The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1854-09-09
For the Calcdonian.
MEMORY AND DREAMS.
Il remember. I remember.
urt- I.u N vi, ,oro I ,ro- l1,.,, -


.cfr.t ten years Of my life it was my home.
,rl the quarter Of century which has passed
.,,c i ceased to be so-though it has brought
..cl Of sorrow and suffering. andmuch, ycry
-4.i Of hapriness-thongh it has introduced
70 life so different that | can scarcely
,enzc my child-scf as even a distant re-
..ian Of the writer,-yet it has not "Flung
- mcmory's wall" a single picture with lights
ri .hales 50 distinctly marked-whcrc the |
lor', stand out so wildly before the minds
cc.
lave often wondered if children that arc
nm and reared in cities or villages, whose
,,-cnts remove at short intervals from one
.a.v to another, can ever have any clear
collection o! their childhood. 1t seems to
ne that the shifting scene must be but very
-rcrfcctl;- tlagucrreotypcd on the mind.
Nv originnl home was not beautiful. but
e p;c'ue is intensely so, in its truthtclling
nils as where some skillful artist has
:.nhcd the interior of rude Gshcrman's
a,. We cannot imagine any thing charm
~ in his Su'Jcci. vet it rivcs us real pleasure
race ont each individual object in the rude
r-ap.-The various implements of his trade
Lax .ne upon the rough walls-thc three
l.rcl stool - the chair with broken back -
he bent candlcstick on the shelf the fire on
lie Hearth, wreathing itself round the end of
sbroken oar, which barc-footed woman has
;l,t thrown upon it - the basket of fish in
to center of the room, and the ragged un-
c-l.lcd urchins PLAYING with the still nounc-
r- wri9g!ing occupants. Thus. aside from
al. associations, ! lind real pleasure in wan
!cring around that old omcsteal-somctmc
il NY waking dreams, but quite as often af:
,era day of constant occupation, in which
rm a thought Of my early home has intruded
The Dream Spirit comes to my pillow and
leads me back through the paths of infancy
Vh all my grown-up thoughts and feelings
sit in the old kitchen among the the dear
familiar faces. Parents are living still, and
not grown older, which notice with wonder
me delight, and think that had all along
fecn mistaken. Brothers and sisters are lit
Tie children yet; the baby is in the cradle
whose worn rockers thunp over the uneven
;oor, Just as provokinglv when try to rock
TIE hearth where ! used to lose my pencil
when tried TO draw pictures by freight, are
As wide as ever. The same doors that crcakcd
On my childish ears have music in their hing
N still.
90 into the old book-closct. and with the
a! e. chair climb to the supper shelf" to
r,-cXl'lore its treasures of thrown away books.
mt without taking care to be very quiet for
fear of being discovered by that mSchicvouS
irothcr Of mine. who always laughed at me-
when he found NE among those old books
lncycr really understood why. but thought,
there must be something ridiculous in it or
he would not have laughed. But. wonder
"' wonders. There are some "bran-rcw"
Volumes now. One after another they peep
NJ from among their dusty neiehbor<,
works they are, the fayoritcs of YESTERDAY :
AMI older books Of priceless lore. which cling
around my heart like dear and cherished
trends. The new treasure seems exhaust
less. | do not wonder how they came there,
-ut only that | never saw them there before.
| 20 into the garden and find, though the
now has hardly gone, in the shady places.
that the pconics and house -lcck are already
pecpinc through the mould. The great rlos-
'r buds on the Balm-o GiIcad tree are OPEN
ln- their lips and showing their taSscllc,]
tongues Just to hint that they have something
Irettlcr coming. climb into the old but
tcrnut and find my accustomed seat in it.
crooked branches. Nobody in all these twcn-
'y-iivc years has replaced that biz stone which
knocked off the wall the last time clam
Tered over it. ] can see the gap it mad,
rom here; piece of mischief did no. tel
fat the time, because because | had ,athc,
not. lam braycr now. ] gradually lose pres
cnt identify i'll memory's self 90 up tho
Ion" lane OF orchard, and know every tree b,
fanc; at least all whose fruit is desirable.
gather bundles of bulrushcs to braid, Or tc
make. sv stacks of, which are never braided
or stacE Eed. ! 10 over to the least hill" to sec
II there are going to be many strawberries
and all at once am startled BY a ghost of
memory-a kind Of confused recollection. tba,
l have been over this same spot before 70,
the same purpose, and thinking the same
thoughts. | puzzle myself to remember when
il could possibly have bcen-and so the scene
changes.
am going after the cows up the steer
It'll pasture, by the pine trees, where is such
2nice warm cozy place to sit in the brish,
but chilly Spring days on the red carpet they
Lad spread for us under the low branches.
n over the top of the hill and find the sweet
-'ars all in blossom just as they used to be.
hey are scattered in large clumps all over
fA@ pasture. B., the way, went over the
''4 iarm few years since with some friends.
an found all the swcet-brars dead. The
iiichIv stumps were there in the very place
Where they grew in my cow-drivine lavs.
EXPRESSED my surprise that they should all be