The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-01-24 00:00:00

THE EMBROIDRESS AT MIDNIGHT

BY MRS. JAMES GRAY, LATE MISS M• A• BROWN

She plies her needle till the lamp
Is waxing pale and dim ;
She hears the watchman's heavy tramp,
And she must watch like him :
Her hands are dry, her forehead damp,
Her dark eyes faintly swim.

—here blossom flowers,

Look on her work!
The lily and the rose,
Bright as the gems of summer hours,
But not to die like those ;
Here, fadeless as in Eden's bowers,
For ever they repose.

Once, maiden, thou wart fresh and fair
As those sweet flowers of thine ;
Now, shut from sunny light and air,
flow canst thou choose but pine
Neglected flows thy raven hair,
Like the uncultured vine.

Look on her work!—no common mind
Arranged that glowing group :
Wild wreaths the stately roses bind,
Sweet bells above them droop :
Ye almost see the sportitroop!
Parting the graceful

Look on her work !—but look the more
On her unwearied heart,
And put aside the chamber-door
That doth the daughter part
From that dear mother, who before
Taught her this cunning art.

She sleeps—that mother, sick and pale—
She sleeps—and little deems
That she, who doth her features veil
All day, in flitting gleams
Of anxious hope, this hour doth hail,
But not for happy dreams.

God bless her in her lone employ,
And till those earnest eyes
With visions of the coming joy,
Waiting her sacrifice,
When they, who give her this employ,
Pay her its stinted price I

Think how her trembling hand will clasp
The treasure it will hold,
With that which seems a greedy grasp—
Yet not for love of gold :
That look—that sigh's relieving gasp,
Its deeper springs unfold.

Think how her hasty feet will roam
The market and the street,
. . _

The food and clothing meet,
And with what gladness she will come
Back to this poor retreat !

Poor maiden! if the fair ones who
Thy graceful 'broidery buy,
Only one-half thy struggles knew,
And filial piety,
Methinks some drop of pity
Would gem the proudest eye

It is not here its full reward
Thy gentle heart will prove ;
Here ever must thy lot be hard,
But there is ONE above
Wbo sees, and will not disregard,
Thy consecrated love.

—Dublin Univertily Magazine for January

AMERICAN CURIOSITY

When ascending the Delaware in a steam-boat, I had tne
honour to excite the attention of one of these inquisitive gen-
tlemen. As soon as be had discovered that I
exam was a stran
from
er,
he began by standing in front of me, and ining ehead to foot.
" A foreigner, no doubt," he began ;

" but from what

country ?"
This was the grand question, but I left him to ponder on
it. He continued his survey ; I changed my place ; he
followed me; I looked hard at him, to express my dissatis-
faction at his staring. Far from understanding me, he avails
himself of this to come up and address me. Putting on as
agreeable an expression as his pinched-up features would
allow, he abruptly began in a snuffling, drawling tone.:
" Sir !"—then, after a pause—" Where do you come from ? '
I replied, as sternly as possible, " From Europe." " Yes, I
know; but from what part ?"—`•Pray, sir," said I, in my
turn, " where do you come from ?" "I ! oh, lam from
Connecticut ; lam an American." •, I have not the least
doubt of it.''—" Yes, sir; but what country in Europe do
you come from ?—that is what I want to know.' " Exactly,
sir ; but allow me to inquire, are you in trade ?" " Yes, sir,
you are a
I am a merchant; but I was asking"--
merchant ; business pretty good in Connecticut, eh?"
" Pretty well, sir; but may I ?"--- " How many miles
from here to Philadelphia ?"—The Americans cratched his
head vigorously with his right hand, raising tleft side of
his hat a little. " Twelve miles, sir. But. sir, you were
rgetting. I asked you"-- " I am delighted to have
made your acquaintance, sir."—Then politely turning from
him, I exclaimed, " I beg your pardon ; but I see a friend
below ;" and I left him completely bothered. Forthwith a
crowd of Americans fell upon the unhappy inquisitor.
W hat's the gentleman's name?" " Who is he ?" Where
is he going ?" "He wears mustachios. Is he a colonel ?"
&c. &c. The American, No. 1, recovering from the asto-
nishment occasioned by my escape, replied, "1 know no-
thing about him but I soon shall."
Act 11.-1 am seated in the saloon of the cabin, reading'
My American friend, No. 1, descends, escorting a friend.
They place themselves opposite me, and unrol on the table a
map of Europe. Silence for a quarter of an hour, during
which time they are apparently occupied in examining the
but in reality looking at me. At length they took
courage ; and the American, No. 1, exclaimed,
" Shocking
state of things in Italy." The friend—" Yes, shocking in-
deed." They bath stare at me. I read. They examine the
map again. American, No. 1, breaks silence again—" Queer
matters in Hanover." The friend—" Yes, very queer."
Another scrutinising examination from two pair of eyes.
turn over a leaf. Five minutes elapse. The American, No.
1, again raises his voice. " Dreadful war in Poland."
Yes, dreadful indeed," replies his echo. Then, turning to
me with dignity—
raised my Have you been in this r'
head from my book. Their eyes are fixed upon
me with ludicrous anxiety. I cough. They exchange glan-
ces. I open my month. Their eyes gleam with pleasure.
I answer slowly, in a deep base, " No—o !" I rise—l shut
my book. They remained with their mouths half open, lost
in amazement at the utter discomfiture of all their minima-
...F.4.—M. Lowenstern's Les Blots et Le Havane.

INcoms T.►x•--The following is the return to the income
tax commissioner, by a village surgeon, residing in the

ounty of Devon :
I m sorry to make so sad a confession
Of the profits that emanate from my profession •
But the fact is, that most of the villdragesuggists abound;
round
With surgeons, quac k doctors, and
So much so that I am unable to clear
The sum gi
ve f a hundred and fifty per ear.
me much pleasure
could I return double,
It would g
And save myself all this additional trouble ;
But opponents and bad debts beyond all redemption
Compel me to fill out this claim of exemption ;
And what makes the matter so very much worse,
I've a wife and three chpildren, and no private
sepurse:
igt% the collector must e

- _
So from these simple
He can gather no tax upon income from me
WILL.—The will of a '
end of London last

"rich gentleman

READING TD

ek,-each party

led at t

after the usual

1 leave to in

e rsracme:lsn.d; in c

s y nephews and nieces,
..sual bequests to exe-
&c., &c. ; in the whole, a
with the eternal good wishes of the
Signed, sealed, and delivered by me in the pre-
All parties would have been satisfied bad
finished thus ! but the reader started,. and, wi a look
,f surprise, (for be was included in the donations) said,uld
mould
is a codicil I—and with a sigh, the sincerity of
which
lonsequently not he doubted he read aloud that which his eye
ad
scanned—" Codicil ; If I had died possessed of the
Stated, I should have left it to these, my dear
But I been imprudent, and since
IT. twice the sum therein set
to leave than may be
' friends, must, there-

win' tnt.

I leave them eacu,'

long string of
deceased. "

sea ce of

and valued friends

Taking this, r

down, and, perhaps
required to bury me ; my dear and k
lore, take the will for the deed !"