Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1851-03-25
From he S0ulAerH' Literary Iessengsr
A Sketch Of Life III Virginia.

A Sketch Of Life in Virginia. |
Col. 10 hnson, in late n lumber d
Howitt's ] Journal, furnishes An anus
ing account Of the adventures of
Yankee in the Old Dominion, whicl
nothing but its extreme length pre-
vents US Fl ON republishing entire
1t is lit tle over drawn in some re
spects-a fault more readily per
ceived in this country than abroad
but it is e. xceedin ngly graphic and life
like.
Ralph Brown, the younge4t of six
children Of a poor widow in Boston
is the hero of this sketch. AS a
child he was ma tural1y a shrewd
sprightly, and hand dsome as'daFk eyes,
red cheeks, and brown curly hair
could max E him; and at the age of
fourteen be had more useful knowl-
edge than many Of our young aris-
tocrats when leaving college with a
diploI ma in their pocket. Having
reaped the advantage Of public
schoo Is, he had gone then ce to a
whole sale dry goods store as a clerk,
whence in the course of time he
emerged as an itinerant pedld r. He
was s oon distinguished even among
his own class, as being more shrewd,
more silver r-tongued, and NOR hand
some than Yankee peddlers geh eherally,
and even Or eight years sharp prac-
tice in his calling made him posi-
lively rich. He first exchanged his
knapsack for horse, and then for
wagon and horse, and very fey coun-
try danes, gentle or simple, old or
young, ma rried or unmarried could
resist his very tempting display of
brillian mt goods as set off anil eulo-
gized by his persuasive eloque ence. !.
Ralph Brown was twenty-five years
of age when he first set foot i'm the
drawin groom of Major Carroll, the
head Of "ole Of the first faml lies in
Virginia" !" who lived sixty mil es from
Piehmond, upon his estate contain
ing 10,250 acres Of land anh b 500
negroes. Major Carroll was educa-
ted for the bar; but like many of the
patricians of Virginia, thought it
dabbli ng in dirty water to p Hractice
at a court, and to touch brief with
a fee he de emed pollution to his fin
gers. He was, however, an active
sportsman, and hospitable to an ex-
tent unusua HI even in that sedtion of
the country, and as his mansion was
at leas It two miles from the mai roadl
and Sc ven from any town, VIII bnever |
be foun nd a mong any of his CHESTS
genius, an original, or dron fellow he
always contrived to detain him a
week, and even months, to supply
5he place Of more elite company.
As we lave said, Ralph Brown was
twenty-five years of age when he first
set foot in Major Carroll's drh rhwing-
,oom; by d tempting display of his
insisting Of every variety
If dry goo ods, perfum cry, jewelfy, &c.
Sc. and by liberal use of his tongue,
le found little difficulty in disposing
If some six hundred dollars worth to
Madame Carroll and her only laugh
5er, young lady of nineteen years.
The Major however, Notwithstanding
lis immense fortune, was frequently
-ather sh ort of ready cash; and as
such was the case then, Ralph readi-
Y accepted II o q. in retlf frn for
lis goods, together with an n9itation
% pass the night.
And now commenced an exhibi-
ion Of Ralph's wonderful dcquire-
nents, the details of which aFe CIV
IN with much humor and exa actness
~ Col, johnson. The young lady's
oiiano was dreadfully out of repair.
rhis he at once pulled to pieces, and
having regulated the bowels of the
hing, I put it together again; and
hen + s eating himself at the instru-
nent. he played and sang with such
inspirbtion' that sLaura was over
to tears, while the fixed
md astonished gaze of the Major
md bis lady testified their delight!'
He next undertook to add dctor the
,ntrails 5" of the Majors gold repeat
r. in which he succeeded to b charm,
md in the course of the n lght was
allied up to visit. the black Pverseer
E the estate. who was suddenly aid
iolen ly attacked W ith cholera, ahd
7hom he cured with "a tab 1e-spoqn-
ii of cayenne pepper, and twenty
rops of laudanum. y