, like the clouds of morning, like the translation robes
of saints, like impossible undreamed mysteries of bliss. I feel as if
they might all dissolve away and be gone before to-morrow."
"Oh, shocking, Harry! you mustn't take such indefinite cloudy views of
things. You must learn to appreciate details. Open your eyes, and learn
now that Tullegig out of special love and grace has adorned my dress
with a new style of trimming that not one of the girls has ever had or
seen before. It is an original composition of her own. Isn't it
blissful, now?"
"Extremely blissful," said I, obediently.
"You don't admire,--you are not half awake."
"I do admire--wonder--adore--anything else that you like--but I can't
help feeling that it is all a vision, and that when those cloud wreaths
float around you, you will dissolve away and be gone."
"Poh! poh! You will find me very visible and present, as a sharp little
thorn in your side. Now, see, here are the slippers!" and therewith she
set down before me a pair of pert little delicious white satin
absurdities, with high heels and tiny toes, and great bows glistening
with bugles.
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