The Cameron pride; or, purified by suffering : $b A novelHolmes, Mary Jane
General
The Cameron pride; or, purified by suffering : $b A novel
Holmes, Mary Jane
American fiction -- 19th century
“He won’t, oh, he won’t,” Katy said, when once she suggested the
possibility, and in the eyes usually so soft and gentle there was a
fierce gleam, as Katy hugged her baby closer to her and said,
“God does not willfully torment us. He will not take my baby, when my
whole life would die with it. I had almost forgotten to pray, there was
so much else to do, till baby came, but now I never go to sleep at night
or waken in the morning, that there does not come a prayer of thanks for
baby given to me. I could hardly love God if he took her away.”
There was a chill feeling at Helen’s heart as she listened to her sister
and then glanced at the baby so passionately loved. In time it would be
pretty, for it had Katy’s perfect features, and the hair just beginning
to grow was a soft, golden brown; but it was too small now, too puny to
be handsome, while in its eyes there was a scaled, hunted kind of look,
which chafed Wilford more than aught else could have done, for that was
the look which had crept into Katy’s eyes at Newport when she found she
was not going home.
Many discussions had been held at the elder Cameron’s concerning its
name, Mrs. Cameron deciding finally that it should bear her own,
_Margaret Augusta_, while Juno advocated that of _Rose Marie_, inasmuch
as their new clergyman would Frenchify the pronunciation so perfectly,
rolling the r, and placing so much accent on the last syllable. At this
the father Cameron swore as “_cussed nonsense_.” “Better call it
_Jemima_, a grand sight, than saddle it with such a silly name as Rose
Mah-_ree_, with a roll to the _r_,” and with another oath the disgusted
old man departed, while Bell suggested that _Katy_ might wish to have a
voice in naming her own child.
This was a possibility that had formed no part of Mrs. Cameron’s
thoughts, or Juno’s. Of course Katy would acquiesce in whatever Wilford
said was best, and he always thought as they did. Consequently there
would be no trouble whatever. It was time the child had a name,—time it
wore the elegant christening robe, Mrs. Cameron’s gift, which cost more
money than would have fed a hungry family for weeks. The matter must be
decided, and with a view of deciding it, a family dinner party was held
at No.——, Fifth Avenue, the day succeeding Sybil Grandon’s party.
Very pure and beautiful Katy looked as she took her old place in the
chair they called hers at father Cameron’s, because it was the one she
had always preferred to any other,—a large, motherly easy-chair, which
took in nearly the whole of her petite figure, and against whose soft
cushioned back she leaned her curly head with a pretty air of
importance, as, after dinner was over, she came back to the parlor with
the other ladies, and waited for the gentlemen to join them, when they
were to talk up baby’s name.
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