Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1822-10-26

. ii n p. I.
THE following interesting story is from o.
,lisr's Literary Miscellany, periodical
work, which has lately made its appearance
m London.]
THE CONVICT.
Robert Wilson was market gard
ner. Early in life he married deserv-
ing young woman whom he loved with
entire tenderness, and by whom he had
several children. No man on earth
could be fonder of his little offspring
than Wilson; aad they, on the other
hand almost Worshipped their father,
taking delight in nothing so much as
in doing what he wished. Wilson was
not very wise, nor was he at all learn.
ed but his heart which I have said was
sill of tenderness. told him with unerr-
ing instinct that his children would be
governed moro perfectly and with more
wholesome effect under the dominion
of love than under that of fear: and
his was indeed happy family, where
affection. pleasure, obedience, and faith
faith in each other) went hand in hand.
Wilson was we'll situated for passing his
life comfortably, and nationally, his gar
den being juat far edough out Of Lon-
don. to render it Convenient his mixing
in the squallid profigacies OF town,
chad he been so inclined and yet he
was not so entirely in the country as to
harden him into the robust callousness
and ignorant vices of village life. He
could just hear enough of the "stir of
the great Babel" to interest him in it,
and 20 keep his faculties alive and a.
wake to the value of his own quiet, and
to the unaffected caresses of his dear
wife and children which always appear
ed more and more precious after he had
been hearing, in his weekly visits to
town some instances of mercenary by.
pocrisy and false.heartedness.
lodged two years in his house, and
have often seen him on a, summers Q.
vening sitting in an open part of his
garden, surrounded by his family, in
unconscious enjoyment of the still and
rich sun set. was his guest the last
time ! saw him poor fellow, in this pla-
cid happiness. We drank tea in the
open air, and amused ourselves after
wards, Irecollect with reading the pre-
ceding days newspaper, which Wilson
used to hire for the evening. We safe
out OF doors later than usual, owing to
the deiiciousness of the night, which,
instead of deepening into darkness kept
up mellow golden radiance sweeter
than the searching daylight; for be-
fore the colours of the sun had entirely
faded in the west, the moon came up o.
yer the eastern horizon, and the effects
was divine. My poor host, however,
did not seem so happy as usual. He
had been thoughtfulthe whole evening,
and now became more pensive; and
nothing reused him even into momen-
fary cheer, except the playfulness of
his eldest daughter merry little girl
of about four or five years of age. 1t
was sad to see him, with his detected
face, striving to laugh and romp with
the child, who in a short time began to
. perceive tie alteration in her fathers
manner, and to reflect in her smooth
face the uneasines of his. But their
past time was Of short continuance. 1t
was melancholy pretence. There
was nothing hearty in it, except the
dance of the child's forehead locks toss
ed to and fro in the clear mooonshine.
Isoon found out the cause otthis de.
preston. He was beginning to be PIN
ched under an ugly coalition-an in-
creasing family, decreasing business,
and times taxed to the uteermost. The
gentlsfolks living about tho great
squares did not spend so much money
ssformerIy in decking their windows
and balconies with early flowers and
rare exotics: and this was an important
source Of Wilson's revenue. He bore
up, however, with sad patience, for
long time, till hunger thinned and
atrssehed the roand faces of his chill.
deem and his wife's sndearments, in
stsad Of coming with hope and enesu-