Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1828-12-03

TIE TWO
ny MISS

Valentines Day is one Of great stir
and emotion in our little village. Ia
large towns--ospeciaily in London-
The wicked habit Of qnizz,ns Inns entre-
y destroyed tho romance and iIiuslon Of
that tender anniversary. But we IN the
country arc, Tor the most part, unintec-
ted by "oyer-wiscness." or 'ovrr-nico-
%noss," 10 borrow two Of Sir Walter
Raleigh's quaint but expressive phrascs,)
and are content 10 keep tho gracious
festival of love-making and billcts-doux
as simply and %conidingly as our ances-
tors of old. l do rot mean 10 say, tina,
overy ono Of our youths and mat
dcns pair on that day, like the "goId-
finch, bulinch, groeninch, and all the
finches Of tho grove ."-fieavon rorbid!
Nor that tho spirit Of iun hath 50 ut
tcrly cvaporated from US, that we have
no display Of innocent trick or harmless
r~ai,lery on that licensed m0rn:-ail that
! contend for IS, tha', in our parts, some
truth may BIO found lurking amidst the
f~ictions of those annual rhymes that
many a village beau hath so broken tho
ico Of courtship-und that many a viii
lagc bcllo hath felt her heart thrOb, as
she glanced at the embleInatIc scroll,
aud tried In guess tho sender, IN spite
Of the assumed carelcssness, the saucy
hoad-tossiny, and tho pretty poutinss
with which sho attempted to veil her
real interest. In short, there is m
thing like sincerity amongst Us, even in
a Valentines; AS witness tho number Of
wooines begun on tho fourteenth OF
February, aud finished in that usual ond
Of courislips and comodies- q woddln,
before W hitsunt,do. Our ihtlo lame
elork, who keeps a sort Of catalogue
r~d,sonnte Of marriages, as companion
to the parish. ragis.or computes those
that issus from tho bursting Valentine
bag Of our Eastman, at no less than three
aud a half per ~annum--tha. is to cay
saven betwOon two years.
W-besidcs the matches arising, d.
rrciiy and Indirectly, from tho billots
community called NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. is
another superstition connected with tho
day, which has no small influence, On
tho deslinos Oi our country maidans.-
Ihuy hold, that tho first man whom they
cspy in tho mornlng-providud that such
man DO neither Of kin to them, nor mar
ried, nor m inmate of tho Same house -
ia TO pass fpr thoir Valentine during the
day; and, perhaps (lor this is tho secret
clause which makes the OF sorvation i'm
porlant, to prove their husband for life.
I, is strange how much faith they put
in this kind Of sortes purgaan ic--this tur-
ning over tho living leaf of destiny; and
how much pains they will take 10 cheat
the fnlos, and see the man they like best
in spite Of the stars! one camsol, for in
stance, will go n quarter Of 6 milo about
in tho course Of her ordinary avocations,
in order to avoid a youth, whom she
does not fancy; another shall sit within
doors, with hnr eyes shut, half the NOR
ning, until she hears the expected voice
of tae l%avorite swain; whilst, on their
part, our country lads take care to place
themselves each IN tho way Of his cho-
sen she; and a pretty lass would think
herself overlooked, # she had not three
or four standing round her door, or saun-
,ering beneath her window, before sun
rise.
Now, n oc Tho prettiest girls in our
PARISH, is undoubtedly, Sally North
Pretty is hardly the proper phrase Sal
ly is n magnificent girl.-tall, far above
the common height of woman, and large
in proportiOn-but formed with the ex-
ac,est symmetry, aud distinguished by
the firm, erect, and vigorous carriage,
and the light, elasaic step, peculiar to
those who are accustomed to walk un-
der burthens. Sally's father is an en-
inrnt baker-ihc most celebrated per-
sonage in our village; besides supplying
half the next town with genuine coun-
try bread, which he carries there him.
self in his huge tilted cart, he hath struck
into other arts of the oven, and furnish
es all the breakfast tables, within five
miles, with genuine London rolls No
family Of gcntlIity Can possibly get
through the first week without them.
The rolls, to be sure, arc-just like 9TH
or rolls-very good, and nothing more
but some whim Of a great man or ca
price Of fine lady has put them in fash
lou; and S, Sally walks round the Par
ish every morning. with her great bas-
ket piled to the very brim, poised on
her pretty hrad-now lending it the
light support Of one slender hand, ard
now of another; the dancing black eyes
and the bright blushing smile, that flash
from under her burthen, as wei! as tho
perfect ease aud grace with which she
trips along, entirely taking away al
painful impression OF drudgcry or toll.
Sac is quite a figure for a painter, thi:
Sally North and the gypsy knows, It.
There is a gay, good hulnored conscious.