The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1849-12-12

. L.
What COW! Had she fed in the Pontne
4 marshes So any one might have thought Yet
she starved within sight of the neighboring plen-
| ty, and when every breeze waited the smell of
clover to her nostrls. From that time no milk
ever moistened the lips of the miser He had
fountain of brackish water, and in that he dipped
his earthen mug.
At premises so forbidding in their aspect, the
unfortunate man and the bcroar scarcely had
the hardhood to apply. On his portals were
written, as in blazing characters, Begonc! To
unoose his purse strings would have been more
hard than to relax the polar ices or to unlock the
IRON grasp of death. Three score years and ten
did he live, and in all that time he never knew
the luxury of doing good. He never fed the hun.
cry, clothed the naked, nor listened to the impor-
tunate voice of despair. Did the sick or the dy-
ing man lie in his pathway, and accost him, he
turned deaf ear to his supplications, and eav-
ing him to some good Samaritan, passed by on
the other side :. p.
sister lay in nci ghboring town, bed-rdden
needy, and ready to die. She pronounced the
endearing word, brother, and said sgve, give
but the genial current of his soul was frozen-
with brows contracted fists clenched lips COM
pressed, he shook his hoary head, and slowly
turned upon his heel. In few days after, she
was carried to the grave. He followed on, and
shed tear; bright, sparkling, aftectonate tear
intercourse. They bchcld him only in the dis
lance, and with scorn What cared he for crops
whose harvest was already garncred? When
the Sunday bells rang chcerily, ard the old and
the young, their faces beaming with gratitude,
locked to the temple of God, lie devoutlv wor-
shipped at home. He had an altar there, Gilt
terlng altar With greater rapture than the
Christian bows down to his God, did he worship
his gold, and the prayer which he offered I'D was
hat IL l.
him.
He lit no lamps lie burned no oil; Was there
not light enough in the day-tim to perform the
little business Of his life' When night came on,
and the cold winds Of winter whistled through
the crannies, he covered up the cnbcrs with wise
economy, and skunk away into bed Twenty
times in the night would lie wake up in trepida-
ton He thought he heard the step of the rob-
Der. 1t might not be, and yet it might be. 1t
were better to set his mind at rest. So he rose
up shivering from his couch, laid his hand upon
his treasure, then soothcd his heart with the
watchman's cry, sAlls WE'LL all we'll
Old age at last stole upon him, and the time ar
rived when in the course OF nature he must die.
But the ruling passion was strong in DEATH He |
only Rugged his treasures the closer. They be-
came his bcd-G,lows. As the sick and pctulant
man, who cannot bear to be alone, he said to them
Leave me not; stay with me, for have but
short time to livr. His hands could still count
them over, and when his hands we're pals;ed his
glaring eye could still drink in their splcndor.-
In d"llrun his mind wandered, bat not from his
gold. He SAID that he was going into far coun-
try-hc must make great preparations; he must
provide sacks and an escort of armed mon. for
there were robbers by the way. Then he MUIR
INJURED know not what confuscdlv oftrcasures
of carth--al how much better to have provided
treasures IN heaven, and departed to his own =
bodc. His features retained their expression in
death, as if sculptor had carved them from Che
rigid marble. Thus he lived despiscd: thus he
died unamentcd. His negative virtue was his
positive crime. He had done 10 evil, he had CT
tectcd no good. No friend hung with s5lic.tudc
over his SEX btC-ilo mGu-ncr allowed him 20
the grave Non, W mad occasion t. rcnlv1n-
Der him with affection, and The best cllurty was
to forget that he lived.
Such life who would lead: Suc:l 4 c'l1rac- {
ter who would envy: Other vices admit thc OK
crc!sc ofrcdccming virtues, and their victims We
love, we pity, we condemn. This we cannot- {
II wraps up the whole soul; il lies at the foun-
tam head of all hcno a.encc not Ike other wees
the watc-s, but actually forbddng ,
them to flow. Few indeed are 50 entirely the
slaves of the accused lust OF gold Charity sug-
gosts that even these are laborng under a mono
lnania, mental disease; and that as we pity the
t"n1nts al a mad-house, SO III their case we ought
10 PITY, Yet We cannot. But if few have dcsorv-
cd the nscr's namc with its intolerabl2 burthcn
OF contempt, do we not thousands in the
brcathcss, eager search of gold sacrificing the
fl over of their youth, and the prime OF their man
hood, and horoica!ly battling for it on the brink
'fthc grave, as if it were the grandes object of
their lives: Ihcy rise up early, they retire late
they make haste to gather winged riches, and at
last old age comes on, and the period Of enjoy
mcnt is not arrived Sunday Mercury.
a fashionable lady in Buffalo once sad to
friend: