The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1821-1823, 1823-04-16
TRE CONVICT.

Robert Wilson was a market gardener
Early in life he married a deserving
young woman whom he loved with en-
tire tenderness, and by whom he had sew
eral children. No man on earth could
be fonder of his little offspring than Will
son; and 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 learned; but his heart,
which have said was all of tenderness.
told him, with unerring instinct, that his
children would be governed more per-
fectly and with more wholesome effect
under the dominion of love than under
that of fear; and his was indeed happy
family, where affection, pleasure, ODE
dience and faith, (faith in each other)
went hand in hand. Wilson was well
situated for passing his life comfortably,
and nationally, his garden being just far
enough out of London, to render incon-
venient his mixing in the squallid prof,
lgacies of town, chad he been so incbn-
ed j and yet he was not so entiely in the
country as 10 harden him into the robust
calousness and ignorant vices of village
life. He could just hear enough of the
" stir of the great Babel" to interest him
in if, and to keep his faculties alive and
awake to the value of his own quiet, and
to the unaffecting caresses of his wife
and children, which always appeared
more and more precious after be had
been hearing in his weekly visits 10 town,
some instances of mercenaTy hypocrisy
and disadvantages.
lodged two years IN his house, and
have often seen him on summers eve
ming sitting in an open part of bis gar
den. surrounded by his family, in uncon-
scious enjoyment of the still and rich
sunset. / was his guest the last time l
saw him, poor fellow, in this placid hap
piness. We drank tea in the open air,
and amused ourselves afterwards, rec
ollect with reading the preceding days
newspaper which Wilson used to hire
for the evening. We sat out of doors
later than usual, owing to the delicious
ness Of the night, which, instead Of
deepening into darkness, kept up mel
low golden radiance sweeter than the
searching daylight; for before the col
ours of the sun had entirely faded in the
west, the moon came up over the east
ern horizon, and the effect was divine.
MY poor host, however, did not seem so
happy as usual. He had been thought
fol the whole evening, and now became
more pensive; and nothing reused him
even into momentary cheer, except the
playfulness of bis eldest daughter,
msrrv1ittIe girl of about four or FIVE
wears OF age. II was sad to see him,
with his detected face, striving TO laugh
and romp with the child, who in short
time began to perceive the alteration in
her fathers manner, and to reflect in
her smooth face the uneasiness Of his.
But their pastime was of short continu-.
ance. 1t was melancholy pretence.-
There was nothing hearty in it, except
the dance of the child's forehead locks,
tossed to and fro in the clear moon
shine.
soon found out the cause Of this de-
preston. He was beginning to be pinch
ed under an ugly coalition-an increas-
ing family, decreasing business, and times
taxed to the uttermost. The gentlefolks
living about the great squares did not
spend so much money as formerly in
decking their windows and balconies
with early flowers and rare exoticks
and this was an important source of Will
sons revenue. He bore up, however,
with sad patience, for long time, till
hunger thinned and stretched the round