Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1829-03-11
VILLAGE MASQUERADE.
From the Tales of the Great St. Bernard

Time hurries on in spite oil all the reiue-
lance of mankind, and the dreaded night came
II wa. all that had expected IL 10 be, wan Inc
exception that, from one oil the serehest Gays
of Summer, the weather changed, AZ amomeh.
warning, into a tempest worthy OF the norm
west passage. Our fe,e chamPetre was blown
into thousand fragments; our lamps, iest"on'
ed among our elms, were sent flying, IKE eha'h
shot, through our windows; our grand EN-
blema,ic" transparency, the master piece OF
London Apelles, and which cos-I dare not
confess how much-was ripped from top 10
bottom at the first onset, and discharged, with
the force Of a Steam engine, down the "grand
staircase" on the heads OF an ascending column
of Qoakers, devils, Jews, and Spanish grandees.
The uoroar was tremendous; and from my
study, in which had fingered ill the first con-
course should be quiet, and might venture
forth with safety to my limbs heard the gs
neral crash, not undelighled with The anticiPa-
tons Of its clearing my house.
Mr. Ultramarine's sudden retreat had ieit all
our ornamental exploits hall. born. The cas-
cade. painted TO fac simile Of Iivoli, was car
ricd away by burst Of the rivulet that we had
been nursing for the occasion. The supeToe
fontaine, Oil The model Of The grand hons oil
Versailles, after 1inging up half dozen con-
yuIsiye lets, which burst into the drawing room
windows, and ex,ravagated over the company,
refused to olav drop more. The organ, ex-
pre.sly brought down from London to cApu-
waite us by unseen harmony from grotto, Tor
which the wall Of nv study was broken dowr,
firmly resisted the touch Of human tinger dur
ing the night, or gave signs oil life only In
succession Of alternate screams and 9foanS.
The crowd was enormous--the heat s'iting-
the noise deafening-and the crush hazardous
to life and limb. 10 move, much less to dance,
and, least of all, to get glass OF wine or frag-
menl of biscuit with fair combat, became IA :.
pidly ou, Of the question. Fixed, like one OF
nv own candelabra, in the corner to which
had first worked my way, saw, my infinite
alarm the crowd increase without measure.
The mask had sanctioned every thing and
BODY; aud could soon discover, through all
its pasteboard, that multitude had made good
their eu,ree who had no invitation but their
own, AS the rhrong ,hickened, its materials
see med palps5ly 10 degenerate. The malice OF
nv village friends had mustered the rabble Tor
my fete. Nameless 5gures, whose natural garb
served them masquerade haabIise a aHaa VIE
fought their way through the mass Of ban,ling
and bruised shepherdesses, Dianas, and sultan.
as To resist was SOON hopeless and, in the
act OF inQuiring by what right all ruffian with
a watchman's coat and rsiile had made his ap
pearance in my house, a, once received vol-
lev Of language that made all my bellies clap
their hands on their ears a grasp behind
W hich left my coat skIrlless and push be-
fore, which deprived me Of an old and favorite
repeater, tha, | would not have given for the
fee simple Of the corporation.
a new uproar from below announced that a
reinforcement was at hand, in the shape Of the
footmen, coachmen, and grooms, whom the i'll
creasing storm. had driven within the house.
Like the in. lSiors Of the Goths anG Vandals,
this new irrupuon f bsrbarians drove forward
the old; disorder sat umpire Of The night"
The temporary orchestra, left unfinished by
our decorator, found itself unable 10 sustain the
weigh, Of wefed beauty that I'D to its benches
for refuge, nd came down, hddlers and all,
with crash Of expiring harmony. The
" grand" suppor,able, after having been fought
upon for considerable time, a, length gave
way 70 grand assault of the principal cham
pions, and, after a heave or two, rolled the
whole ba,talia to the ground, and itself on The
top Of them. The conflict was doubly revived
on The rising of the combatants. Decanteis,
ten guncas a pais, flew, like meteors, against
pier glasses a hundred guineas piece. My
malchless Hoe h-im tumblers, ancient as Al
bert Durer, painted and cut with all indescrib
able griffins, virgins, and boars' heads, inva-
luable TO The antiquary and man OF taste" aud
whose sale broke the heart Of the Landgrave
that had drained them from his cradle 10 his
c'imaoteric /; those my muniments and trea-
sures, that had reserved for an heir. loom to
satisfy my remotest generation Of the refine
ment Of their ancestor, and that nothing should
or could have won from my safe keeping but
my wife's begging and praying to have some.
thing 10 show on the table which defed Mr..
Molasses and all his money TO have, ard which
would consequently bow down 10 the dus, his
and his still prouder wife's heart those exqui-
site embems, that an ancient Roman would
have consecraled in the Temple of Bacchus,
and that ought to have refused to all human
threats and tears, saw flashing through air,
ground between teeth, trampled under heels,
and finally eviga,ed into their original sand.
The supreme catastrophe Of the rout at
length reused me to sense of my duty. The
chandelier, huge pile, whose galaxy OF prisms,
drops and stars, would have raised the envy uf
the Great Mogul, had given early signs Of tot
,ering. Our Decorator, It's true, had pledged |
his neck 10 US for its security, and | had re.
nosed on The pledge from oresuminp II The |