The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-06-10

mored composure which was the leading
character Of her countenance.
Her appearance was not al all that oil
conventional heroine OF romance; yet
could not help lancying that there was
somewhat Of different breeding, shown by
her general bearing and unstndied attitudes,
from that usually displayed 10y the race OF
females engaged in her boisterous calling.
Her two little girls were squatted on the
gas beside her. and handsome specimen
Of real genuine-looking. good-ior nothing
gypsy man was lolling at his ease near the
group, in supreme enjoyment OF pipe,
did not like to speak TO the mother and her
daughters under these circumstances, be-
cause, not patronizing donkeys, and being
an inhabitant. il was not very agreeable
or perhaps safe acquaintance to form; but
Mazelli knew me directly, and came boun-
ding forward, while the woman curtsied 81 |
lenlly, and without the usual vocilerations
Of Donkey to-day, ma'am! Steady DON
key-quck donkey?
One or two evenings afterwards, wasin
company with a voluble lady. who had
come to our neighborhood for change of
air, and was ordered by her medical atten-
dant TO lake donkey exercise. She was
full OF most singular adventure she had
met with-a perfect romance in real life;
aud her gossip, to my great satisfaction, re-
lated to the donksy-womsn. Yesterday
morning, said she, my young friend, Miss
R. and myself. had donkeys brought to
our door early for long excursion; and
while iroting along, attended by frank.
rosy looking female, we began speaking TO
each other in French, not wishing the driver
to understand Our conversation. After a
while, however, the dOnkey.woman said
very quietly, Ladies. it is as we'll to tell you
that | understand French We were at
first speeches. from surprise, and then from
not knowing what to say--afraid of some
thing, we could not tell what; although she
was by no means intrusive, but behaved with
perfect propriety. By and by, in order to
break the awkward silence, remarked to
Miss R. how well tie singing had been
conducted at St. Marks church on the pre-
ceding Sunday evening, when very beau
iful choral hymn had been sung, and the
chanting exquisitely continued We regret.
ted that neither Of us remembered the CON-
lposer's name, as we desired to procure the
music.
d. i have it az home, ladies', said the don.
N key driver, it is taken from an old orato
le rio, and is part Of my school music wa,
T at St. Marks on Sunday evening, and fell
he pleased to hear il again.
s. She then offered to lend us the music in
re question; and this was modestly and sim
IN ply said, Just as if we must know her histo
er ry, and therefore ought not. or need not fee
d, astonished at such discrepancies. However
e, when We did express our surprise, she sim
S, ply narrated her story, which is this:--Sh,
ne was the only child Of wealthy farmer by
st his first marriage, and her mother dying du
nd ring her childhood she was placed at
boarding school for young ladies, where sh'
a received the usual education. But she wa
n idle, and hated learning add when she lef
e- school, and returned home, she found
en- step-mother, who did not treat her kindly
re and became severe task-mistreSs TO he
UT thinking A troop Of gipsies coming int
is the neighborhoOd, she secretly formed thei
ot acquaintance, aud, in the end, eloped wit
mt their chief, Mr.. Johnnie Lee by name, am
nd became his wife. After leading wander
st ing life for many years, she had induce,
n. her husband To settle here, from desir
oil that their unfortunate children should re
az ceiye christian education" as she term
d ed il, and also because a relative of he
e, husbands was fourishing fly proprietor il
m the vicinity, and might forward their views
O. But her husband was rover by nature
nd idle and careless and all she had bee
IS able 10 do was to establish donkey bus
il. ness. and TO attend to it herself. She de
ed clared that the pure air, and the untrammel
10. ed freedom of her mode of life, was suita
re- bic to her taste; and we pressed her no far
re ther, poor creature!
rs Such was the tale | heard; too singula
re- and improbable for a fictitious narrative
ns too extTavagant for invention. II induce
n me to pay a visit, after the hours of dor
lat key usage were over, to Mr.. Johnnie Lee
re hut by the csverns. knew by pIeviou
er- observation that the pits contained wretch
-al ed novels, and still more wretched inhabi
to ants but the one | now entered was worn
in than | had ventured to anticipate. 1t cor
sisted of only two rooms the under on
as with a mud floor, and with the ceiling bro
de ken, and the upper flooring projectin
in through. did not ascend the ladder lead
OF. ing to that, for saw quite enough below {
to surprise and bewilder me. A scene lk
en- this 50 near my own comfortable home, an
elk in The midst Of the rigorous prophecies
20. conventional life-and woman of nea
ok ly the same grade originally as myself, {
Ia nearly the same bringing up, thus outragin
H. the common decencies Of life! How (,
Iad beyond the saddest tales of romance or III
1g, widest visions Of fancy! Her three chi
ng dren were around her, supPing on potatoe
cd but there was no snowy cloth on the totte
the ing board. no clearly basins of new mill
va no fresh flowers in wicker-baskets; nothip
AZ as il would have been were | relating fctio
me Outside there were no honey-bees or gardel
her plots, where sweet thyme, and mint, ar
ess sunhowers grow; nothing but foul donke
adj sheds adjoining. where, amid damp Todd
and noisome stencil, rested the weary an
? / mails ere they were turned out on the con
( mon to shift for themselves during the nigh
The gypsy husband was not there.
up not ask for him, for guessed his haunt b
too well. Il was an 'owre true tale h,
US, heard, and this was the moral.