The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-01-16
THE NATIONAL ERA.
J.sHINGToN, JANUARY 10, 1851.
FOR the National Era.
MY STNNER WITH DR.. SINCLETARY.

MY STNNER WITH DR.. SINGLETARY.
nv THE AUTHOR OF MARGARET SMITHS JOURNAL.
CHAPTER III.
Som. Account of Peewamkln, on the Toeketuek
Well and truly said the wise man OF old,
Much study is a WEAKNESS to the fesh.D Hard
and close application through the winter had left
me i'll prepared to resist the baleful Influences OF
New England spring. shrank alike from the
storms of March, the capricious changes Of April,
and the sudden alterations Of May, from the
blandest of southwest breezes to the terrible and
lev eastern blasts which sweep our seaboard like
the tabled Sanser, or wind Of death. The buoyan-
~ AMI vigor, the freshness and beauty Of life
seemed leaving me- The flesh and the spirit
were no longer harmonious. was tormented by
a nightmare feeling of the necessity of exertiOn,
coupIed with sense of utter inability. A thou
sand plans for my own benefit, or the welfare Of
those dear to me, or " my fellow-mea ds argS
passed before me, but ] had no strength to lay
hold of the good angels and detsin them until
.dr-r 80 80. - a s,ss1,tt- TIE trumpet eoqseed
not bear the weight of my armor. In the midst
Of duties and responsibilities which clearly COM
pretended, found myself yielding to the absorb
ing egotism of sickness. | would work only when
the sharp rowels of necessity were in my sides.
II needed not the ominous warnings Of my &C
ouaiutauce to convince me that some decisive
change was necessary But what was to be done
Byoyage to Europe was suggested by my friends,
hat unhappily reckoned among them no one
who was ready, like the honest laird Of Dumbe-
dikss TO inquire, purse in hand, "will siller do
itl0 In casting about for some other expedient
remembered the pleasant old-fashioned village
Of psewawkin, on the Tocketuck river. A few
few weeks of leisure, country air, and exercise, |
thought might be of essential service to me. So
turned my key upon my cares and studies, and
my back to the city, and one fine evening of early
jane the mail coach rumbled over Tocketuck
bridge and left me at the house of Dr. Single
tary. where | had been fortunate enough to secure
bed and board.
The little village of Peewawkin at this period
Was well-preserved specimen of the old, quiet,
coy hamets of New England. No huge factory
threw its evil shadow overit no smoking demon Of
an engine dragged its long train through the
streets; no steamboat pulled at its whsrves, or
ploughed up the river, like the enchanted ship Of
the ancient mariner
Against the wind, against the tide,
Steaded with upright keel"
The march Of mind had not overtaken 1t. Ii had
neither printing! press nor lyceum As the fathers
had done before them, so did its inhabitants at
the time Of my visit. There was little or no
competition in their business there were no rich
men and none that seemed over-anxious to be-
come so Two or three small vessels were an
nusly launched from the carpenters yards on the
river There was blacksmith's shop, with its
claug of iron and roar Of bellows; a pottery, gar
nshed with its coarse earthen ware a store
where moasses, sugar, and spices, were sold on
one side and calicoes, tape, and ribbons, on the
other. Three or four small schooners annually
left the wharves for the St Georges and Labra.
dor fisheries. Just back Of the village, bright
noisy stream, gushing out, like merry laugh
from the walnut End oak woods which stretched
bhNh iat w ehc uOrtu tuTouBu uhTIUW DTcdA Ill
the hills, turned the great wheel Of grist-mil
and went frOlickiug away, like a wicked Undine,
under the very windows Of the brown lilac-shaded
house Of Deacon Warner the miller, as If to
tempt the good mans handsome daughters to take
lessons in dancing. At one end Of the little
crescen-shaped village, at the corner of the main
road and ihe green lane to Deacon Warmers
MILL stood the school-house, small, ill-used,
SPanlsh-brown building its patched windows
bearing unmistakeable evidence of the mischiev-
ols character Of its inmates At the other end,
farther up the river, on rocky knoll open to all
the winds, stood the meeting house-old, two
story, and full Of windows, its glded weathercock
glistening in the sun. The bell in its belfry had
been brought from France by Skipper Evans, in
the latter part of the last century. Solemuly
baptized and consecrated to some holy saint II
had called prayer the yelled sisters of convent
and tolled heavily in the masses for the dead. Al
first, some Of the church felt misgvings as to the
proprety Of hanging Popish bell in a Puritan
steeple-house, but their objections were oyerruled
by the minister, who wisely maintained that. il
Moses could use the borrowed Jewels and orna.
men's Of the Egyptians to adorn and beautify
The ark OF the Lord, it could not be amiss to make
aO"hohe bell do service in an orthodox belfry
ne space between the school and the meeting
mouse was occupied by some fifteen or twenty
dwellings, many colored and diverse in age and
appearance Each one had it's green yard in
'On' Its rose-bushes and lilacs. Great elms
pAn'ed century ago, stretched and interlocked
'"eir heavy arms across the street. The mill
stream, which found its way into the Tocketuck
near The centre Of the village, was spanned by
'''Sety wooden bridge, rendered picturesque
"ya venerable and gnarled white oak which hung
O'er IT, with its great roots half barred BY the
""er and twisted among the messy stones Of the
erumblng abutment
Inc house Of Doctor Singletary was situated
s'"eWhat apart from the main street, just in the
'ps Of Blueberry Hill, great, green swell oil
' stretching far down from the north, and
~'9A'ing in steep bluff at the river side 1,
'"oSed the village and the river long way
'a' down. II was brown looking, antiquated
'o0 built by the Doctors grandfather in the
- Jays Of the settlement. The rooms were
seahd low, with great beams, scaly with white.
,. running across them, scarcely aboye the
OF tall mans head. Great-throated FIRE
h'ied with pine boughs and fower-pots
promise OF winter hres roaring and crack
"a o'''terous hilarity, as II laughing to scorr
1' i0'y and discomfort Of our modern stoves
A.