[Illustration: AUNT HEPSY’S COURTSHIP.]
[Illustration: FERN LEAVES FROM FANNY’S PORTFOLIO SECOND SERIES]
SHADOWS AND SUNBEAMS:
Being a Second Series
OF
FERN LEAVES FROM FANNY’S PORTFOLIO.
ILLUSTRATED BY GEORGE THOMAS.
LONDON:
WM. S. ORR AND CO., AMEN CORNER,
PATERNOSTER ROW;
SAMPSON LOW, SON, AND CO.,
LUDGATE HILL.
MDCCCLIV.
Published first in England by International Arrangement with the
American Proprietors, and Entered at Stationers’ Hall.
PREFACE.
The author addresses her readers in these words, by way of Preface to
the Second Volume of FERN LEAVES:—
“Six months since, I was in a deplorable state of ignorance as to the
most felicitous style in which I could address my readers; at this lapse
of time I find myself not a whit wiser. You will permit me, therefore,
in pressing again your kindly hands, simply to say, that I hope my
second offering of FERN LEAVES will be more worthy of your acceptance
than the first.”
To this the Publishers of the English edition need only add, that the
great popularity which this and the preceding series of FERN LEAVES have
attained, both in England and America, has induced them to enter into
arrangements with the proprietors of the copyright, whereby the present
edition of this work might obtain the benefit of the author’s sanction
and revision. To say anything by way of recommending so well-known a
writer as the sister of N. P. Willis is quite unnecessary—the acute
knowledge of the world, the womanly pathos and sympathy for the poor and
neglected, the genial, almost masculine, sense of humour and force of
language, the fearless expression of opinion, and the true wit and
genius displayed in these Leaves from Fanny’s Portfolio, cannot fail to
ensure for them a large and sympathising audience among the British
public.
AMEN CORNER, PATERNOSTER ROW,
_August, 1854_.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Shadows and Sunbeams 1
Aunt Hepsy 18
Thoughts at Church 21
The Brothers 23
Curious Things 28
The Advantage of a House in a Fashionable Square 29
Winter is Coming 36
The other Sex 38
Soliloquy of Mr. Broadbrim 40
Willy Grey 41
Tabitha Tompkins’ Soliloquy 54
Soliloquy of a Housemaid 57
Critics 59
Forgetful Husbands 60
Summer Friends 61
How the Wires are Pulled 62
Who would be the Last Man? 65
Only a Cousin 66
The Calm of Death 68
Mrs. Adolphus Smith sporting the Blue Stocking 69
Cecile Vray 70
Sam Smith’s Soliloquy 71
Love and Duty 75
A False Proverb 79
A Model Husband 80
How is it? 81
A Morning Ramble 83
Hour-Glass Thoughts 86
Sober Husbands 87
Boarding-House Experience 88
A Grumble from the (H) altar 93
A Wick-ed Paragraph 94
Mistaken Philanthropy 95
Insignificant Love 97
A Model Married Man 99
Meditations of Paul Pry, jun. 100
Sunshine and Young Mothers 102
Uncle Ben’s attack of Spring Fever, and How Cured 103
The Aged Minister voted a Dismission 106
The Fatal Marriage 108
A Matrimonial Reverie 112
Frances Sargeant Osgood 113
A Punch at “Punch” 116
Best Things 117
The Vestry Meeting 119
A Broadway Shop Reverie 122
The Old Woman 124
Sunday Morning at the Dibdins 126
Items of Travel 128
Newspaper-dom 130
Have we any Men among us? 132
How to cure the Blues 134
Rain in the City 136
Mrs. Weasel’s Husband 138
Country Sunday _v._ City Sunday 140
Our Street 142
When you are Angry 147
Little Bessie 148
The Delights of Visiting 151
Helen Haven’s Happy New Year 153
Dollars and Dimes 157
Our Nelly 158
Study Men, not Books 161
Murder of the Innocents 163
American Ladies 166
The Stray Sheep 167
The Fashionable Preacher 170
Cash 172
Only a Child 174
Mr. Pipkin’s idea of Family Retrenchment 175
A Chapter for Nice Old Farmers 177
