Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-07-16
From the English Journal of May 22d
A Il ALE OF THUMB r
BY DOUGLAS JERRoLD.

we met IN storm, aud thunder shall not part us
kNowLEs.
Nobody would have believed it of Mr..
Simmons, that in the twenty-Glth year of his
age he had committeda theft no one could
have thought, from the innocent, placid looks
OF Mrs. Simmons, that she had been access
sorry to the enormty. Truth, however, will
out; that is sometimes. Mr. Simmons, had
when bachelor, robbed family of their
youngest daughter. To be sure, there
were times when he would rcproach himself
and his wife with the deed, wishing it had
never happened but anon, the compunc-
tious twitchings would subside, and Mrs.
Simmons would display all the sweet scren-
ity of early innocence.
Mrs. Simmons had an uncomfortable dread
Of thuudcr
We give TO the announcement Of this ia ct
all the importance of a paragraph; for il the
reader, for one moment, lose sight Of it,
then he torgeis the whole end and aim of
this our story and the beautiful family NOR
al enshrincd in it will be to him as flat as the
disgolvedIpcarl Of Clcopatra--as apocryplal
as the wedding ring of Phrync.
Mrs. Simmons from very baby hood,
dreaded thunder Why, we will not attempt
o explain. Antiquities are a part of the
mystery of our being and hundred clas-
steal illustrations show, at once, their anlip-
uity and universally. A Roman emperor,
who would think nothing of we,tng his
sprgs of laurel with the blood of twenty
thousand bipeds, taints at the sight of roast
pig; IA King, with the bowels of Nero, goes
into swoon, AT the odor Of a rose. We knew
judge who looked upon rope, whennoosed
into halter,as one ofthc most sacred bonds
Of society and yet thovonerabe man would
faint dead as miss in "A ball room, if when
going to the assizcs, he should snuff through
his carriage window the odor olhc Towering
hemp. For the manufactured article liz had
we repeat, the greatest vencration ; his an
tipathy was only developed by the natura
product ; as that would knock him down, as
his sentence would PROSTATE the felon in tn,
dock. We knew another instance in the
my Stcrlous weakness of IA very celebrated
attorney; of practitioner who had been the
most successful aw-spinnrr Of his day, VIII,
had illustrated the exquisite subllety of on
legal system to the establishment, if not t.
the approval, of all he meddlel with anC
yet this man, whose hair and-ill -naturet
people added-h heart too. had grown gra,
in the service of his country-mcn aud him
self this man would drop lfclcss as parch
ment, at the sight of a spider. Who shall
explain these contradictions Who vii
giveu the philosophy of antipathes 3
Why did the stdtesman--we forget his nam
ON his way to the House, tumble in syn
cope from his horse, at the cry of Stop theft.
Thus, it will be seen that our autlpathie
are not merely operated upon by things
but that words-words alone-arc suilicien
in some susceptible natures, to touch tn
chord of all we abhor
Having given, as we think, some memo
rable examples of antipathies, can oar rea
ders be surprised, when we stale for til
third time, that Mrs. Simmons dreaded thun
der!
Mrs. Simmons had been reared by a viz
gin aunt lady who, from the hour she wa
iorsaken by marching Ensign, had resol
we'd to take her cup of life without the suga
of matrimony. Being deserted, her deter
mination to live single increased every ycal
and, at fifty, became invincible. Like a
benevolent people, she wished to make a
about her participate in her happiness, henc
to her niece, she expatiated on the abound
ing merits of celibacy, with all the ardor Q
long experience. In the belief of the aun
SO much had she profted by dscourses il