American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-06-20
From the Illuminated Magazine

1HE UNEAPECIED GRANDSON.
The master OF the Beard Lea Farm is no
mean sample of his order-the old substantial
yeomanry Of England; ar upright, ndefatga-
bic, fair sailing, and plain spoken farmer; well
principled and strong willed with a certain
sturdy stubborness of opsnion, and tendency
to hasty prejudice, peculiar to an imperfectly
educated mind. Almost a Fafnese Hercules
in bulk and stature, with a bluff and ruddv
countenance, expansive forehead, grey eyes, a
voice that may be heard above the roaring of a
toierable tempest, and with gate and carriage
that befit the portly owner of what we know
not how many broad acres-Philip Langley, as
he walks abroad with halfa dozen greyhounds
at his heels, or ambles through our winding
lanes upon his favorite grey cob, appears to re-
alize in toto ones ideal notions of an "English
yeoman bold.''
Philips fair ally in the empire of his house
hold-and in all respects the opposite Of him
self-is one of the pleasantest matrons of our
acquaintance, slight and small in stature, with
much of her early beauty lingering in her fea-
lures; soft persuasive voice, a quiet unobtru-
sive meekness of manner, wide and compre-
hensiye range Of sympathies, and a hand open
TO "melting charity" as her heart. Then, too,
she hath consummats skill IN cookery-maketh
delectabe pastry-is deep in the mysteries Of
the dairy-manuiacture delicious mesd-and
is without a rival in the preparation O. jellies
and preserves.
There is, besides, reduced copy of our friend
the Farncse Hercules, in the person OF Philip
Langley the younger, a tall and handsome fell
low, some four or five and tw enty years of age,
Of nature more plastic than his fathers, and
inheriting in common with his sister Katharine,
brght-eyed, merry-hearted girl of seventeen
summers-much Of her mothers sweetness of
disposition and equabiity of temper.
Two years ago this youthful bachelor--the
very last whom ruKov should have pitched
upon as likely to hazard such ,step-on whom
indeed the most imaginative gossips had never
fastened the imputation of an a.tachment--r-
revocably committed his heart aad happiness to
the keeping of pretty Mary Hazeldne, the cid
est daughter Of the keeper on the H estate,
by an adroitly planned and secret wedding. If
there was little worldly policy in the match,
so far he was individually concerned, it prey
ed, at least, that Philips judgment of female
beauty was perfectly unexceptionable. Mary
Hazeldine, with her large, glitteripg black eyes
and oriental countenance, {there was a gipsr
cross in her humble pedigree her small and
deicately chiseled features, and the thorough
Grecian outline Of her head, was certainly Il
prominently lovely GIRL whose chief, perhaps,
N!IUbe UHly ldult WdS-pUFCEly.
At an event so startling, the whole village
was, of course, aghast with wonderment Gu
rious and amusing was it to observe how,
straightway, every gossip, young and old, 81
simultaneously recalled to mind with what in
cessancy young Philip Langley had been seen
to vile away whole summer days angling in
the little trout stream which flows hard by the
keepers cottage: or strolling down the border
ing lane with gun and dog, yet shooting no.
thing, and returning always with a tasteful
nosegay in his button hole, the floral compo-
nents of which bore most suspicious simi- |
iude TO the beautiful flowers which hourished |
so luxurantiy in the keepers garden; but "to
suppose that he would ever fling himself away
upon an upstart mink like that" and the speak
er's indignation and contempt grew much too
strong for utterance, and superlatively dis |
dainful toss of the head concluded the sem
tence. To Katharine Langley, the acquisition
OF sister was source OF intense delight,
while, upon the placid matron, her mother, de-
volved the task of modifying the anger of her
husband, who stormed, and like the army in
Flanders, "swore terribly" The farmers
PRIDE was wounded, his own private views and
projects had been completely foiled, and hence,
this stolen wedding was productive of wide
and serious breach between the father and son,
All the efforts of the latter towards effecting a
reconciliation, backed by the mediation of his
mother and sister, were utterly abortive, and
after fortn'ghts residence in the keepers cot
tage, the newly-marred couple removed to q
farm 10 an adjoining county, on which re-
atlve had procured for Philip the situation Of
a balit, and our farmer, "stll nursing his
wrath to keep il warm,n heard little more Of
his offending son.