Du Buque visitor. [volume] (Dubuque, Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1836-1837, 1836-08-31
THE FOUNTAIN OF LOVE.
NY .sI1.Aa r. nc LRRooK.


IT'S the Fountain of Lopc-and OF happiness, too
Ask that of the thousands that dei,, gifts tide,
vi all that approach it, the happy are few,
And many, like Sappho, have tasted and died.
When the waters are troubled, it isnot to cure
Noange dcscends the afflicted to save.
Drink little, iflttle you wish to endure
/ But if you love sadness, drink deep of the wave
twill double your cares and divide your delights,
Plant grief in tho heart of the constant and true
And the sorrow, the peace ofanothcr that blights,
Must be borne in its pain and its anguish by you
But tits thought that this current leads far far away
Till it reaches a distant and happier shore,
1 Where affection and love will hereafter be gay
And sorrow depress and divide them no more.
THE CORK LEG.
TALE OF THE PERPETUAL-MOTIoN MANIA,
He who has been at Rotterdam will remember
house of two stories, which stands in the suburbs
just adjoining the basin of the canal running be-
I tween that city and the Hague, Leydcn, and 9TH
er places. say he will remember it, for it must
have been pointed out to him as having been once
Inhabited by the most ingenious artist that Holland
ever produced, 10 say nothing of his daughter, the
prettlest maiden ever born within hearing of the
croaking of frog. 1t isnot with the fair Blanche
unfortunately that we have at present any thing to
do; 1t is with the old gentleman, her father. His
profession was that ola surgcal-instr,men maker;
but his fame principally rested Oh the admirable
skill with which he constructed wooden and cork
legs So great was his reputation in this depart
ment ofhuman science, that they whom nature or
Incident hadcurtailed caricaturea, and dsappoint-
cd in 80 very necessary an appendage to the body.
came ilnpng to him IN crowds, and, however des-
perate their case might be, were very soon las the
saying is) satupon their legs again. Many Grip
pie, who had looked upon his deformity as incura-
BILE, and whose only consolation consisted in al, oc-
casional hit at Providence, for having trusted his
making to a jaurncyman, found himself SO admira-
bic fitted, SO elegantly propped up by Mynheer
Turningvor!, that he almost began to doubt whcth-
CT a timber Or cork supporter nol on the whole,
superior TO more commonplace and troublesome
one of flesh and blood. And, III good truth, if you
had seen how very handsome and delicate were tho
understandings fashioned by the skilful artiicer,
you would have been puzzled 10 settle the question
YOURSELF the more especially if inyour real toes you
were ever tormentcd with govt or corns. One NOR
ming, just as Master Turningvort was giving tho
last polish to calf and ankle, messenger entered
his stuo to speak classically, and requested that
he would Immediately accompany him to the man
sion of Mynheer Won Wodenblock 1t was the
mansion OF the richest merchant III Rotterdam; go
the artist put his best wig, and set forth with his
thrco-corneicd hat i'll one hand aud hissilvcr-hcad-
ed stick i'll tho other 1t SO happened that Mynhecr
Won Wodenhlock had baon very laudably employed
doors but, endeavored to hasten the odous wlc,ch's
progress down stairs by slight impulse postcfiori
Gor Mynhecr seldom stood upon ceremony with
poor rcaons,) he had, unfortunately, lost his ba-
lance, and tumbling headlong from the top to the
bottoms he found, OH recovering his senses, that he
had broken his right leg, and that he had lost three
teeth. He at first thought Of having his poor rela-
ton tried for murder; but being naturally of mer-
ciful dispositions he only sent him to Jail on accoun,
01.t II III,
the comfortable reflections that wife and children
were starving at home. dentist soon supplied the
invalid with three teeth, which he had pulled on,
Of an INDECENT poets head at tho rate of ten stives
a piece, but for which he prudently charged the
rich merchant one hundred dollars.
The doctor upon examining his leg, and rccol-
lecting that he was at that moment rather in want
of subject, cut it carefully off, and took it away
with him, in his cariage to lecture upon it to his
pupils. So Mynheer Wodenblock, considering that
he had been hitherto accustomed to walk, and not
to hop, and being, perhaps, somewhat prejudiced
in favor Of the formefmode Of locomotion, sent for
our friend at the canal basiN in order that he might
give directions about the representative with which
he wished to be supplied for his lost member The
artifccr enteredthe wealthy burgher's apartment.
He was reclining Oh couch, with his left leg look
ing as respectable as eyer, OF: with his unhappy
right stump wrapt up in bandnges, as if conscious
and ashamed of its own littleness. sTufningyort,
you have heard of my misfortune; it has thrown
me into fever, and all Rotterdam into confusion ;
but let that pass. You must make me log; and
hmust be the best leg, sir you ever made in your
life.' Turningyort bowed. 4 do not care what it
costs;' Tuningyor bowed still lower; provided it
outdoes every thing you have yet made. am for
none Of your wooden spindle shanks. Make il of
cork let it be light and elastic, and cram i as full
of springs a watch. know nothing Of the busi-
ness, and cannot be more specific in my directions;
but this am determined upon, that shall have q
leg as good as the one Faye lost. know suchsn
thing is to be had and if get il from you, your res
ward is 1000 guiaeas' The Dutch Prometheus
declared, that, to please Mynhoef Won Woden-
block. hc would do moro than human ingenuity had
ever done; and undertook to bring him, Within six
DAYS, a leg which would laugh 10 scorn the more
common legs possessed by common men. This as
surancc was not meant as an idle boast. Turning
yort was man Of speculative, az well as practica al
science there was a favorite discovery which he
had long been aiming at, aud he believed he had
at last succeeded i'll accomplishing it thai very NOR
ming. Like all ether manufacturers of terrestrial
legs he had ever found his chief iifficuliy In his
progress towards perfection, TO consist III lis being
apparently impossible % introduce into them any
thing in the shape Of joints, capable Of being regis
lated by the will, and Of performing those import
ant functions achieved under the present sys EN-,
by means Of the admirable HechanicansD, Of the
knee and ANGLE. Our philosopher had spent years
in eadeayorng to obviate this grand incoaye
and though hehad undoubtedly, made grcafcr Pm
grcss than any one else, twas till now that he
thought E6mpieIs1y astsr 81 the great se-
cret. His FIRST attempt 70 carry il into execution
was obe in the leg NJ was about 70 make ioF Myn.
i,eer Won Wodeablock. Kwas on the evening ~
Tho sixth day from tat 10 which haye slysq6Y ~
lndsd, thai With NH masic lsg csssi