The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-09-11

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Maria was in general very good little
girl, and il she had been allowed to have
her childish curiosity reasonably gratified,
the desire that now filled her whole mind
would have had no place there. But Aunt
Charlotte so invariably insisted that little
girls were never allowed 10 ask questions,
for that, when they grew up. they would
know everything that was good for them to
know; and she had very recently smarted
so severely under the laughter Of her aunts,
when she had asked if rivers had teeth as
well as mouths, that she resolved she would
ask no questions, but try to find out for her
self what at present she so much wished to
know; and the day when grandmamma and
aunts were to dine out, appeared SO suitable
for the attempt, that it was with unqualified
pleasure she heard that Miss Martha was to
exercise the rights of hospitality on the
same evening. Maria's education had been
far from neglected. She could read very
well, had begun TO learn to write, and had
received lessons in geography and history,
though, from the dry tedious manner in
which they were administered, her ideas oil
time and space were very confused. She
had formed theory of her own, that all
celebrated persons of different countries
whose names began with the same kind Of
sound, were contemporaries; that, for in
stance, Queen Anne and Hannibal, Queer
Mary and Marius, Brutus and Bruce the
traveller, might have known each other i
they had but lived near enough. Her idea
Of geography were not much less vague, a:
may be inferred from the fact, that she be
lieved certain mounds in the ch,uchyard Il
be really what Mrs. Martha asserted then
TO be. the graves Of the infants slaughtered
by Herod. Her gandmanma told all he
friends what very great pains she took t.
give Maria good principles. Her lecture
on these points mi ht all be reduced to fiv'
heads; namely, to put every thing to it
proper Use, to be genteel, and TO hate tn
French. 1t will not be surprising that
with such training, the perusal of the Pil
grim's Progress, copy OF which had re
Gently been presented to her, give an en-
tirely new bias to her thoughts. Sorel!
puzzled was she to guess how much Of
might be true, when. one day as they wer'
driving out in the carriage. she saw at
little distance from the road very hand
some house On some one asking thu
name Of il, she did not hear the answe
distinctly, but was quite sure she heard tn
word Beautiful; and as they immediatel!
began to descend hill, she Immediate,
concluded that it was the palace Beautiful
and that the hill was the hill Difficulty
One great point was now ascertained, tina
there We're really such places; but she be
gan to be sadly distressed when it occurred
to her that they were travelling in tn
wrong direction from what they ought to b
doing.
Oldtown was a town where fewer chan
ges occurred than is more populous ant
modern places, and Maria scarcely recol
lected ever to have heard of any one s leav
ing it, Certainly she mad never heard o
any one going on a pilgrimage, and sh'
wondered very much how her amts, VIII
had told her the Pilgrims Progress was ST
very good book, should have read ii with
out thinking it necessary 10 take the advice
il conveyed.
The rector of the parish happened TO cal
the very next day at Mrs. Walkers 5, and a.
he was going away, inquired so kindly afte
the little girl, that she was called in from
the garden to see him. He asked wha
book il was she was reading, and when she
said it was the Pilgrims Progress, h,
stroked her head, and said he hoped sh,
would not delay setting out Oh her plgri
mage I'LL she was the age Of Christian, add
ing that youthful pilgrim was the most in
teresting object he knew. This last obser
walton was addressed to her aunts, who as
scented 10 it, as they did at every thing Mr.
Roberts said, that it confirmed the resolu-
ton which Maria had already taken Of set
ting out alone. | need hardly add, that
the day she fixed upon was the one to which
We have already 50 often alluded.
The party assembled in the housekeeper' S
room had Just reversed their cups in ther sau-
GERS, as signal that they did not wish them
replenished, when one Of the party requested
Mrs. Marhas permission to bestow piece
of bread, thickly buttered, and covered
with sugar, upon Miss Maria--we presume,
as token Of gratitude for keeping out Of
their way. Consent was obtained, but as
Miss Maria was not to be seen, the
whole party issued forth into the garden in
search Of her. Every walk was explored,
but in vain; and at last little gate leading
into a wood being found open, the wood
was searched, but with no better success.
What anguish did Mrs. Martha suffer
when she thought how faithfully she had
promised not to let the child out of her
sight, They retraced their steps to the
house, some one suggesting that she might
be there. But no all their search was
vain. Hannah thought she might have
gone to buy some barley sugar, but she had
not been seen at the shop, nor on the road
to it, for Hannah stopped to ask every one
she met if they had seen the child. Hour
after hour was spent in an unavailing search,
aIsd al last the ladies arrived at home. uhan
a scene Of confusion ensued that battles
description. In the midst Of it a boy ar.
lived with little shoe, which he said he
thought must belong to young madam of
its being hers there could be no doubt and
many were the tears shed, over what, Mrs.
Martha said, was all that now remained of
Miss Maria. The boy could give no in
formation as to where this relic was found
for a woman whom he did NOT know had
given it to him to bring to Mrs. Walker,
saying only that she had got it from man,
whom she did not know. who said he had