Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1825-03-03


Ine like the e%vansacent hopes ofyouth,
and gave place to a person who mo-
nopolized all my attention. Ii was
the short pIaia form of middle aged,
negligeniIy dressed man, who wore
an air of droIIery, entirely irresistible.
As he passed, maiden purity and phi
losophic sternness lent the tribute of a
smile, and the little boys paused from
the destinations of their hoops and
marbles to look and laugh. The cloud
ed yisage Of misfortune, by his ludi
crous appearance, was cheated into a
temporary illumination, and in the
wiIdness of my d~isenthralled fancy,
methough. the very birds Of the air,
and the beasts of the field, or, in plain
English, the pigeons and the pigs, gave
a glance OF merry establishment upon
the object of my aotice.
His coat (for although he was an au-
tho. he had a coat had once been of
handsome black cloth, but its charms
had vanished "like fairy gifts fading
away"-many winters had scattered
their SHOWS upon the shoulder-blades
aud elbows, from the ~pinnacles of the
latter of which peeped something not
Uery white, concerning which | had
my own peculiar calculation. The
collar, j mean of his coat, for that of
his shirt had long since retired to the
dignity of private life, beneath the
complicated folds OF his slovenly era
vat-by the bye, it would be well if
some Of our political dirty shirt col,
lars would follow its example -Isay,
the collar OF his coat, by long acguain-
lance with the rim of a hat, memora
bic on account of its antiquity, had as
sumed gloss which was by no means
the gloss Of novelty, and a dark brown
waistcoat was buttoned round a body
that seemed cmptier than the head up.
on which it had depended for support.
His pantaioons,
"Weak, but intrepid sad, but unsubdued,"
were shrivelled tightly over a brace of
spindle shanks, withered, weary, and
t%orlorn, that would have put Daddy
Long legs to the blush. UncIeaned
pumps covered every part of his feet,
but the toes which came forth to enjoy
the fresh summer breezes, shoes and
stockings to the contrary notwithstand.
ing. A pair of tattered kid gloves.
meat but not gaudy,' futtered about
his hands, so that it would be difficult
Immediately to discover whether the
glove held the hand, or the hand the
glove.
But it was not the dress which gain
ed him SO many broad stares & oblique
glances, for our city annually receives
a great increase o fliterary inhabitants,
but the air-the "Je ne saiS quoi"-
the namele.s something--dignity in
rags, and self.importance with holes
at the elbow. 1t was The quintessence
of drollery which sat upon his thin,
Sinking lip-which was visible on
his crooked. copper-tinged and snuff
bedaubed organ of smelling, and ex-
listed in the small eyes of piercing gray.
As l love to study human nature in
person, and have always believed the
world was the best book to read, |
formed a determination to become ac-
quainted with him of the laughable as
pect, and proceeded to act in confor-
nifty thereto. | was striving to hit upon
some plausible method Of entering
into conversation with him, when fate
being in a singularly good humor, took
it into her whimsical head to favor my
design. AS | walked by him near
the end of the pavement, when the
multitude were by no means so III
merous, and their place was supplied
by the warbling birds, the bleating
lambs, and all those sounds which
constitute the melody of country
b~reezes, with a slight inclination OF his
pericranium he turned towards me and
spoke~ - -
"Pray, sir, can you favor me with
the l. orr"
1t Is four O'Clock" answered L, II
helieve-but am not sure; walk on
with me, and we will inquire of yon.
der gentleman"
"You are excessively good" said
he, with a smile, which gave much
more expression to his face-'I am
afraid l give you an infinite degree of
trouble; you are enjoying rural felici-
ty, POLITICALLY correct-pray do not let
me interrupt you"
AS he spoke the clock struck.
Fortune favors the deserving" ]