The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-05-04
Afscellaneous.
THE APRIL FOOL.
BY ABBoTT LEE.

The morning Of the first of April, ammo Do
mini no matter when, shone out with all the sm-
ling sunniness of youthful coquetry. Very beau
tful is the first bright smile of coming SPRING
In fact, believe that the first of every thing is
always the best welcomed it has the charm OF
novelty is the loveliest, the dearest The first
fash Of beautiful face, the first gush of song
the first breath of perfume, the first tint of the
flower, the first hour of the morning, the first Of
a friendship, and O yes! very certainly the first
Of fit of love the first thought, the first feel
ing, the first emotion, the first perception, bring
US only the brightness, and tagging after comes
that gloomy thing the shadow.
The sunshine of that April morning on that
certain ammo Domini shone brightly into a very
little room, very scantily furnished, belonging to
very little cottage, being one of very little
row, hanging like a little bit of fringe on the
skirts of our great metropolis; and in this room
was very scanty supply of those things which
civilization hoo asroed TO oall the esearice of
life; for instance, half the number of chairs to
the double number of people who were to sit
upon them; only one table, and unfortunately
what the table held in the shape of breakfasta-
BILE vands bore but faint relative proportion to
the mouths they were to fill in fact il was the
very idea of breakfast rather than breakfast
itself, being as unlike possible to hams and
eggs and patties, and chickens and dried salmon
and marmalades, as could possibly be, and boast
ing only-no, we will not tell of what, the de-
tails OF poverty can never be misunderstanding
of very little indeed.
Now it very frequently happens that the rich
and the poor seem TO be playing at cross pur-
poses; the rich sit down to plenteous boards,
and cannot endure even the aroma, whilst the
poor have appetites altogether so provokingly
good, and nothing Of the wherewithal; and thus
1t was that the very little group of children that
surrounded that scanty breakfastable eyed The
rough bread loaf with very loving looks and
swallowed portions Of it as though il had been
ambrosia and whether or not the gods would
have considered the thick dry slices fit TO, Olym-
pus, those children would have been infinitely
sorry TO have divided them with Jove himself
Now whether or not mon pere was satisfied
with the fare that hunger had so richly favour
ed for his children, history telleth not Some
thing, however, like April clouds of sorrow and
discomfort darkened over his brow, and some
thing like April showers gathered in his eve as
he pushed away the untasted morsel, and, pro-
badly to hide face that was indexing dis
quoted soul, rose and walked TO the little lattice
of that narrow chamber
He had not stood many moments before a lit
lie hand on one of the fingers of which was
bound the bandage Of welded love, was pressed
upon his shoulder, and, without seeing them he
was conscious that a pair of rich swimming
eyes were soliciting meeting with his own ;
but being perfectly aware that tears, refractory
unmanly, bitter tears were gathering in his own
orbs of vision, he turned them away from their
bright wooers, and would not even look on his
lady-love.
You are sad, dearest said the kindest voice
in the world "how dare you be sorrowful whilst
| am with you2 whilst you are surrounded by
these dear faces p
40 Helen" replied the father and the hus-
band, II is because you are with me that am
sad For myself think could have borne all
the privations of toll and poverty but to you
wanting the very necessaries of life -
Nov will preach TO YOU" said the wife
with a smile; :" TO you who preach TO others to
you, Reverend Benjamin Blythe. Now tell me
what is there that want, saving and excepting
10 see you smile? Believe me, dread TO see a
dismal face more than-I was going 10 say-the
plague but you know il is sort of plague-spot,
for It never shows lis dark stain, but il spreads
] should not be surprised, if you keep this dis
NAL face, but that shall catch il myself at last,
and then what will you do2n
"What indeed z said the husband with a
bitter sigh.
NAY, my bird that is not musical note |!
You know that you are in your cage, and you
must slng.n
" You my good angel" said the hus-
band.
"Nay, nay, will not be Aattered out of my
sermonlzng," said the wife " YOU shall have
il. SO, shall borrow your surpllce and give a
regular firstly, secondly and thirdly, in true or
thodox style, or will YOU have it extemporane-
ouly and non-oihcia ~
- As you are not in regular orders said the
husband, getting up miserable smile "not re