Madame Rouillon’s Mourning Saloon 179
Fashion in Funerals 180
Household Tyrants 182
Women and Money 184
The Sick Bachelor 186
A Mother’s Influence 188
Mr. Punch mistaken 193
Fern Musings 194
The Time to Choose 196
Spring is Coming 197
Steamboat Sights and Reflections 199
A Gotham Reverie 201
Sickness in the City and Country 202
Hungry Husbands 205
Light and Shadow 207
What Love will Accomplish 209
Mrs. Grumble’s Soliloquy 212
Henry Ward Beecher 214
An Old Maid’s Decision 217
Father Taylor, the Sailor’s Preacher 219
Signs of the Times 222
Whom does it concern? 225
Who Loves a Rainy Day? 230
A Conscientious Young Man 233
City Scenes and City Life, No. 1 234
Do. do. 2 238
Do. do. 3 242
Do do. 4 245
Two Pictures 248
Feminine Waiters at Hotels 250
Letter to the Empress Eugenia 252
Music in the Natural Way 254
For Ladies that go Shopping 255
The Old Merchant wants a Situation 259
A Moving Tale 261
This Side and That 267
Mrs. Zebedee Smith’s Philosophy 270
A Lance Couched for the Children 272
A Chapter on Housekeeping 273
A Fern Reverie 275
A Brown Study 278
Incidents at the Five Points House of Industry 280
Apollo Hyacinth 286
Spoiled Little Boy 288
Barnum’s Museum 289
Nancy Pry’s Soliloquy 292
For Little Children 293
[Illustration]
SHADOWS AND SUNBEAMS;
Being a Second Series of “Fern Leaves.”
CHAPTER I.
I can see it now: the little brown house, with its sloping roof, its
clumsy old chimneys, and its vine-clad porch; where the brown bee hummed
his drowsy song, and my silver-haired old father sat dozing the sultry
summer noons away, with shaggy Bruno at his feet. The bright earth had
no blight or mildew then for me. The song of the little birds, resting
beneath the eaves, filled my heart with a quiet joy. It was sweet, when
toil was over, to sit in the low door-way, and watch the golden sun go
down, and see the many-tinted clouds fade softly away (like a dying
saint) into the light of heaven, and evening’s glittering star glow,
like a seraph’s eye, above them. ’Twas sweet, when Autumn touched the
hill-side foliage with rainbow dyes, to see the gorgeous leaves come
circling down on the soft Indian summer breeze. ’Twas sweet, when the
tripping, silver stream lay still and cold in Winter’s icy clasp, and
the flowers fainted beneath his chilly breath, and the leafless trees
stretched out their imploring arms, and shook off, impatiently, their
snowy burthen, and the heavy waggon-wheels went creaking past, and the
ruddy farmer struck his brawny arms across his ample chest, for warmth,
and goaded the lazy, round-eyed oxen up the icy hill. Even then it was
sunshine still in the little brown house: in the ample chimney glowed
and crackled the blazing faggots; rows of shining pans glittered upon
the shelves; the fragrant loaf steamed in the little oven; the friendly
tea-kettle, smoking, sang in the chimney corner, and by its side still
sat the dear old father, with the faithful newspaper, that weekly
brought us news from the busy world, from which our giant forest-trees
had shut us out.
Ah! those were happy days: few wants and no cares! the patriarch’s head
was white with grave blossoms, yet his heart was fresh and green. Alas!
that, under the lowliest door-way, as through the loftiest portal, the
Guest unbidden cometh. The morning sun rose fair, but it shone upon
silver locks that stirred with no breath of life; upon loving lips for
ever mute; upon a palsied, kindly hand that gave no returning pressure.
Soon, over the heart so warm and true, the snow lay white and cold; the
winter wind sang its mournful requiem, and from out the little brown
house the orphan passed with tearful gaze and lingering footstep.