The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-11-09
NO. 4lO.

| the ground at the fountain side were heard pref
ty continually tinkling on the stones, and bursts
OF merrment as group unexpectedly met group
IN their sly tirtations, ran along the hollow,
and was echoed from the distant hills
| Meantime, mothers exchanged babies. lifting
them to see how tall they were, inquiring with
great concern how much they weighed when
first dressed, peering into their eyes to decide
the color, and not unfrequenty patting the
plump little feet, and biting the delicate hands
and arms in the plenitude of their love-
Such an exhibition of babies was never SEEM
and the little creatures would have been spoiled
for life, if they had understood half the praises
bestowed upon them; but fortunately they
| slapped the faces and clawed at the cap-Strings
OF their kind nurses, in blessed ignorance of it
ALL
a thousand excuses were made for negligence
| OF social duties, and many promises elected
for more frequent interchange of tea-drinkings
in future
The younger boys compared hats and caps.
and with artless simplicity related the precise
cost of the new roundabout and brogans.
Husbands and fathers maintained more
dignitied composure, and condescended to talk
of nothing of smaller Importance than the late
crop. Good, honest, and honorable men were
| they, whose sun-burned faces and toilhardened
hands witnessed that they ate not the bread of
/ r.
| den spots which God had given them. Their
| gray hairs, or the sturdy pride of primal man
hood, were there only Ornaments-nor needed
| they other. No fine trickery of fashion disfgur-
| ed their native manliness of men. Ii was re-
| served for their sons and daughters to sell the
| homespun for the fine importation and alas. in
| some cases, the homestead for rufficd wristband
| and switch cane.
| Busiest of all about the grounds was Mr.
| Richards in compliment TO his neighbOrs, he
| appeared in Il dress that bordcred closely on
the rustic; and when, as the day grew warmer,
| he threw aside his coat, and with easy familiar
ity moved about, now shaking hands with the
old ladies, now asking advice about sowing or
reaping of some old farmer, and now present
ing some lass with bouquet of flowers from his
| garden, he was recognised native and TO the
| manner born. Perhaps his well-bred courtesieS
| were a little restraining in their influence on
most of the ruralizerS and that it was felt To be
a relief when he passed along-ncverthclcss he
added greatly to his popularity that morning.
He was the object Of general remark, the
great man Of the occasion, and all eyes follow
ed him wherever he went.
What pride and Joy felt in his praises, for
many an unguarded remark came to my cars
such as, "that is Mr.. Henry Richards-he with
| the beautiful hair and the sparkling blue eyes 4"
I"What, he without coat? Is he so plain Il man :"
| Il" Isn't he handsomc-that carpet on the plat
form is his, and the incest things on the table
are from his house. ! wonder if he will speak
he could, I'll warrant you-even the school-mas
ter Is not so well educated and yet | understood
| all the words he spoke
| Such and such like were some of the obser-
vations he elected but there were other more
smothered ones, the nature of which l could
partly guess which were by no means 80 pleas
ant to me. " 1t aint poSSible!" Il don't be
lieve it," and, = Do you think he will marry her,
were the EXPLANATIONS that more than once
preceded gances fixed curiously upon me.
Sometimes | thought | saw pity. and some
times disrust, in those chances but this NAV
have been fancy. Whatever it were. it served
TO unsteady my nerves, and to arouse in my
heart The vague and disquicting apprehension.
which would never except for brief moments be
still. This feeling was increased bv the APP
i pearance, at tie eiereah hour, of my father and
Il Martha, and Doke and Hetty. There was ii
stir, a sensation all through that great mass of
people; and many suppressed litter and bold
exclamation of wonder added modification TO
my waning hope and courage.
My father, with dropped head, and general
crest-fallen aspect, came closely treading in the
footsteps of Martha, who ever and anon looked
back to ascertain his whereabouts. | thought
at first she was leading him by string-their
|
My step-mOther never appeared to me so i'll :;
she was, as ! have before said tall, and on that
occasion she wore long dress OF alternate
stripes Of orange, red, and blue, resembling
more than anything else the American flag.
The high knots of ribbon on the top of her bon
net, made to stand erect by means of wires, add
ded also to her height, so that she seemed to
overlook the entire assembly without nconvc-
nience. The face was darkencd with frown,
but she came on with long, firm strides, as
though she had summoned forttude to endure
the ceremony Of the day-but it was all she
could endure. \ dozen wards in the rear, ri
ding without saddle, on the back of a rough
colt, with its long tail matted together by burrs
till it looked like the tail Of rat, and with ears
set back in sullen discomfort came the boy
| Doke, and doubled together, and clingng to
his waist, sat Hetty behind him. One Of Mar
thas red flannel petticoats served for her pill
lion, and her naked legs danglcd low beneath
her dress. She looked Shyly out from beneath
a deep, plain hood OF colico, and, when she saw
how much attention she was attracting, put her
great yellow silk pocket-handkerchief into her
| mouth, and drew her deep hood lower over her
face.
But the crowning wonder of all was Dokc.
| He was dressed in the schoolmasters old clothes.
| "a world too big for him. barefoOted, and
wore on his hauds n pair of white kid gloves
which Timothy had some time given him, and
| on his head a small cap of red morocco such as
| very Young BOYS used to wear In the country.
He would not suffer poor Hetty to dismount,
but deliberately rode round the ground, in sur
vey of the many wonders it presented quite I'M
| concerned rs TO the attention he drew from the
audience. The colt on which he rode dropped
his head, and moved forward only as Doke
moved him with his heels, and then with ears
| set back and tail drawn between his legs To
me at least he was "a pitiful ptiful sight"
Round and round the table rode Doke, pointing
out and commenting on his favorite dishes. At
last the colt was sded against stump, and
| Hetty permitted TO dismount; after which, the
| red petticoat was hung on the limb of tree, to
| which the animal was also secured, while the boy
in white gloves and bare feet, and with coat skirt
| dragging almost to the ground, lowered about
| the table, now and then possessing himself of
some titbt, which he dcvoured, holding his cap
| before his eyes,
NV modification was alleviated by one cir
cumstance: Mr.. Richards, on seeing my father,
fastened to meet and at once conduct him with
in the shadow of our tent; and so kindly and
cordial was his greeting, that ! felt treasured,
and could hardly suppress the childlikc excla-
nation, that my father was Just as good rs any
| body. Martha turned her face to the wall
there nothing worth her looking AT, this side
Of eternity Parson Goodman was observed TO
be on the ground at dinner time He had felt
1t his duty, he said, to restrain by his presence
the tendency to gluttony and winebibbng
which likely TO be manifested. The fact
| that he not lured there by carnal entice-
ments, he took occasion to promulgate in n
| speech of half an hours length.
| 1t was good he said, TO come together in all
righteousness, and always with all eye to things