The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1852-08-12

SAID wooden. w ullam, look OUT anu
see who has come"
William looked out Of the window,
and said, Father it is dragoon."
GA dragoon What can he want 20
At this moment the servant entered
and handed letter to the merchant.
Glancing at the seal, he exclaimed,
with some agitation, +" 1t is a government
dispatch" Then he proceeded, with an
air of great uneasiness, to open and read
the letter
William watched anxiously his fathers
face as he read, but was reassured by
observing that, as he proceeded, his face
resumed its wonted serenity.
"It is very well. l accept" said the
elder Wooden, folding it up and giving
it to his son. William ran his eye over
the paper. 1t was an order for four
hundred thousand herrings, to be deliv-
cred to the government in one month, for
the pursose of feeding the French army.
William" cried the old man, all at
once rousing himself from his revelry,
g 1 have an idea. You shall marry the
daughter of Van Elbnrg, and you shall
have with her handsome dowry. l
promise it to you"
But how, my father 7"
leave that to me- Only as the
canals are frozen over, you must cause
two horses to be saddled and brought to
the door early in the morning, for We are
going to Brock"
"Dear father-how kind"
That will do, that will do. Ah, you
don't know yet all the cause you have to
thank me. Yes, William" continued
the old man, shrinking lightly on the
young mans shoulder, "when you are
a rich merchant yourself, it will be
through the genius of your father"
When the sun rubbed his eyes open
the next morning, the first thing that he
saw, was the Woedens, father and son,
ON the road fiom Amsterdam to Brock.
The roads were so obstructed by snow
and ice, as well as by carriages and peo-
pie, that the horses were hardly able to
90 out of walk, but William supported
the delay with courage, comforting him
self that he was going to see his beloved
and to fix the day for marriage which
would, he hoped, crown his happiness.
Even the old man forgot to grum5le at
his tedious journey, for he revolved in
his inmost mind plan which fully oc-
cupied all his thoughts. They arrived
at Brock towards midday, and dis
mounted at the gate, leaving their horses
at an inn just outside the town, for the
entrance of Brock is forbidden to all
beasts of burthen, and to carriages.
In fact this little town enjoys in Hol-
land proverbial reputation for neatness.
The streets instead of being paved in the
ordinary way, are laid in MOSAIC with
polished stones of brigh and varied col
ors. On each side there are spaces rail-
ed off for the private use of those fami-
lies whose houses they adjoin. These
little courts are paved with richer and
gayer stones than the public street, and
are divided by iron fences wrought in
fantastic figures and ornamented with
copper and brass. Benches of hand
some wood, richly carved, are here plac-
ed for the use of the families, who here
assemble in the evening to refresh
themselves after the heat of the day in
summer.
The mania for neatn-ss is such that
| if poor little leaf, torn from the tree by
an indiscreet breeze, happens to alight
| in one of these vestibules $50 to speak, }
the family rush in a crowd from the
house, and pounce with fury upon the
intruder.
When Wooden and his son, therefore,
entered the cleanly swept and washed
streets, with their heavy shoes laden
with snow and mud, they excited the in
dicnation of all who saw them but as
they were known to most of the town.
folk, they were allowed to pass unmo-
Tested to the house of Master Van FL
burg.
There, however, they wcrc obliged to
submit to ceremony from which even
Napoleon and Alexander were not
exempted, when, some years later, Brock
was houored with their presence. They
had hardly entered the court when a
servant ran out to meet them, bearing
two pair of slippers, for which they ex-
! changed their heavy shoes. Then they
were allowed to enter.
As they opened the door Of the sa-
loon, a door at the other extremity Of
the apartment was hastily closed. Mas
ter Wooden was unable to distinguish