The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-05-10


snugly made up and ready for instant de-
livery. We have only to say in addition,
that besides the patriarchal wealth of focks
and herds, Jonathan has patrarchal com.
plement Of sons and daughters, among whom
we shall only mention the eldest, whom we
introduce by the ever verdant name of Ma
ry. The village had called her mother
beauty before her, and Mary has borne that
name ever since she shook the golden curls
of careless childhood. Yet it is not The
impression of mere physical beauty that she
produces upon you: there is both intelli-
gence and energy in the deep violet of her
eye, and decision as well as sweetness in the
outline of her beautiful mouth. Her form,
naturally slender, is developed by constant
and healthful exercise, and displays in eve
ry motion the elastic grace of her own
mountain sweet-brier. And, more than all
this. there is a certain cool, easy air, a free.
dom and nobility of manner, good taste
in speaking and acting, that give to her,
though untaught in the ways of the world,
that charm beyond beauty, which is wo-
mans most graceful gift. For this instinc.
tive sense of what really is due to ones
self and others-this PERCEPTION of times,
place and proprieties, which forms the high
est attraction of the lady, though it may be
wrought out by laborious drilling, and the
tutelage of etiquette, is often the free gift
of nature, poured on the fair head of some
one who has never trod a carpet, seen pi-
ano, or taken one step in the labyrinth of
artificial life.
Mary's amount of Accomplishments, so
called, was small,-including not word of
French, and no more music than was COM
prlsed in the sweetest of natural voices,
taught in the common evening singing
school of the village. But as daughter
and sister and housewife, her accomplish
ments were innumerable. Enter the cool,
quiet house, not room of which boasts
carpet, but whose snowy floors need no such
concealment. The chief of all that is done
in providing, making, mendiDg, cleaning,
and keeping in order, is by the single hands
Mary and her mother. We know this may
lead the minds Of some of Our readers to
very prosaic particulars. We have heard
4 deal Of heroines playing on the harp and
SO forth, but who ever heard Of heroine
washing or lron;ng7 The most that has
ever been accomplished In these respects,
was by The lovely Charlotte OF Goethe, whom
he introduces to US cutting bread and but
ter for her little brothers and sisters. We
can assure all our fair readers who are in
clined to be fastidious on the point, howev.
err, that had they lived under the roof of
Jonathan Parsons, they could scarcely have
been scandaIized by any disagreeab!e par
ticulars. Evel at the waSh bonch our he.
rome, in her neat, close fitting calico, never
looked so little like lady as some fair ones
we have seen in curl papers and morning
gowns, before they were made up of COM
pany: and moreover, much that seems so
laborious would be over with and out sight.
long before they are in the habit of having
their eyes open in the morning. Many
days they would find our heroine in posses
sion of leisure to draw, read, write, sew or
work muslin, quite equal to their owH.-
They would see that by ingenuity and that
quick observation in which pretty women
are seldom lacking, she could fashion her
attire so as not to be far from the rules of
good usage; and that, though her knowi-
edge from books was limited, her mind was
active and full of thought, and as ready to
flash at the entrance of knowledge, rs dia-
mond at the entrance of light.
You are not to suppose that lady of
such accomplishments, natural aud acquIr-
ed, a lady of rank and station, moreover,
passed to her seventeenth year unwooed.-
So far from, IT there was scarcely person.
able article in the way of a beau, who had
not at first or last tried a hand in this mat.
ter. There we're two Gilapidated old bach>
elors, one dlsconsolate widower, half doz-
en- school masters, one doctor and one law
yer, already numbered among the killed and
wounded, and still Miss Mary carried her
head with that civil, modest, "what dol
care for-you" air, that indicated that her
heart remained entirely untouched-and all
the wonder was, whom would she marry?
1t came to pass, one bright summer af-
ternoon. that as two young gentlemen.stran-
gers in the village, were riding by the house
of Jonathan Parsons. the sudden explosion
of gun caused the horse of one of them to
start, and throw mis- rider, who, falling a.
gainst pest in front OF the door, was very
seriously injured. The consequence of all
this was, that the two very good looking
young gentlemen were detained at the
house for some two or three weeks. They
were from Canada, and had come down in.
to New Hampshire on summer shooting
and exploring expedition. The younger of
them was the young Earl of Beresford, and
the gentleman with him, Mr.. Vincent,
his travelling companion, to whom happen
ed the unucky accident. He was so seri-
ously hurt as to be confined entirely to his
bed, and my young lord being thus sudden
ly thrown out of business, and into dis.
mally calm, roomy, clean, uninteresting cd
house, with no amusement but to tend a
sick friend, and no reading but Scott's Fam
lily Bible and the Almanac, thought himself
in very deplorable circumstances, until he
caught glimpse of the elegant form and
face of Mary, which suddenly reused him
r II