The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-07-31

X,
ing II, desired her husband TO see It In the car
rage, snd then proceeded to call the woman.
Soon. arrayed in cloak, bonnet, and shawl, that
had belonged to her benefactrees she appeared at
the door with her child in her arms Mr. Burr
hurried her into the carriage, and Mrs Barr
pressed on after her to the carrisge steps Eliza
leaned out Of The carriage. and putout her hand
q hand as soft and beautiful a. was given in re-
turn. She fixed her large, dark eyes, full Of ear
nest meaning, on Mrs Burr's face, aud seemed
going to speak Her lips moved-she tried once
or twice, but there was no southland pointing
upward with q look never TO be forgotten she
fell back in the seat, and covered her face. The
door was shut, and the carriage drove on.
What a situation now for a patriotic Sem
ator, that bad been all the week before squirting
up the Legislature Of his native State to pass
more stringent resolutions against escaping fugi-
tives, their harborers and abettOrsl Our good
Senator in his native State had not been exceeded
by any of bis brethren at Washington in the sort
Of eloquerce which has won for them immortal re-
noxn. How sublimely he had sat with his hands
esAis,Doolssis- snd seosted all sentimental weak
IEess of Those wko would pei the welfare Of q few
miserable fugitives before great State interests
| He was as bold "a q hon about IT, and nightly
convinced not only himself but everybody that
heard him but then his idea Of fugitive was
only an idea Of the letters that spell the word
or at the most, the image of a little newspaper
picture Of man with stick and bundle, with
Ran away from the subscriber" under IT, The
magic Of the real presence of distress the implor
ing human eye, the frail, trembling human hand,
tho despairing appeal Of helpless sgony-these he
had never tried he had neTer thought that flu
gitive might be hapless mother, q defenceless
cbild-like that one which was now wearing his
lost boys little we'll known cap; and 80, as our
poor Senator was not stone or steel-ss he was
man, and a downright noble.hearted one, too-he
was, as everybody must see, in a sad case for his
patriotism Aud you need not exult over him,
good brother Of the Southern States, for we have
:, -0--.~f 49, ~Nd"S eis~ilSr
circumstances, would not do much better. We
'b~~~, --e~7n 10 know in Kentucky, as in Bissis-
sippi, are noble and generous nearte; W whom
never was tale of suffering told in vain. All!
good brother is it fair for you TO expect Of us
services which your own brave, honorable heart
would not allow you to render, were you in our
plscel
Be that as IL my, II our good Senator was
political sinner he was in fair 10 expiate II by
bis nights penance. There had been long
continuous period Of rainy weather, and the soft,
rich earth Of Ohio, as every one knows, lie sdmi-
rably suited TO the manufacture Of mud-and the
road was an Ohio railroad of the good old times
"And pray, what sort Of O road may that bep
says some Eastern traveller, who has been accos-
toned to connect no ideas with railroad but
those Of smoothness or speed
Know, then. innocent Eastern friend, that II
benighted regions of the West, where the mud J,
of unfathomable and sublime depth, roads arf
made Of round rough logs, arranged trsnsverselyl
side by side, and coated over in their pristinel
| freshness with earth, turf, and whatsoever may
come to hand and then the rejoicing native calleth
| il road and straghtway essayeth TO ride there
/ In of m
the turf and grass aforesaid move the logs hither
| and thither, in picturesque positions up, down
| and crosswise, with divers chasms and ruts of
black mud intervening. Over such road as this
our Senator went stumbling along, making moral
| reflections as continuously as under the circum-
stances could be expected-the carriage proceed
ing along much as follows-bumpl bump! bump!
slush down In the mud and the Senator, woman,
aud child, reversing their positions suddenly as
| to come without any accurate adjustment against
! tkA- ~inAasus - -sha 5a---% ~ - rarriene
| sticks fast while Cudjoe on the outside is heard
/ making great muster among the horses. After
various Intellectual puings and twitchings Just as
the Senator is losing all patience, the carriage
| suddenly rights itself with bounce, two front
wheels 20 down into another abyss, and Senator,
woman, and child all tumble promiscuously on to
the front seat-Senator's hat is damned over his
ewes and nose quite unceremoniously, and he con-
| siders himself fairly extinguished; child cries,
and Cudjoe on the outside delivers animated adj
dresses to the horses, who are kicking aud foun-
derng and strsining under repeated cracks of
the whip. Carriage springs up with another
bounce down 90 the hind wheels; Senator, wo-
man and child a. over on to the back seat bis ell
bows encountering her bonnet, and both her feet
being jammed into his hat, which flies OIL In the
concussiou. After few moments the slough
is passed, and the horses stop, painting; the Sena-
tor finds his hat the woman straightens her bon
net and bushes her child, and they brace them
selves firmly for what is yet to come. For while
only the continuous bump bump intermingied
lust by way Of variety with divers side plunges
and compound shakes, and they begin to Halter
themselves that they are not SO badly on, AFTER all
Al last, with q square plunge, which puts all on
20 their feet and then down into their seats with
incredible ouickness the carriage stops and after
much outside commotion, Cudjoe appears at the
door:
"Please, sir, it's powerful bad spot, this yer. |
don't know how ives to get clar out Pm think
In we'll have to be gettn rails"
The Senator despairingly steps out, picking gin
rerly for some firm foothold down goes one foot
an unreasonable depth-he tries to pull 1t up,
loses his balance, and tumbles over into the mud,
and is ished out in very despairing condition
by Cudjoe
But we forhear, ont Of sympathy to our read
ers bones. Western travellers, who have be-
puiled the midnight hour in the interesting pro-
cess of pulling down rail fences, TO pry their oar,
: risues out of mud holes, will have q respectful
| and mournful sympathy with our unfortunate
hero We beg them TO drop silent tear, and
, pass on.
Il was full late in the night when the carriage
emerged, dripping and despatched, out OF tho
4 creek. and stood at the door OF large farm
A house
IL took no inconsidersble perseverance q
. arouse the inmates; but at last the respectable
nroprietor appeared, and undid the door. III
e was great tall, bristling Orson Of fellow, full
sig feet and some inches In his stockings, aud ar
n ravea iu a red flannel hunting shirt yer.
: heavy mot of sandy hair in q decidedly tousle'
condition and beard Of some days growth, CAV
T. the worthy man an appearance, to say the least
= not particularly prepossessing. He stood for
y few minutes holding the candle aloft, ana oins
a ing on our travellers with dismal and mystine
expression that was truly ludicrous IL cost som
u effort Of our Senator TO induce him TO comprt
'; bend the case fully and while he Is doing hi
h best at that, we shall give him little ntrodu'
=, ton to our readers
a Honest old John Van Trompe was once quit
a considerable lsndholder and slave-owner In th
State Of Kentucky. Hiying "nothing Of IN
y bear about him but the skin" and being gifte
50 by Nature with great, honest just heart, quill
equal to his gigantic frame he had been for SON
& years witnessing with repressed uneasiness tt
Is workings Of a system equally bad for oppress'
"a and oppressed. At last, one day, Johns gre
heart had swelled altogether too big to wear
70 bonds any longer; he just took his pocket-boc
y out Of his desk, and went over into Ohio an
or bought quarter Of township OF good rich lsn'
ID made out free papers for all his pecple-men, W
men, and children--pseked them up in wagon
and sent them off To settle down and then hone
SC John turned his face up the creek and sat quiet
Sc down on n snug, retired farm, to enjoy his COZ
M science and his reflections -------