The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-04-07
MlSCELL A N EO U s.
From putnam's Monthly for .spril.
CONNECTICUT GEORGICS.

I"farmed it" TWO summers, when was
eleven and twelve years old. l had been
brought up in paved city; was lean,
white, slender, school worn, bookish Anal
yzng now the phases Of interior life which
l only experienced then, l seem to have been
impregnated with city associations; or rather
the boys soul in me was paved over with
brick and stone, like the wall whose hot re-
Elections smote my eyes in summer, aid Sird-
cd me in always. can remember how shed
4 shrunken epiccrmis, as il were, like moul-
ting crab, as if really grew inwardly by the
fresh tuness of the country. found that,
hesides the side of human life ON which had
heretofore been gazing; dry and scaly with
brick and stone, dead and still IN Sundays,
dinnihg and resuunding all the week with the
clash Of pavemcnts under armed heel and
hoof, with rattle and groan Of whecls-1the
unrelenting and desperate onwardness Of the
great Yankee dollar chase ;--=that, besides
this, there was aDother-infnite, calm, peace
full, sun-lighted, dewy, free, full of life, un-
constrained, fresh, vigorous-the world of
God; as the city is the world Of men-and of
devils.
Sitiate under the tutorship of an uncle, far
mer near the south shore of Connecticut. |
departed for my destination early one morn
ing in the end OF Spring, from my city home
in the interior Of the State, riding ia the wag-
on of certain landholder from my uncle's
vicinity, who had come thither on business
in his private conveyance. All the day Irode
southwark, through town and village, woot
and field, in the absorbing trance of deep de-
light which child enjoys in any discursiv'
or adventurous enterprise, however humble
Every thing was enjoyable. The steady, bi
nary progression oil the old farm horses per
sistsnt trot; the rafting of the Zones of tn
hard-seatsd and springless wagon; the bound
less woods, full of new forms and colors O
rocks, branches and leaves; spriukled on SUI
face, and permea..ssu through unruthomabl
aeprns, itb sparkling specks of sunlight; tn
occasional chip squirrel, provncially calle
s.chipmunk'" jerking or gidiag along tn
fences; sometimes Every magnificent three
tailed bashaw"-a red or gay compeer Of tn
rodeat tribe--a beast which was almost Q
much surprised to see, at least outside of
rotary tin gymnasium, as # he had besn g
rafie or an ornithorhynchus; the wide, ope
fields, with their "industrial regiments" o
active service, in undress uniform; the twis
ing and writhing trout-brooks; the quiet an
composed rivers; the steep hills, and dee
still ponds, of each of which the neighbo
aver with pride that the bottom has new,
been found-a fact, perhaps, to be accounte
for by its never having been considered wort
looking aiter;--sll were new, all overfowin
with light, and life, and joy.
! was startled at being vsnquished by m
companion in strife, with whose weapons
had presumed hin unacquainted. bega
to "tell stories," and at first acquitted myse
to my satisfaction; but soon found that
had met my match. Mr.. N.'s talents as
,racontear were infinitely above my own. N
only were his stories funnier than mine, b
whenever bogpled, he kindly suggested Il
missing matter; and when I did net boggl
he Invariably furnished an improved catastr
phs. s-'-