Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-09-30
miscellaneous.
trrom the homc journal, September O.
GOSSIP WITH INvALIDs.
By N. +. WILLIS.

ucllClOuS as IL Is u DIttEN summer = udN-lS II lOT-I
hidden fruit to invalids, for two or three incidental
reasons. First, as | have already explained, it
cxhausts the stock Of tranquil elasticity for the
twelve waking hours Of which it is the beginning.
Second. it irritates (often into profuse bleeding.
from the mouth in my case the comparatively
empty stomach, which needs the cushioning of
food for its half-heGled membranes. And, third,
At renders later exercise impossible-thus depriving
the nights sleep OF the immediate lull which fol-
lows fresh fatigue, and substituting for it the
wakefulness of exhaustion, prolonged through a
long day into nervousness. "The doctors orders
are not accompanied with this satisfactory explain
alton usually ;. but it is for these or similar reasons
that the docile patient takes his ride only with the
lengthening shadows Of the afternoon.
But life-the wine Of the life of this worlds
in the morning air. Breath for the pores, exhilara-
ton for tho blood, ncwness and freshness for the
worn senses and fbcrs, are the overrunnings from
tho cups of the ascending dewdrops. The decend-
ing dew of evening may be purer, but it is not
fragrant yet with the breath Of the flowers it is on
its way to. The earth-tried and recalled-the dews
laden with perfume and exhaling reluctantly
through the forenoon's warmer hours are the
tempters for senses still mortal. For %fesh-and-
blood conciousncss of existence, the intoxication
is in the just full glory of the day.
The drought had stillcd Idlewild brook, and the
parting steps of my mares dainty feet, as she
picked her way down the ~windings Of the precipit-
GUS road, were not set to music as usual. But the
leaves rustled and the birds sang. And when we
left the closed gate behind us and galloped off up
III ID6 ltNtl Dtlh u lHt NlOuNlli, IL was WIN u
sense of health that had a one-horso power-the
animal at the end Of my spine, and suject to my
volition, being as much u part of me rs the smile |
could bride on my lip-as the tear subject to the
lashes of my eye. God has thus, in the horse,
given us limbs we can put on and leave of-lungs
we can borrow for more speed-strength we can
incorporate with our weakness. Not to have a
horse in familiar and daily use-to the degree
which embOdies the generous animal and his pow
ers into your consciousness Of forces and faculties
is to be less of n being by that much.
There is a point in the pleasautest ride when
one feels that an errand would have made it pleas
anter. Tho invalid, particularly, is apt to draw
rein, without an object in his ride and start too
soon on his return, BY a caprice of irregular
spirits, exercise is thus shirked, sometimes, when
there is no beginning Of WEAKNESS of the body
So Furnishing a town as Newburgh, four miles off,
and to which there are four different and pleasant
roads from ldlewild, is quite Il treasure to me in
this respect. 1t is hard not to have an errand there
Tor, failing everything else, there is almost the GER
tainty of a letter at the postoffce-many of my
correspondents being quite obliyious ofmy address
of .N00dna, orange Co., and dircctiog, with Won
derful faith in propinquity and postmasters, to
the largest place they can think Of in the neigh
borhood.
But, upon this %"spree" of a forenoon-full of
out-ofdoors, I gave myself a special errand to
Newburgh, Ito make sure of getting there, though
L should go round by Mortonville, the widest and
longest way, and, as the errand in question re-
minds of an appeal hare long Thought Of making
10 manufacturers, for the benefit of a certain class
of suffering authors, a DEPRESSION to it will perhaps
be excused by invalids-a redeeming feature of
utility being very necessary, occasionally, to make
the strong and hearty feel kindly toward our sick
room gossip.
The " Enforcement of the age " in which, I pre-
sumo, no one can take share who has any feeling
for grace in a line, or freedom in thumb and finger,
is the steel pen. An invention Of wooden shoes,
of the same size for all human beings, would be,
for me, a very similar economy and convenience.
Tho ,,ca Of tho artipta has hpanuon worry Onparol
however, ~circumstanc which, in all probability
has accidentally taken a census Of the mechanical
fingered and angular Drained of our highly free
and-equal population. There is a remaining class
10 whom the steel pen is an inconvenience of the
most positive kind--poets and writer's on imagina,
tive or delicate subjects, whose grace and ease OF
style are at once p~aralysed by a nib so unsucepti-
bic and stiff, and, indeed, at whose invitation OF
ink, with such misrepresenting angularity ~ofscratch
no playful or tender sentiment will pass from brain
to finger. l presume it has always been true
that, il it were not for geese and the more pliable
medium they give US, poetry and fancy would be
cut off from communication with the world.
But goose-quills land here comes the tight place
require penknives of the best quality and, ever
rs first class statesmen and patriots have died GU
with the universally Of m%iddling politicians, 81
iirst-rate penkniyes have disappeared with the uni
versatility Of tolerable pens ready-made. The brick
flying movement of the age-making all men ant
things of n siZe-leayes no eminences of clay
(such as Henry Clay standing around US; and
with steel pens and no " Rogers best pen-kRiceS,'
poets will soon be " as like as bricks" if heard o.
at all.
In g~nlloping up the ascents of the tangled val
ley of Rings Mills, where the Moodna ties a love
knot of scenery among the abrupt hills and rock.
SO magnifcently vOoden-feeling (horse and all
as strong and swift as was any mans share-l had
the Heto penkRite in my mind, which was the NOR.
ning's errant to Newburgh. The old one-a cher
ished doubie-blade which had long bridged over
for me, the uncertain chasm tetween brain and
white paper-had been called upon like the Hon
Mrs. Norton) for duties a little beyond the strength
of its fine edge. \ slate-pencil had been sharpen
cd with it. For a week or two | had tried honein:
and stropping, and struggled to believe in the re
newableness of temper SO unyielding hitherto
But the nibs that were to be re-pointcd were onl
crushed. The readers of the Home Journal vii
remember the articles in which the conveyance @
my meaning was painfully clumsy and imperfect
Nobody could write, with such a ~penknife.
Browns, in NewburGh, is q hardware stor
worthy of Broadway-a museum of usefulness an
positiveities which | have found it a refreshin
change from modern poetry to make a lounge of
and l was soon, by permission, behind his counte
lost in an inviting wilderness of little brown bun
dies, each with its tempting specimen outside III
der the Irvine. Oh, the pleasure of opening on
of each, trying its edge upon the round Of til
hand, and imagining the adjectiyes and pronoun
the similitudes and sentiments, for the passage
which it could make q quill once more inviting
the capricious brain
But | was disappointed. Calling for q quill, t
make a final experiment before choosing, mot con
PEELED, fortunately, to take it for better or wors
without trial l found the edges of those polishe
and shOwy-lOUking things untrue. The temper
had not been prepared for such work. Pen mi
king being no longer among the duties in a knife
destiny, owing to the common use of steel PEN
the blade is now only fitted to cut threads and
clean fnger-nails.
1 called to my friend Mr.. Brown and ~explaine
my difficulty.
"Oh, my dear sir" said he, looking unencourt
gingly at the tall shelves with his assorted wilde
used to .. be. ''I b." {he continue a putting "Ui gh hs h nar
in his waistcoat pocket and pulling out a plain O
article, such as we used to see in the days Of To
Hood and Ella " here is one that | have carrie
for years in my pocket Rogers's best-and