Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-03-06
From Godeys Ladys Book for February.
MRS. PELL'S PILGRIMAGE.
BY MRS. c. NJ. KIRKLAND.

BY MRS. C. NJ. KIRKLAND.
Mrs. Pell vOuH 90. She was rather a
meek and mild hammered person, generally
but those are the very people who are hard
est to manage when once they take hold of a
moving idea. Her husband, retired sea
captain, who had never slept out of his own
comfortable house since he made his last
voyage round the world, years and years ago,
tried his very best to dissuade her from So
rash an enterprise ; even TO Brighten her. by
recapiIualion of the dangers Of land-t
yelling, which he sincerely believed much
more formidable than those belonging to the
sea, inclusive of doubling the Horn, and trad
ing among the cannibals.
Mrs. Pell owned she shouM be afraid to
90 up the Hudson in a sail boat, but steam
boat was quite "A different thing.
Steamboat ! said the captain. How abb
surd to fancy that the danger from water is
lessened by heating it to the boiling point =
But Mrs. Pcll mouH 90, and she wouid
take little Tommy, too! Now little Tommy
was the apple of the eye to both his parents,
and on tins occasion he came very near be.
coming an apple of discord. For the moth
or voluntarily to subject herself to all sorts of
Inconvenience and dangers was bad enough,
but to insist on taking that roor innocent
child!
Little Tommy was the only child of "A
somewhat late marriage, Captain Pcll l.av.
ing followed the sea round and round the
world until it gave him competence, before
he though, OF settling himself. Being by that
time little rheumatic and weather beaten,
he provided in the first place the suggest OF
all possible dwellings, with holes in the closet
shelves TO stick spoons and glasses in, and all
the sctiecs ingeniously contrived to serve for
lockers, so as to nave Everything convent
emit When all was fitted on. and abunds mt
~ stored, the captain bethough, him that a
mate was necessary to keep things right
and he soon fixed upon person for that res
pcnsibe situation. This was Mrs. Beuah
Beers, the comedy widow of nautical friend,
who had some years before died in his berth,
like one OF Hoods heroes. This lady had
no family, and she stepped from very SIM
liar home quite naturally into Captain PelPs,
bringing with her so many additions to his
outfit for the voyage Of life, that the most
fastdiors worshiper of worldly convenienccs
would have owned that nothing could be adj
ded to render the worthy couple more com.
petely unfit to live anywhere else.
After these hints, one need not say that
both Captain and Mrs. Pell were rather par
iicular people, but the timely advent Of little
Tommy upon the stage prevented them from
turning into absolute lee-totums, since he now
occupied large share of the attention which
had formerly been concentrated upon a
double-self.
But here trouble had arisen--and so unex-
pecledly and all through Mrs. Pell's head
long determination to 90 even so far to visit
a nephew who had just married very rich
wife
'What good will her riches do you!' said
Captain Pell, who was vexed almost beyond
the amenities. 'Wha, good will they do you!
She will not give you any of them
Il don't want any, thank fortune,' said
Mrs. PelI but Putnam is the FIRST of our
family that ever married money, and am
determined to see with my own eyes what
sort Of wife has come will, 1t; and wW,ake
Tommy, too, for II will be such good op-
porlunuy for him TO see something of the
world
But YOU may be sure Putnam will bring
his wife to town, and then you could see her
without going through SO much. And as to
taking Tommy
But in town she would be just like any
other woman-buying finery and seeing
sights. want TO see her and Putnam to-
gether in their own house. And as TO ia
king Tommy, shall not stir step without,
him.
So Mrs. Pell wOuHgo. Captain Pell said
she was past listening to reason-meaning,
probably, that she would not listen to him.
lie, therefore, with a very husbandish air,
made up of serse of superior wisdom,
feeling of pity for the wllful folly of the
weaker vessel. and very legible look of |
wash my hands of the consequence set about
aiding Mrs. Pell 10 her preparations-hun,-
ing up the key Of the huge brown hair trunk
which was to contain her choicest costume
in honor of the rich niece engaging pas
sage for her on board the steamboat, and or
derlne a cab at six to be ready for the boat
at seven.
And now such clear-stsrching such IRON
ing out of everything that was rumpled T; such
racngs to the thread and needle store for all
sorts of muniments for the voyage such fill
ings of camphor and cologne bottles; such
baggings of coaks and india rubbers; such
of cake and oranges, which both
Mrs. Pell and the captain were convinced