American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-04-15

SO4Nr LcCloINo or II hLJ JEOIED OUlIOh.
My hand trembles and my cheeks are con-
scious of a blush as seize my gray goose-quill
to tell of my own shame. Why, then, do l not
keep it secret? Why publish what / might
keep hidden in the recesses of my own heart
Because, good friend, feel myself an injured
man, and if that will not make man speak out
he must be dumb indeed Did you ever know
man with grievance who kept it to himself?
Did you ever know one who was not forever
dragging it into conversation, propos Of free
trade, the death Of the Emperor of China, the
warm winter, the great exhibition, or the Papal
aggression? Meet such man and begin to
talk to him (if you dare) on any conceivable
subject, and I'll wager my hat--which is a new
one-7to penny roll, that within two minutes
he will be deep in the matter of his own griey-
ance, as though it sprang out of, or formed an
essential part of the topic you started. There
are accomplished little boys much beloved by
burglars, who, if they can only get their heads
through an orifce of any kind can always drag
their bodies through after them. The man with
grievance only wants to get toord in, and his
I" grievance will safely follow.
And why, then, am to be silent?
semper ego auditor tantum,'
When every other injured man proclaims his
wrongs to the world, why should not 1 tell of
the cruel injustice l suffered from that cold
blooded, heartless, jilting -? But hold
must not jump too quickly 'in medias res, " in
spite of Horaces injunction.
Miss Lavinia Primrose Il describe her ac-
cording to my former impressions) was a sweet,
pretty girl. She had the mildest of blue eyes,
the ightest of flaxen hair-which she wore in
ringlets all round her head-the whitest Of
skin, with the pinkest of colors on her cheeks,
the plumpest of little figures, and the softest of
voices that ever whispered sonnets by moon
light in December. She was an ethereal crea-
ture altogether she had the appetite of little
Bird Though that brute, Tom Bagshaw, swears
she ate like n cormorant at the nursery dinner j
she knew Byron and Moore by heart she wrote
verses herself, too, though somehow or other
the lines were never quite of the same length
she said it was the luxuriance Of her imag ginaton,
and have no doubt it was she sang with in
tense feeling, but leetle out of tune she plant
ed flowers beautifully, Though Tom Bagshaw,
the wretch declared that no one could tell her
roses from her hollyhocks y in short, she was
most accomplished and romantic little angel
Tom Bagshaw, in his coarse way, once asked
her if she could make pease-pudding? | could
have strangled the scoundrel on the spot. She
gave him such n mild look of reproach that he
must have shuddered in his boots at his own
enormity, if he had not been as thick-skinned
as the toughest of /" Pachydermata," /" and only
replied
"Mr Bagshaw!" !"
Old Primrose (Lavinias papa) was retired
soap-boiler, very rich, very fat, very vulgar,
very obstinate, and very ill-tempered. Mrs.
Primrose had been for some time gathered to
her forefathers, though Tom declares she never
had any There we're two juvenile Primroses-
young ladies in short frocks and frilled encase-
~. L.. n
thirteen years of age, and under the care of a
middle-aged maiden, their governess The ia
mily lived in q square red brick house, with
bright green " trimmings" in the shape of We
netian blinds, balconies, and ratings TO the
front garden, the extent of which was extremely
limited. | forgot to mention that the house
was situated in the centre of the highly respect
able town of Bodalming, in Surrey.
/, good reader, am a clerk in the bank in that
town, and i receive n very handsome salary
(G95 year, for my attendance from ten till
three every day behind the wire blind, with
i" Bank" in gold letters on it, where do a little
office-writing, and compose verses for the poets
corner of the County Herald" / send copies
to all my friends and to all the magazine offices.
The former praise them very much but those
magazine fellows are so rude as never to notice
them at all.
My mamma, being one Of the most respect
able ladies in Bodalming, was almost the first
person to call on the Primroses when they came
to settle in our town. Not that she much likes
"those city people," she says; from which |
suppose that she prefers west-end folks; but as
she never sees any to my knowledge, | cannot
exactly state the grounds of her preference
However, she paid her visit, and accompanied
her. / cannot say that l liked old Primrose,
who called mamma num-" and me "young
gentleman !" but his daughter ye gods, could
| ever have conceived such destinations! |
blushed up to my ears every time she spoke to
me, and trod on my own hat smashing it like
a Gibus, in my haste to prevent her helping me
to glass of wine. tried to talk, but couldn't,
though rs soon MS had left the house, re-
collected every thing that wanted to say, and
wondered why could have been such fool as
not to say it at the proper time. Next week
the County Herald contained the following
lines ITO L-a," from "our own talented