The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-04-11
Miscellaneous,
Agar at a Boarding-sohool.
ny FANNY FORESTER.


In pleasant little town in western New
York, once lived esquire Stanley,"a very
sensible, kind-hearted old gentleman, with an
indescrlbable little wife, some dozen years
his Junior. Now il is barely possible that
your readers, friend editor, have never chanc-
ed to come in contact with this class of hui
man kind, but if they will take the trouble to
look about them, they will see hundreds that
are Understandable, not merely because there
is nothing about them worth describing, but
because what marks of character they have
are not their own. Every thing about them
is borrowed-they are mirrors to reflect the
thoughts, feelings, and even principles of 9th
ers, OF Which they seem to gain n knowledge
by instinct. Such was Mrs. Stanley, but she
was Notwithstanding an exemplary wife, and
very affectionate, ifnot judicious mother.
Squire Stanley had but one child, and her
there is no difficulty in describing-a beauty,
at heiress, and, at the time our story com
meHces, buoyant, bright sixteen. Yet COM
prehensive as is that last sentence, it does not
tell all of Margaret SANKEY'S perlections. From
infancy the idol ola proud father,and fond,
weak mother, and the pet of every body, she
wore her honors very modestly, and was so
meek and gentle withal, that she was not
merely universally admired, but universally
loved. Now will not be so rude as to with
draw the veil and expose the heart of my he
rone, nor will even venture to suggest that
these qualities were merely accidental, while
others were lying latent and ready to be de-
veloped by circumstances. Margaret Stan
leys life shall describe her character, aud the
intelligent reader will not need the assistance
ofmy pen in tracing out its pecularities.
Margaret, as have before said, was beauti-
full, but as beauty is thought by some honor
able philosophers TO exist in the eye ofits adj
In
will gain no definite idea from this assertion,
and | am afraid shall not be able to help them
out of the difficulty. What if should tell
you that she had rich, brown hair, dark melt
ing eyes, and the most beautifully curved
mouth in the world? Why, you would go
and dress up a statue that would be ANYTHING
but like her; for how would this enable you
10 perceive those ringlets dancing on the
hreeze,and flashing like FURNISHED gold in the
sunlight, the speaking eyes brm-full of the
laughter of merry heart, and the exquistely
moulded lips thrown into the thousand and
one shapes that her ever ready joyousness
suggested?
No wonder that Margaret Stanley was the
belle of Somervile, and no wonder (since her
right to reign was undisputed, thus leaving
no room for the exercise of envy, and since
no one doubted her superiority, so that she
had no need to impress them with it, that she
was kind and amiable. No wonder, say,
and yet there are many in similar crcumstan-
ces that are not so. But Margaret had( doubt
not We despisers of beauty;t is very true "a toll
cradle share of common sense, and was full
of generous feeling and kindly impulses. Blu,
her list Of projections is not yet complete; our
heroine was scholar too. She sketched Gu
plds in water colors, painted rose-buds and
forget-me-nots, knew the botanical name of
great many flowers, particularly eXotics,
was able to play some dozen airs on the pi-
ano, and parer la Franchise like parrot;that
is, repeat more than halfthe contents of her
phrase-book. These she considered the
summum bonum ofall embellishments, and
probably placed far greater estimate on
them because her companions came near e.
qualing her in their attainment, and it was
with something like an effort that she had
come off victorious. 1t will be but Justice to
her very sensible father to add few more ac-
quirements to our list, although in the eye of
Margaret they were quite valueless,a and gain
led out of a feeling of-no, will not call it
flial duty, for Margaret knew but little of
such cold TERMS acted more from a wish to
please those she loved. Under her fathers
Instructions she had become ready accoun
tant as much ola logician a little girl well
could be, and that rarest of all rare things, n
good reader.
Il don't know! don't know must think
about it--she's almost an angel now" said
the old gentleman in a musing tone, one eve |
ming after Margaret had played "Yankee
Doodle" and "Auld Lang Syne," lighted his
pipe, and danced out of the room, leaving her
fond father in a comfortable position to ru-
inmate upon her projections. "There never
was better girl"
And she never makes any trouble, like 9TH
) er peoples children remarked the mother,
and didn't even when she was little. She
never used to get cross and cry, and every
body said she was the handsomest baby in the |
neighborhood' Mrs. Stanley had now got
fairly under way, and would not have stopped
short of minute history of Margaret's life |
from babyhood up, had not her spouse some
what impatiently Interrupted her.
well, well Mary, what's the use of going
over with all that now? She's ten times hand
somer, and ten times better, than any baby
that ever lived fF ''
Tsuppose she is, but can't help remenl-
boring, 40 tp dorm ~ ta' s'a
%, it's well enough to remember, if that is all,
but don't like to hear you all the time harp
ing upon those times, 1t looks as though you
thought more of her then than you do now"
Il, Mr. Stanley! dear me, meant no such
thing lam sure / think Margaretis the best
girl in the world, and 1 don't know how we
could possibly get along without her.
This reply seemed quite as unsatisfactory
as the other, for Squire SANKEY'S countenance
assumed very troubled expression, he bit
his lips, kicked over his footstool, fidgeted in
his chair in very unusual manner.
sAint the quishions right% asked black Sal |
iy, entering with the tea-tray.
Yes, right enough. There, go, Sadly, you
needn't come back again. ,....
'Lud Massa! don't you want