American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1822-10-04
THE CONVICT.

has lately made its appearance in London.l
THE CONVICT.
Robert Wilson was market gardener. Earl
in Me he married deserving young woman, whoI
he loved with entire tenderness, and by whom /
had several hidIen No man on earth could b
fonder Of his little offspring than Wilson an
they, on the other hand, almost worshipped the
father taking delight in nothing so much as in dc
ing what he wished. Wilson was not very wise, nc
was he at all earned but his heart, which | hav
said was all tenderness, told him with unerring 10
stinct, thar his children would be governed NOR
perfectly and with more wholesome effect, unde
the dominion of love, than under that Of fear: An
his indeed happy family, where affection
pleasure, obedience, and faith (failh in each other
went hand in hand. Wilson was we'll situated to
passing his life comfortably, and nationally; hi
garden being Just far enough out OF London, to rem
der nconvenient his mixing in the squalid prohiga
eies Of the town, chad lie been inclined y and VI
he was not SO entirely in the country as to hal de
him into the robust calousness and ignorant vice
of village lite. He could Just hear enough Of III
" stir oil the great Babel, to interest him in it, an
TO keep his faculties alive and awake to the value
his own qGIet and to the unaffected caresses Of hi
dear wife aud children, which always appeared NOR
and more precious after he had been hearing, /
his weekly visits TO town, some instances OF MERGE
nary hypocrisy and false heartedness.
lodged two years in his house and have ofte
SCI him in a summers evening, sitting In an ope
part OF his garden, surrounded by his family, il
unconscious enjoyment Of the still and rich sunset
l was his guess the las, tirle | saw him, poor fel
low, in this placid happiness. We drank tea in tn
open air, and amused ourselves afterwards, recol
lect, with reading the preceding days newspaper
which Wilson used to hire Tor the evening. w
safe out Of doors later than usual owing to the de
litiousness OF the night which, instead of teepenn!
into darkness, kept up a mellow golden radiance
sweeter than the searching day light for befor
the colors of the had entirely faded in the west
the moon came up over the eastern horizon and III
effect was divine. My poor host, however, did no
seem so happy as usual. He had been thoughtfu
the whole evening. and now became more pensipe
and nohing reused him even TO momentary Cheel
except the playiulness oil his eldest daughter,-
merry little girl Of about four or live years of age
II w,s sad to him. with his del ecied face sttiv
ing to laugh and romp with the child, who in
short time began to perceive the alteration in he
fathers manner, and TO refect in her moo h lac
the uneasiness Of his But their pastime WAS u
short Continuance. 1t was melancholy prelence
There wa. nothing hearty in ii, except the dane
of the childs forehead locks tossed 10 and iro in thu
clear moonshine.
SION 'ound out the cause Of this depression Ii
was beginning to be pnched under an ugly coal
uon-an increasing family, deere ising business
and that taxed to the uttermost. The gentlefos
living about the great So ares, did not spend ST
much money as formerly in decking their window
and balconits with eary flowers and rare exotIcs
and this was an important source o. Wilson's reve
nue. He bore up, however, with sad patience. Io
a ong time; till hunger ;hinned and stretched tn,
rou d faces OF his children and his wie's endear
ments, instead OF coming with hope and encourage
Tnent, seemed like tokens of love growing more
spiritual aud devoted under despair; hey were EN-
braces hall wed and made sublime by fame. Al
this was more than the good man could bear. The
falling voices OF his unconscious children we e like
madness-b. inging sounds in his ears; and one
night, losing IN the tumut Of his thoughts all dis
tinctons be ween right and wrong, he rushed forth
and committed robbery.
shall never forget, AS long as I live, the houi
when he was apprehended by the officers Of Iustice
A knock was heard at the outer gate and OF
M's. Wilson's gong to open It, two men rushed
by her into The house., and seized her pale and
trembling husbands who, although he expe, tee
and dreaded such event. was so staggered by i
as to lose tor few moments his Consciousness 81
all about him. The first thing he saw on csmnp
to himself, was his wife stretched at his feet il &
fearful swoon and, as he was hurried off he turn
ed his eyes towards her with hear. broken EXPIRES
sion calling out in tone half raving and hall i'm
ploring, " Look there, look there!'
1t " uld he vain to attempt description of the
wretched hours passed by him and his WIFE in tn
interval which elapsed between this period and the
time oil his trial The madness OF his utter des-
pair perhaps, was less intulerabe than the sickrn-
ing agitation produced in her mind by the ar-buil,
hopes she dared to entertain in weary succession
and which were only born to be soon stricken bao k
into nothing. This was indeed CHASTITY and with
erlns conflict The poor woman, after endu ing il
Tor thfee weeks could not be easily recognized by
her old acquaintance. There were no traces left
of the happy busting wife. She moved silently
among her children: her face was emaclaed, anc
hectic; and het eyes were red with the constant
swell Of tears. Il was mighty chanre