Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1851-07-23


e Come, let US go out into the street, and
t. shall undertake to prove it. Let us pee
= under the first veil or the first slouche
= hat we meet, and pledge myself that, o
:, due inquiry, we shall light upon tale 8
:, odd Or as wild as fancy ever framed.
Il bottle of wine upon it?
: "Done ~
a "DOne, then; but hold, what's tha: p
:, LIE paquebot va partira minuit p'
:, " Hurra ~ cried the young man. 9TH
e storm is not down a single breath, and
Y is pitch dark The captains trump af
e ter all ~
t Then there were Lurrying steps, ant
slamming doors, the nittinglights through
the whole house; then hasty reckonings
} and jjingling coins, and bows, and shrugs
: and fights with the sleeves os greatcoats
and, finally, stiff moving figures mummied
in broadcloth and grim faces, halt-yisible
: between the cravat and cap and slender
forms, bonnc;ed, yet shapclcss, clinging
, to stout arms, as We al hoated out into
the night
''The diet is deserted said my friend,
"pro loco ct tempore"
"Ouly the venue changed to slipboard,' -
gasped | against the wind "Remember
the first man, woman, or child that attract
our attention on deck" And SO We par
led, losing one another, and ourselves lost
in the unsteady crowd.
! The vessel had cleared the harbor be-
fore | met with my friend in the darkness
and confusion Of the midnight deck and
when we were thrown together, it was
with such emphasis that we both came
down. We fell, however, upon a bundle
Of something comparatively soft-some-
thing that stirred and WINGED at the con-
tact-something that gave low cry in
three several cadences, as if it had three
voices. 1t gave us, in fact, some confused
idea Of mass Of heads, legs, arms, and
other appurtenances of the human body,
but the whole was shrourded in a sort Of
woolly covering, the nature of which the
darkness Of the night and the rolling of
the ship rendered it impossible to ascertain
/ thought to myself for a moment that this
was just tie thing for my boasted demon
stration; but no philosophy could keep
the deck under such circumstances and
when my friend and had gathered our.
selves up, We made the best of our way
and 1t was no easy task-to the cabin, and
crept into our berths. AsI lay there in
comparative coziness, my thoughts rever-
ted to that bundle of life, composed, III al!
probability, OF deck passengers, exposed to
the cold night-wind and the drenching
spray ; bat soon fell asleep, my sympa-
thy merging as my faculties became more
dim in 4 grateful sense of personal com
tort
As the morning advanced, the wind
moderated, testifying to the weather-wis-
dom Of our captain; and my friend and | .
getting up bctimes, met once more upon
the deck. The bundle Of life was still
there, just without the sacred line which
deck and steerage passengers must not
cross !; and We saw that it was composed
Of human figures, huddled together with
out distinction, under coarse and t&;tcrod
cloaks.
"Thcsc persons, said I, dictatorially,
pointing to them with ny cane, have
story, and a strange one and by and by
we shall get att"
"The common story Of the poor" re-
piled my friend ; "a story of hardship,
perhaps of hunger, but why don't they
wake up %
This question seemed TO have occurred
to some of the other passengers, and all
looked with sort Of languid curiosity, as
they passed, at the breathing bundle of
racs. After time, some motion was ob- j
served beneath the tattered cloaks, and at
length head emerged from their folds a
head that might have been either a wo-
mans or little girls, so old as it was in
and so young in size and soft
lcss. 1t was a little girls, as was proved ;
by the shoulders that followed-thin, slight 5
but 50 intelligent was the look .
he cast around, SO full Of care and anxiety, ;
hat she seemed to have the burthen of {
whole family on her back. After ascer.
aiming by that look, as it seemed, what {
Ter present position was, and bcstowing i
light, sweeping glance upon the bystand-
rs, the ship, ard thc gloomy sky, she y
withdrew her thoughts from these extra l
leous matters, and with gentle hand ,and ,
ome whispered words, extracted from his '
,ed of rags, a small, pale, little boy. The |
10Y woke up in a sort Of fright, but the t
moment his eyes rested on his sisters face, |
or she was his sister, that was clear-he t