Litchfield enquirer., 1838-05-24

P"'Cut HGdltu duu CO0teutDe0tS a1O you
know she usually brings with her the
nymPh, Happiness. as maid of honor
and here she masks her in the shape Of
laughing brunette. ycelpt Caroline Hamil-
TOM I -,
One might suppose, then, Lefty, that
the nyMph is possessed Of tho property Of
divisibiIity, for Caroline is not the only per-
sonation Of happiness that my eye chances
to light upon just now, said Mrs. Hamilton.
Oh, 4 am very happy, TO be sure, said
ArIe'le, but itSwas Caroline who first
taught me 10 be so, and was but dull
pupil in the art for along WHILE dF
You know happiness Is constitutional
virtue Of mime said Caroline, addressing
ME, being the effect Of saneuinary tenn
permanent and sound physical health 8
whereas, our little Lefty, naturally nervous
and melancholy, is obliged to have recourse
to art, to sopply the weakness Of her eon-
sttulion, and for her most successful les
sons she is indebted to what the world calls
our misfortunes.' ~
Oh. ] will tell you the whole story
said Lefty, and you will see that should
give little heed to the teachings of misfor-
tune, had ] no sunshiny sister to make all
the clouds bright When we first came to-
this village, we occupied pretty little
white house, and lived in what is called
gentcel style-had one girl to do the hard-
est Of the work, and INDUCED in many Of
the various Injuries Of our former life so
that scarcely realized the change in our
fortunes. and was the same puny, fretful
thing as before. But the Ere devoured our
house. and every thing we possessed but our
lives-we did NOT even preserve the most
necessary articles Of clothing. We found
shelter in this rude domicil, which kind
farmer offered US free Of expense, so long
as no moro profitable applicant was at hand,
but oh, what a howell it seemed TO me.
| envied the poor Esquimaux. 1t was
winter, and The neighbors provided as with
wood /; logs, half the length Of The original
trunk, and huge enough for Vulcan's forge,
were. piled into the kitchen fire place,
which has ample capacity for parlor, din
ing-room, and bed chamber, Caroline did
talk Of having half Of it partitioned off for
her sleeping apartmeni.) "A farmers daugh-
ter had given me pressed woollen frock,-
and other kind hearted neighbors other arr
ticles of apparel---one, a pair Of calfskin
shoes, tied with leather strings--one, pair
Of clouded, blue and white stockings, and
a third, red cotton shawl--so that my
garments were at once the most comforta-
BILE and uncoutR articles ia existence. Ca.
roline's were quite as grotesque as mine, but
they were only subjects Of merriment to her;
and as for mama, she was quite too wretch
ed to leave her bed. Caroline was busy
in administering consolation to each of Us
-one moment al my mothers bedsides
cheering her witt, the relation Of some new
kindness Of our neighbors, or the discovery
Of some unlooked-for comfori-and anon,
caressing her ponting Lefty, and showing
her all the bright spots in die picture,
which am sure should never have seen
ofmy own free will. why. dear sis she
would say, how nicely we ARE provided
for 10 our day Of need. A shelter for our
lesds--not quite 50 grand as nabcb's
palace, to be sure-but spacious and we'll
ventiiated, with a gigantic chimney, and
plenty Of facilities for exercise (pointing
10 the ,dingy Aoor and dusty vindows,)
nothing 10 fear from dyspepsia. Lefty
thick, substantial garments, and hearty.
wholesome food--only look at the table y
she would say, and see the offerings that
grace that altar Of our household divinity
Ia dozen links Of sausagcs, brown loaf,
and jug Of maple molasses. not 70 men,
ton hon,oly meal, golden pumpkins and
long john potatoes. Surely all ApollO's
hecaiombs are not to be compared, in point
of luxury, 10 these sacrifices made TO the
hungry god.' Then she would point out
the comforts and beauties Of our dress, and
tell how the snowy fleece that ! had SO adj
mired upon the innocent lamb, had become
by the honest toll Of our yeoman's daugh-
tiers, a warm and honorable garb for my-r
selE-~how the meek little creature whose
gentle frolcs had often envied, rs he'
skipped upon the green, had yielded his
harmless life to afford a covering for my
freezing feet-how the cotton plant had
shed its down, and the frugal housewife
had spun her wool, and knitted hor yarn,
and died the stockings blue, tina. most ape
propriaie Of Nh colours for such book
worm as land thus she ran on with her
good huMored Wit, Till laughed outright,
and SHE saw no more tears from me that
day. Since then she hos taught me 10
work, and shown me the uses and bless
ings of industry and economy. till now, I
doubt whether there is any sphere Of life so
foil Of real, solid enjoyment, as that where
the bread is earned BY the toll fshe hands,
! sojourned week at the humble resi-'
dence Of the Hamitons, and when ] left,
il was with this truth craven deeply upon
my lnind-thai the secret Of happiness 10
found in the exercise of our, moral and
physical powers, and in circumscribing our
wants Ia our means and ndanfine our hab-r