The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1846-01-20
VOL. X.
From the Columbian Magazine for January.
Kate EWing;
OR,
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
rr MISS cATHERINE ". sEDewIcK.

children. Her summer residence IS IN the
neighborhood of thickly populated village.
and being "most gracious ladye." she is
sometimes rather over visited by her social
neighbors. We had one ofthose occurren-
ces, which in June give such an outdoor
freshness and fragrance and always an indoor
sweet security-a rainy day. Days OF rural
dissipation, Of rides, drives, walks and pic
MICS had preceded it, and an immense batch
of sewing had accumulated in my friends
work basket. She called us all about her
and gave to each one an appropriate task
took pile Of stockings, whose ''windowed
raggedness'' was to me a stored record OF our
scrambles through the rocky beds of brooks
and up the tangled mountain sides. Or
Clara developed the task Of "hook and eye
ing,'' as she called it, and little Lilly was TO
replace the missing strings.
You are good for nothing at the needle,
Anne" said her mother.
Least in mammals kingdom of heaven"
interposed Anne Reyburu, with an arch
smile.
The mother returned a smile, as she said.
You don't deserve for that the pleasure ]
had allotted 10 you: but it does not signify
people seldom get their deserts in this world J.:
So Miss Anne, YOU may read TO us while we
work. There is Boswell's johnson on the
table-a delightful book for social reading.
Open it where you may you cannot faIl TO iall
on something agreeable"
We were soon arranged for our morning 5
! business, and lovelier household group than
the mother and her girls have seldom seen.
| That competitions and trite description OF
natrons, fair ia: and FORTY" might be APP
piled 10 my friend, but in her case the iortu-
nate physical circumstances were symbols Of
moral wealth and beauty. That flair and
lat' indicated health produced by a wise sim
plicity of living, by the most benefcCnt dis
position and the sweetest serenity OF temper :;
aud the FORTY was forty years of sunshine
with only just so much of clouds as is neceS-
sary to keep fraiI hannah virtue alive and Wig
orous. Mrs. ReybUrn sat, generously filling
her connections sewing chair, with her huge
work basket on the table before her; Anne
gracefully lounged on The sofa with her book :;
and the younger girls, their faces ''briSht
with ihoushtess smiles" sat on their low
chairs with their pretty wOrk-boxes and sew
irg implements beside hem. The door o
pened into the garden, fresh and lowery in
its young June beauty the rain battered
unsteady on the doorstep, and the sweet
briar. heneysuckle and mignonette sent in &c
us their exquisite odors. When The sky
briohtened for moment the robins swelled
their throats but the clouds dropping down
the distant mountains side insured the con
tinuance Of the mornings rain, and we be gar
our business with that placid contentmenI
which comes Of having no thought, project
temptation or desire beyond the present mo
ment.
Anne Reyburn was just nineteen. Hardly
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any one saw her for the first time without eX
claiming chow like her mother" aud TO ;
slight observation there was little difference
bat that Of age-in the daughter, the ierviC
and startling charm Of the mornlns-in iht
the mother, the more snbducd beauty oil lht
advancing day; but on study, Anne reveal
ed feelings of greater depth than her moth
ers and more impulsiye gush, liable too &c
find their way in more uncertain and mere de-
vious channeIs-a character better fitted &c
modify circumstances than 10 be modified by
them.
Nv friend influenced tho formation of hel
children's characters rather by the atmos
phere of affection and kindness with which
she surrounded herself. than by any direc
bearing Of authority of them. This is an ad-
mirabIe. and sufficient agent with gentle and
pIiahle materials. Anne has one of those
strong characters that must do for itself the
hardest work OF education: the training OF
feeling, the subduinS of passion, the malu-
ring of reason, must for itself fight the battle
O. life.
am tempted to draw Anne's character,
which is curious enough in these days oil
taSE-work education and regular training.
(dwarfng she calls it,) but her portrait in all
its unframed luxuriance would fill more Than
the space we have now assigned TO other
matter, so we leave her to be guessed at BY
few glimpses of her heart through her
words.
She began to read to rs. but she read rath-
err dfeami!y. Her poetic eyes often wander
ed to the mist floating over the mountains,
and finally coming upon DIR. JOhnson's say
ing, that he believed marriages would be full
as happy as they are If matches were made by
the lord chancellor, she threw down the vol
ume, saying,
"W hat detcs,able old goose he is What
did be know about happy marriages ~
doctor Johnson an old goose!' said one
OF the little ycunger girls. "Well, Anne, ]
wonder wha; discovery you will make nextn'
81 dare say, Clara, you would like hus-
band of the chancelor's choosing, and would
take him with thank you. siri' and, If YOU
like him, sir, am sure SHALL Now Heav
en- save me even from our dear chancellor.
Ms, choosing husband for me-
''And yet, Anne,'' said her mother, 81 am
not sure that you would not in the end be
happier with a husband of any wise mans
selection than with one of your own choos-
ing"
81 don't care about the end mamma; I
wish to be happy in the beginning"
A light laugh, which Anne felt to be agains,
her, ran round the circle. She waited ill it
was past, and then said, very earnestly, "Y on
may all laugh, but is there one of you, from
Miss - down to Lilly. that would not
think it disgrace to marry any man but him
OF your own hearts election ~
Certainly not. Anne" replied her moth
err but you, my dear child, presume would
nave that election decided by love alone"
"Assuredly, Tor that alone influences the
neart. Reason and judgement, which weigh
heavily in the lord chancellor's balance, are
not OF feathers weightin the hearts SCALE =
but utterly worthless as reason and iudg-
ment are in themselves" said Mrs. Reyburn.
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