Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1827-03-24

va, ioI tnO IoNc my Couitfy anu tIy W
understand what is for cur interest,", never
talk much about disputable points, and |
never did write any thing concerning pol
| leticks in my life not even in letter to a
friend. For you can pllinly see that am
an indifferent hand at writing upon paper,
for | never was used to it, and hardly ever
put pen to paper but to write short note
to naighbor on necessary bisiness And
! should not venture t. write to you now II
it was not for some things that have come
in to my head by reading Of your peaces-
and my desire to express my thoughts to
you about these things could not make me
bould enough to send this, if it was not for
what you said in one ofyour numbers, that
| what is sent TO you not fit for The Old
Bachelor, you will burn or return. Nov,
sir, beg that you will be sure to burn this,
for my intent in writing to you can be come
at without any Of my poor stuf being put in
to the newspapers, and | am sure | should
blush the moment saw it in print, for
should be afraid that every body would know
that ! wrote'it-tho do not see how they
should for l know they never saw any Of
my poor thoughts in print, aud you may be
sure do not mean to put my true name to
! this.
But am afraid, good Mr. Old Bachelor,
that / am keeping you too long from your
necessary bisiness by not coming to the
point at once about the cause of my writing
the matter rightly, hope, Old Nj. B. tha,
you will have little patience; TO. it is nee
essary for you to know what sort Of a man
| am, and something about my family, that
you may have a good notion what it is
wish you to consider about and inform me of.
was born in the state Of Virginia, and
so was my father and mother before me-
and | think if ever thsre was trueheaited
Firginan, | must be one for / never was
out of the state in my life, tho am now up
wards Of thirty years old, and this may be
ore reson why have always thought Vir-
ginia the best state in the union. But there
may be another reson why have such
sincere love for Virginia, and for the United
States in general-Almost the first thing
that can remember, that worked any deap
impression OIL ny and was the death of my
father and the circumstances Of it. He iv-
ed at that time about forty or fifty mile from
Yorktown where CORVALLIS was taken.
During the seage he went down on tour
in the Militia, but he had been in the Ameri-
can army before and was wounded at the
battle Of Brandywine. l can remember
that after my father went downto York, my
mother very often in the day, aud sometimes
in the night would 60 out TO the edge oflhe
yard and walk about very thoughtful, and
then sand as if she was listening to hear
something with great attention. | was then
very young, and would frequently 60 to
where she was and ask her what she was
doing---sle would commonly answer me,
nothtng my son, and woud tell me to 60 in
to the house; and could see from the tears
that were sti canning from her eyes, that he
was in great distress about something. l
had no notion of what was the cause OF my
mothers great, but could see from the looks
Of my older brothers and sisters that they
had, for they would frequently call me back
when they saw me going to her at these
times; and when | asked them what was
the matter with our mother, they seemed
to be much affected and bid me hush, Cor l
did not know what was talking about.---
The check which my brothers and sisters
tried to put upon me, and the concern saw
they were in about our mother, for we all
loved her with heart and soul, increased my
desire to know what it was that distressed
her---I was the youngest Of her children
except one that was at tho breast, and a
much longer time having passed between
my birth and the youngest, than was COM
mon with her, my mother was very fond Of
me and made freer with her than the older
| children did.
One clear moonshiny night when it was
very still, and my mother had staid out be-
hind that end of the house which was next
to Yorktown, later than common, stole
out to whero she was, partly from my I'M
patience at her being so long absent, and
partly from the curiosity to see what she
was doing. went up near to her without
her knowing that | was there--and while 1
was considering what | should say 10 her,
could hear her sob, and see by her hold
ing up her apron, that she was wiplng
away the tears from her eyes. In short
time her sobbing hushed, and she held in her
breath and seemed to listen with all her
might to something at a great distance, -
and could Distinctly hear numbering
noise like the falling of numbers of great
trees at great distance. As it seemed to
die away and grow fainter and fainter, my
mothers sighs and teers was renewed again,