New-York daily tribune., 1843-06-21
Mark was 80 far right, that unquestionably any

contribution or assistance from the owners :,
dark, low, sitting cabin, surrounded by bertns a,i
filed to overhowing with men, women, ana ciiie-
ren IN various stages of sickness ana mist. y 10
not the liyeIiest place of assembly at any time
but when it is so crowded (as the steerage caoul
of the :. Screw was, every passage ou1l tla'
mattresses and beds are heaped upon the hoor' 10
the extinction of every thing Ike comfort, cieaI-
ness, and decency, 1t is liable TO operate not Only
as pretty strong barrier against amlablllty Of
temper but as positive cncourager of selfish and
rough hurnors. Mark felt this as he sat looking
about him and his spirits rose proportIonately.
There were English people, IRISH people, Welsh
people. and Scotch people there; all with their
little store Of coarse food and shabby clothes and
nearly all, with their families of children. There
were children of al ages from the baby at the
breast to the slattern-girl who was as much
grown woman as her mother. Every kind OF DO
mestic suffering that is bred in poverty, illness
banishment, sorrow, and long travel IN bad wealth
er, was crammed into the little space and yet
was there infinitely less of complaint and queru-
lousness, and infinitely more of mutual assistance
and general kindness to be found IN that unwhole-
some ark than in many brilliant bathrooms.
Mark looked about him wistfuily, and his face
frightened as he looked. Here an old grand
mother was grooming over sick child, and rock
ing it to and fro, in arms hardly wasted than
| It's own young limbs ; here poor woman with
an infant in her lap, mended another little crea-
ture's Clothes and quietcd another who was creep
ing up about her from their scanty bed upon the
floor. Here were old men awkwardly engaged IN
little household Offices, wherein they would have
| been ridiculous bat for their goodwill and kind
purposes and here were swarthy telows-glants
in their way--doing such little acts Of tenderness
| for those about them as might have belonged to
! gentlest- hearted dwaris. The very idiot in the
corner who sat moving there all day, had his fac
ulty of imitation reused by what he saw about
| him; and snapped his fingers to aEluse crying
child
s'Now then" said Mark, nodding to a woman
who was dressing her three children at no great
distance from him-and the grin upon his face
had by this time spread from TO ear" hand
over one of them young 'uns according to Gus
1 TOM
81 wish you'd get breakfast, Mark, instead of
worrying with people who don't belong to you"
observed Martin, petualnty.
:" All right" said Mark. g She Ii do that
1t s. fair division of labor SIR wish her boys.
and she makes our tea. never could make tea,
but any one wash boy
The woman, who was delicate and ILL., felt and
understood his kindness, as we'll she might, for
she had been covered every night with his great
coat while he had had for his own bed the bare
boards and rug. But Martin, who seldom got
up or looked about him, was quite incensed by
the folly of this speech, and expressed his dissat-
iscaction by an impatient groan.
$50 it is, certainly said Mark, brushing the
chds hair as coolly as if he had been born and
bred barber.
"What are you talking about now 20 asked
Martin.
sWhat you said," replied Mark; T" or what
you meant, when you gave that there dismal vent
to your feelings. quite go along with it, sir. 1t
is very hard upon her."
ssWhat is %
'Making the voyage by herself along with
these young mpediments here, and going such
way at such time of year to join her husband.
If you do MT want TO be driven mad with yellow
soap in your eye, young man." said Mr. Tapley
to the second urchn, who was by this time under
his hands at the basin, you d better shut it,
"Wherc does she Join her husband ~ asked
Martin, yawning.
"Why I'm very much afraid" said Mr.. Tap
ley, in low voice, '' that she don't know. hope
she maynt miss him. But she sent her last let
ter by hand, and it don't seem TO have been very
clearly understood between em withoutit, and if
she don't see him q waving his pocket-handker-
|
book, my opinion is, she ii break her heart"
"Why, how, in Folly's name, does the woman
come to be on board ship on such wild-goose
venture - cried Martin.
Mr.. Tapley glanced at him for a moment as
he lay PROSTATE in his BERTH and then said, very
quietly,
.sAh! how, indeed! I can't think 1. He
been away from her for two years; she S been
very poor and lonely in her own country and
has always been looking forward to meeting
him. lt'svery strange she should be here Quite
amazing. little mad perhaps, There can't
be no other way of accounting for it.'
Martin was too far gone IN the lassitude Of sea-
sickness to make any reply TO these words, or
even to attend to them as they were spoken. And
the subject OF their discourse returning at this
SIS with some hot tea, eficctually put a stop to
any resumption of the theme by Mr.. Tapiey;
who, when the meal was over and he had ad-
lustcd Martins bed, went up on deck to wash
the breakfast service, which consisted of two
haf-pmt TIN mugs, and a shaving-p pot Of the same
metal.
Ii is due to Mark Tapley to state, that he sui.
iered at least as much from sea-sickness as anv
man, woman, or child, on board: and thath had
apeculiar faculty of knocking himself about on
the smallest proyocation, at losing his legs at
every lurch of the ship. But he resolved, IN his
usual phrase, to 6 come out strong under disad-
Tantageous circumstances, he was the life and
soul OF the steeragc, and made no more Of stop
ping Ii the middle Of facetious conversation to
go away and be excessively i'll by himself, and ai-
terward come back in the very best and gayest
of tempers to resume it, than if such course of
proceeding had been the commonest in the world
We have only room for The following additional
4 para graph in Box's best VEN.
"Oh, moralists, who treat of happiness and
solfrespect, innate in every sphere Of life, and
shedding light on every gram of dust IN Gods
i highway so smooth below ynlr cnrriac, ,,ha1ls