Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-05-19
From Tait's Edinburg Magazine.
JUDGE THOMsON--A LOVE STORY,

From Tait's Ednburg Magazine.
JUDGE THoMsON--A LOVE STORY.
In the spare corner of some newspaper
there appeared, good many years back, a
copy of verses of some mark, IN which the
nameless writer himself in the heyday of
youth and passion, moralizes with tenderness
lthe common lot, and expresses wonder
whether the serene or Indifferent old men,
whom he saw far advanced on the downward
path of life, had ever possessed as warm
heart as his, or been agtated by feelings
akin to those which filled his own breast
Following out this train ofmusing, he comes
to the conclusion
Yes each had his dream of 10Y,
His own unequalled pure romance,
Commencing when the blooming boy
First thrilled to woman's lovely glance
These fugitive lines were forcibly brought
to recollection on perusng the subjoined
letters; to which it is our duty to prefix a
short explanatory preface.
With all the caution, prudence and keen
est of acquisition, which is said to dislin-
guish our countrymen-be it the acqusi-
ton of knowledge, or of pounds, shillings
and pence, dollars, rupees, or pstoes, there
is often lurking at the bottom Of thu, heart
of the genuine Scotchman, fund of la
tent romance, which will sometimes break
strongly out where it is least expected to ex-
list. Sir Walter Scott, both in the strength
and weakness of his character, was an en-
inent eXemplar ofthis peculiarly of the ma
tiohal character of this double nature, or
racy mixture of the shrewd and prudential,
with the enthusiastic. Like the hero of our
true tale, Scott seems TO have cherished, to
the latest moments of his life, the memory
OF an unfortunate early attachment though
most unlike that excellent person in almost
every feature of character, in which one
good man can differ from another 1t was
our intention at first, to tell this True Tale
of true love. in the form OF narrative
but upon second thoughts we shall give the
original letters. One letter from Judge
Thomson to the long-beloyed, it would be
sacrilege to touch.
LETTER l.
From Il. d., Manchester, to H. W., Esq.
Banker, Lwdioo.
Manchester, 29lh Sept 1912.
My dear sir,-I am pretty sure you will
be gratiied with the perusal of what fol-
lows.
You know the town of Kirkcudbright,
with its old castle, its quay, and lis tall Jail
towerl Well, some sixty years ago or
more, group of children might be seen
daily vending their way to aud from Kirk
cudbright school, their homes being two or
three miles distant from the town. Two OF
the group, boy and girl about the same
age, were generally seen hand in hand
seemingly more attached to each other than
the rest. The girls name was Mary Sharpe
the daughter of Adam Sharpe, small far.
mer on the Selkirk estate; and her com.
tpanion's name was William Thomson, the
son of neighborlng ploughman or'cotter.
More than twenty years passed away, and
a man, still in the prime of life, visited
Kirkcudbrght after many years soourn in
the West lndies.* He had gone to push
his fortune, and had not been unsuccessful
Though his face was bronzed by tropical
sun, his heart still beat warmly at the recol.
lection Of old scenes and old friendships
He was William Thomson the cotter's son
and he inquired anxiously for Mary Sharpe
the companion of his childhood lie found
her in Liverpool, the wife of Captain Gun.
ningham, the master of foreign ship, with
two children playing around her knee,
Forty years rolled away. An aged and
in6rm female called upon my friend Mr.
John Rae, ship-owner in Liverpool, and for
merly one of the magistrates Of Kirkcud
bright. She was decently dressed, and haC
evidently seen better days, but had atterI,
tasted the bitter cup Of poverty in her deci
ming years, She told her tale, and Counc
ready sympathy from Mr.. Rae. She was
Mary Sharpe,t now widow Cunningham
and the inmate of an almshouse Mr.. Rae
in the kindness of his heart, administered I,
her pressing wants, and promised to exer
himself in her behalf He Immediately ad
dressed a letter to the Earl of Selkirk, OF
whose estate her family had been tenants 70
some generations, and four of whose uncle
and aunts had been nursed by her MAR
Sharpe's) mother. His lordship, however
did not reply. Mr.. Rae wrote to other
connected with the widows family with NJ
better success. On communicating the dis