Woven with the Ship: A Novel of 1865: Together with certain other veracious tales of various sortsBrady, Cyrus Townsend
History
Woven with the Ship: A Novel of 1865: Together with certain other veracious tales of various sorts
Brady, Cyrus Townsend
Short stories, American; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Fiction; War stories
Some natural anxiety filled the heart of Revere. He had no doubt as to
the qualities of the woman he loved, but he wondered how she would
strike his mother. She certainly was not like the young Boston women
of his mother's social circle. Just as high bred as, and, in his mind,
infinitely more beautiful than, Josephine Remington, yet she was of so
entirely different a type that he could not restrain some misgivings.
Of course he meant to marry Emily under any circumstances, and he had
no fear, in spite of the quarrel which had temporarily overcast their
happiness, but that she would marry him as well; but he was the only
son of his mother, and it would be pleasanter all around if she should
be attracted to Emily and be willing to welcome her within the
precincts of her exclusive family.
He could see that she was delighted with the admiral, as, indeed, who
could fail to be? When the old man informed her that he had known her
husband's father intimately, and that the old commodore had cruised
with him when he was a lieutenant; and when he said pleasant things
about the commodore, who was deservedly held in high esteem in the
family, and told her some charming little anecdotes illustrating his
courage and ability, her heart was quite won.
The moments passed in pleasant conversation, therefore, until the
quick ear of Richard recognized a light footfall in the hall. The door
opened and Emily stepped out on the porch. With the bright sunlight of
the afternoon falling upon her as she stood, clad in a simple white
dress, against the dark background of the closed room, seen through
the door-way, she made so charming a picture of virginal loveliness
that he could scarcely repress a cry of admiration and delight.
At the sound of the opening of the door, Mrs. Revere turned and
critically surveyed the girl through her lorgnette, and criticism at
once gave place to approbation. The admiral instantly rose, and as
Emily diffidently stepped toward him,--poor girl, it was quite an
ordeal to her, this meeting,--he took her by the hand and presented
her in due and ancient form to his two guests, bowing low, with the
grace of a finished gentleman in spite of his age, as he did so.
The dress the girl wore, while of the finest material, was decidedly
old-fashioned in its cut,--a fact both women had been quick to notice;
but when she accompanied the admiral's bow by involuntarily dropping a
sweeping courtesy, after a fashion much older than her dress, which
went back almost to the days of her grandfather's uniform, in
fact,--for he had taught her how to do it,--the effect was altogether
charming. A little exclamation broke from the lips of the older woman.
The lorgnette dropped from her hand, and, instead of shaking hands
formally, as she had anticipated, Mrs. Revere rose and took the girl
in her arms.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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