The native American., 1838-04-21


made preparations to commence his narrative.
With handkerchief in hand set myself to listen,
and such an hour of sorrowing exultaton, and ex-
hilarating distress, it has rarely been my lot to
enjoy, or suffer.
| NV name is Gribble,' he began-'my Chris
| tian appellation, Tnnothy-my country, Eng
land-my county, Devon
"A countryman! | exclaimed--I, too, was
born on Tamar's Aowery. banks
| From earliest youth of melancholy and mu-
sing disposition, Stunned the usual enjoyments
| Of my years, and lived in world of my own,
which was peopled with all that was beautiful
and heroic, delicious and divine. The library
was my chief delight-my study, romance-my
|enjoyment, sorrow--to laugh was hoTor-para-
disc to weep! This went on for many years.
What was it to me that people wondered at my
manner of life! What though my father scowled
on me, and wished me to employ my talents in
the hardware line, instead of snivelling, as he
basey called it, over fictitious wo! He little
! knew the ardor of my soul. Rather than be de-
prived of my rapturous power of tears-rather,
| far rather would have had the demand for po-
kers tongs, gridirons, and saucepans, entirely to
| have ceased Rather would have had no Gus
toner visit the paternal shop than forego for one
hour the pleasure of indulging my feelings over
some narrative of distress As time passed on,
although could not conceal from myself that the
vain and frivolous, as well the consderate and
solemn, disapproved of this manner Of passing my
youth, found that in this preference for the mis-
cradle over the gladstone, | was not alone! No!
the loveliest Of her sex was as fond of the in
diligence of her grief as | was; and such con-
geniality of disposition drew so close between us
the bonds of admiration, that in the earliest flush
of manhood, ere had numbered three-and-thirty
L do hor faor nf4p
| of my hand. 1t was accepted. How we wept!'
Here the old man paused, and blowing his
nose three or four times in very earnest manner,
as if to bury some thrilling recollection, proceed
ed more solemnly than before.
Deborah was fair-O, exquisitely fair! but
| she was short-O, uncommonly short! Nature
had condensed into four feet five mass of beauty
that would have suffced giantess. Nine-and
twenty years had fully developed the loveliness
of her mind as well as Of her form, and both were
perfectly, quite so!
| Fathers have hnty hearts. Her sire also
was in the hardware line. Rivals in trade, our
respective progenitors rivals also in cruelty.
e Borry!'' / said one day, in the overfowing OF
my agonized hearts Affections" Borry,' said,
how hate my papa!'
81, too, oh, my dearest Timothy, abominate
and detest the cold-blooded monster who calls
himself my father
81 Let us leave them,' said /.
g With all my ardent hearts most consenting
acquiescence,' said she. Stranger! | the
happiest Of men. But presentiment of the hor
rors which awaited me made, even that delicious
moment be only celebrated by tears.
Our preparations were soon concluded. There
is a certain drawer in the counter of profess
sional vender of the articles Of ordinary COM
merce which is called till. The respective tills
of our fathers supplied all our wants One large
trunk, containing all our worldly goods, was for
warded to Plymouth. A vessel was on the point
of sailing, weknew not whittier, when we arrived.
We embarked. For days, and weeks, and
months, we hoated on the wetering deep, and
were landed at last on the Californian shores OF
the interior of Africa-dread abode of Hotten-
tots and lions-where the foot of civilized man
and cultivated woman had never trod How
blest were Deborah and L. Our trunk was now
nearly empted; for, to satisfy the cravings of the
commander of the vessel, we were forced to part
with almost everything with which we had filled
1 it. But few books of that chastened and de-
lightul class which draw forth sighs in every page,
two shirts and cotton night-cap, were all that
remained to us of our property. We wandered
into the tremendous solitudes of that undiscovered
world, and finding place sheltered by trees ane
watered by fountains, we resolved to make tha
the conclusion of our pilgrimage, and there, In
gentle converse, and sweet melancholy, to taste
the luxury Of wo. We lived there for some
years. Pardon me, stranger, if pause little, and
recover strength to relate to you the terrible ca
tastrophe.
confess, when the old man thus addressed
me, that my heart thrilled with the most astonsh-
ing emotions of sympathy and curiosity. He
went on after an interval Of about five minutes.
Our furniture, as you may believe, was scan
tv. MY bed was, as it is now, the earth; but
Borry's delicate health required, and her very
short dimensions admitted, of more sheltered
resting-place The trunk-oh, horrid recoec-
tion!-she slept in the trunk which had contain
ed our clothes One day when, overcome by
the intense heat, she had laid herself to rest in
this humble couch, she called to me and said, My
heart, 0 Tim, is overcome with horrid apprehen-
j sions. | feel sort of all-overishness.'
i Il threw myself on my knee beside the
! trunk, and looked down with melancholy sort OF
pride on the beautiful creature lying nestled at
the bottom of it.
i s.Borry, Isad, gve not way to despair; here,
take AGAIN the Sorrows of Werter and refresh
yourself with once more perusng the most afflct-
i mo parts of the story She did as she was de-
!. sired-she read aloud, and her tears proved how
/ Joa,1,r .ho o,torod into the dismal scene Ru