The Port Gibson reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 185?-1857, 1853-11-16
Snoriing, with erected name,
And struggling iiercely, but in vain.p
MISCELLANEOUS.
The Ferry Boat.
BY FANNY FERN.


Tnhook the chains merrily our boat shoots
through tae ripping waters. Good bye to
the city with its dust, and din, and whirl.
Goodbye TO its sitting atmosphere and lot
dry pavomeuts Good bye to boxes and bales.
and dray.carts, and omnibuses, and fashion 5
I butterflies; welcome the sea" the blue, the
fresh, the ever free
All hands" crowd to the bow Of the boat,
for the day has been insufferably sultry; -
save a few fine ladies', whose peacock apparel
makes them voluntary prisoners in the cabin.
Just a. you like, fair danes. wouldn't lose
the sunset for all the silk gowns in Gotham.
See that young mechanic. leaning over the
guard chains. All day long he has been
sweltcring in that vapor bath, city shop /;
lie has toiled cheerfnly, too. for little piping
voice rang its music in bis ears. making his
nerves brass, and his muscles iron. See, his
bat is of. and the cool evening breeze upon
which. thank God, no aristocrat can lay an
embargo, plays lovingly over his toil-fushed
brow. lie has never read Shakespeare. or
Milton, or Shelly. or Wordsworth-bu does
that golden orb, as it quenches its bright
beams in the sparkling waters. send no thrill
Of sturdy pleasure through his frame Is
his eye blind 10 yon frost-crOwned hills repo-
sing in their emerald beauty? or this bright
sapphire sea, decked with snowy sails, whose
sails. whose crested waves leap exultingly
Is his hean benumbed because his tongue is
toilfettered?
And that poor woman yonder; from soms
noisome city den she has crcpt out, bearing
upon her weary breast. a poor sick babe, as
dear to her, God knows. as If she had bread
enough TO feed it. She knows nothing of
Newport, or Saratoga. but she knows breath
Of fresh air can be bought for q penny By
crossing the ferry; and :" it shall 20 hard.
but little Dennis shall have that chance for
his poor life. SO she sits there carefully tend
ing him, while the little creatures languid
eye lights up with CLEAN Of pleasure (if he
can't tell why,) and his transparent hand is
laid carelessly on her bronzed features. Now
the child has caught sight Of flower vender.
who is poising one Of those fair flower baskets.
found only in New York he stretches forth
his attenuated fingers to grasp It with childish
eagcrness. A tear starts to bis mothers eye
it is SO long since little Dennis has craved or
cared for anything-but tie three shillings to
buy it. Dennis might as well ask for the
moon. See he has 1.-THE mother weeps
her thanks; what's the use Of money if il
can't buy happiness.
There 5 Wall-street money changer. with
the almighty dollar written all over him il
has knit his brow and contracted his body, and
he sits there with his arms folded. the dashing
waves only suggest shares in projected
bridge in which he hopes to make profitable
investment. Mammon has him. soul and
body: If he we're going out Of the world,
you could lure his spirit back with uins-
pence.
There's group for Hogarth. Two roly-
poly Irish women, with figures strongly re-
sembling bags Of meal with string tied around
the middle each holding ba6y. A little
three year youugster. apparently joint prop
erty, is niched in between them. bis tnttered
straw bat crushed down over his carrotty
locks, while sith both hands be grasps tightly
BY the drumsticks" live ben. whose spas
modic attempts at locomotion be arrests with
the gravity Of Solomon-invoking, oeca-
sionally, some patron saint, a. the hen flaps
her impatient wings too near bis great houest
eyes. Ab. Johny, if the rerspira'ion stands I