Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-09-03
MISCELLANEOUS.
From The Union MagaEine.
THE EMlGRANT BOY.
ny LYDIA MARIA CHILD.

children, named Fritz and Gretchen. A few
cooking utensils, and wooden stools, consti-
tuted all their furniture; and one brown and
white goat was all they had TO remind them
Of focks and herds. But these children led
a happier life than those small limitations of
humanity, who are bred up in city palaces,
and drilled 10 walk through existence in
languid drawing-room PAGES, From the moss
grown arches in the old ruins, they could
watch boats end vessels gliding over the
sparkling Rhine, and see broad meadows
golden with the sunshine. On the terrace
Of the castle the wind had planted many flow
ers. 1t was richly carpeted with various
kinds Of moss, tufts of grass, blue bells and
little pinks. Here Karl often carried his goat
to feed, and left the children to tend upon
him. There had been stork's nest on the
roof from time immemorial and even the
little ones were taught TO reverence the birds
as omens of blessing. Their simple young
souls were quite unconscious of poverty
The splendid Rhine with all its islands-the
broad pasture-lands with herds peacefully
~grazing-houses nesting among woody hills
all seemed 10 belong to them and, in re-
ality, they possessed them more truly than
many a rich man, who
Zone moment gazes on his flowers,
The next they are forgot:
And eateth of his rarest fruits
AS though he ate them not"
On their little heaps of straw. brother and
sister slept soundly in each others arms .
and it the hooting Of an owl CHANGED to wake
them, some bright star looked in with friend
ly eye, through chinks in the wall, and said,
Go TO sleep, little ones; for all little chill
dren are dear to the good God"
Thus, with scanty food and course clothes,
plenty of pure air and blue sky, Fritz and his
sister went hand in hand over their rugged
but fiower-strewn path Of life, till he was
nearly seven years old. Then came his Un-
Gle Heinrich, his mothers brother, and said
the boy could be useful 10 him at the mill,
where he worked I; and if the parents were
willing to bind him to his service, he would
supply him with food and clothing, and give
him an outfit when he became of age. Tears
were in Leisbit's eyes; for she thought how
lonely it would seem to her and little Gretch-
en-, when they should no longer hear Fritz
mocking the birds, or singing aloud to the
high heaven. But they were very poor, and
the child must earn his bread. So, with much
sorrow to part with father and mother, and
Gretchen. the goat and the stork, and with
some gladness to go 10 new scenes, Fritz de-
parted from the old nest which had served
him for n home. Mounted with Uncle Helm
rich, on the miller's donkey, he rambled
along through rocky paths, by deep ~ravines
and castle-crowned hills, with here and there
glimpses of the noble river, flowing on bright
and strong, rejecting images of spires, cot
tages, and vine-covered slopes. When he
arrived at his new home, the good grand
mother gave him a right friendly welcome,
and promised to set on her knitting-needles
a striped blue cap for him 10 wear. Uncle
Heinrich was kind in his rough way but he
thought it an excellent plan for boys to eat
little and work hard. FriIz, remembering
the blossom carpet of the old castle, was al.
ways delighted to spy a clump of lowers
His uncle told him they looked well enough,
but he wondered any body should ever plant
them, since they were not useful to eat or
wear and that when he grew older he would
doubtless think more of pence than posies.-
Thus the child began to be ashamed, as OF
something wrong, when he was caught dig.
ging a flower. But his laborious and econ.
omical relative taught him many and thrifty
ways, which afterwards had great influence
on his success in life; and fortunately a love
for the beautiful could not be pressed out o
him. Kind, all-embracing Nature, took hin
in her arms, and whispered many things L
preserve him from becoming a mere animal
All day long he vas hard at work but the
blossoming tree was his friend and the brinh
little mill-stream chatted coziIy, and smilec
when the good grandmother ga We il his clothe
to wash. The miller's donkey, am5ling alon,
through sun-lighted paths over the hills, wa
a picture TO him. From his small rarre
window he could see the mill-wheel scatter
ing bright drops in the moonlight; and h
fell asleep to the gentle lullaby Of ever flow
ing water. Other education than this he ha,
not.
His only teacher had been woods an
rills;
The silence that is in the starry sky,
The sleep that is among the lonely hills.
An aged neighbor, contemporary with tn
grandmother, took a great liking 10 Fritz
and on Sunday, when no work could he done
he was often allowed to go and take Dime
or supper there. The old man had traverse
nearly all Germany as a pedlar, and had com
10 die In the old homestead near the mil
where he had worked whena BOY. Hekne,
by heart all the wild fairy legends of III
country, aud, in his character of pedlar-Oues
had acquired a talent for relating them in
manner peculiarly amusing and edifying
children. In the course OF his travels, he ha
likewise collected many things which SCENE
very remarkable to the inexperienced eve
Fritz; such as curious smoking pipes an
drinking cups, and images in all the varior
costumes of Germany. But what most a
tracted his attention was an ancient clocI
brought from Copenhagen when the pedlar
father was a young man. When the cloc
was in its right mind, it could play twely
tunes, about as simple as Molly put ii
kettle on" But the friction of many veal
had so worn the cogs of the wheels, that
was frightfully out OF tune. This did NJ
trouble the boys strong nerves, and he wa
prodigiously amused with the spulterine
seething, jumping, jabbering sounds it mad,
when set in motion. To each of the GRAZ
old tunes he gave some droll name. ether