The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-10-10
DAVID SWAN.
A FANTASY.
ny NATHANIEL HAWTHORN.

ted even with the events which ac-
tually influence our course through
life, and our final destiny. There
arc innumerable other events, such
they may be called, which come
close upon us, yet pass away with
out actual results, or even betraying
their near approach, by the rehec-
ton of any light or shadow across
our minds. Could we know all the
vicissitudes of our fortunes, life
would be too full of hope and fear,
exultation or disappointment, to af-
ford us a single hour of true sereni-
ty. This idea may be illustrated
by page from the secret history of
David Swan.
We have nothing to do with Da-
vid, until we find him, at the age of
twenty, on the high road from his
native place to the city of Boston,
where his uncle, a small dealer in
the grocery line, was to take him
behind the counter. Be it enough
to say, that he was native of New
Hampshire, born Of respe ctable pa
rents, and had received an ordinary
school education, with classic fin
ish by year at Edmonton academy.
After jouaneying on foot, from sun
rise till nearly noon Off summers
day, his WEAKNESS and the increas-
ing heat determined him to sit down
in the first convenient shade, and
awate the coming up of the stage
coach. As fplantcd on purpose for
him, there soon appeared little
tuft of naples, with a delightful re-
cess in the midst, and such fresh
bubbling spring, that it seemed ne
yer to have sparkled for any wayfa-
rer but for David Swan. Virgin or
not, he kissed it with his thirsty lips,
and then flung himself along the
brink, pillowing his head upon some
shirts and apair of pantaloons, tied
up in a striped cotton hadkerchief.
The sunbeam could not reach him
the dust did not yet rise from the
road, after the heavy rain of yester-
day and his grassy lair suited the
young man better than a bed of
down. The spring murmercd drow-
silly beside him the branches way
ed drcamily across the blue sky,
overhead; and deep sleep per-
chance hiding dreams within its
depths, fell upon David Swan. But
we are to relate events which he
did not dream of.
While he lay sound asleep in the
shade, other people were wide
awake, and passed to and fro, foot,
on horseback, and in all sorts of We
hicles, along the sunny road by his
bedchamber. Some looking neither
to the right hand nor to the left, and
knew not that he was there some
NEARLY glanced that way, without
admitting the slumberer among their
busy thoughts some laughed to
see how sound he slept; and sever
al, whose hearts were trimming full
of scorn, elected their vcnomous su-
perlluity on David Swan. A mid
dle-aged widow, when no body else
was near, thrust her head a little
way into the recess, and vowed that
the young fellow looked charming
in his face. a temperance lecturer
saw him, and wrought poor David
into the text of his evenings dis.
course, as an awful instance of dead
drunkenness by the roadside. But,
censure, praise, merrimcnt, scorn,
and indifference, were all one, or
rather all nothing, to David Swan.
He had slept only a few moments,
when brown carriage, drawn by
a handsome pair of horses, bowlcd
easily along, and was brought to a
stand-stilI, near in front of David's
resting place. A Inch pin had fall
en- out, and permitted one of the
wheels to slide off. The damage
was slight, and occasioned merely a
momentary alarm TO an elderly mer-
chant and his wife, who were re-
turning to Boston in the carriage.
While the coachman and a servant
were replacing the wheel, the lady
and gentleman sheltered themselves
beneath the maple trees, and there
cspied the bubbling fountain, and
David Swan asleep beside it. I'm
pressed with the awe which the
humblest sleeper usually sheds
around him, the merchant trod as
lightly as the ground would allow ;
and his spouse took good heed not
to rustic her silk gown, lest David
should start up, all of sudden.
GLOW soundly he slecps!" wills
percd the old gentleman. "From
what deapth he draws that easy
breath Such sleep as that, brought
on without an opiate, would be
worth more to me than half of my in
come (; for it would suppose health,
and an untrobled mind"
"And youth, besides," said the
lady. "Hcalthy and quiet age does