The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-10-26

| '-"S ~ OeioIe US lnCO heaven, draw Us nearer
and nearer to heaven"
But If We lose friends here what comfort
70 there fer us, if they grow away from US or
If chalce or fate separate us ?n Timothy eyed
nae a moment, snilingy and replied
III friend should, as you say grow away
rom ne, should take to myself the conso,a-
too thai he had neveS rightly grown to men
| Perhaps you are right, but that reflection
would not reconcile to the estrangement Of ore
| had lovedn
| Love, | assure you, my dear friend,n said
be, 'is mere matter of roOonshine--a fancy
an idea"
"You are net serious"
Perfectly. Suffer any one thing to take
entire possession Of tho mind, and we become
insane. The right way is TO keep in your own
hands a reserve force of self-suficiancy upon
which, in case of emergency, tc fall back"
81 But love, real love, is not calculating"
"The devil" exclaimed Timothy, cycling me
| as though had uttered the most startling ser-
| timept in the world "Forgive me-" he added,
| in a moment al sm On my knees in spirit. snd
you see the utter inpossibility of bodily pros
trstion.n
said it was useless for us to talk of s5nti-
nneDt we should never agree; that, to my
thinking, the best of all Gods good gifts was
love.
1t is an Indifferent good thing to eat" said
Timothy, "if one is hungry and has L fat capon
before him; and it 10 good to sleep when enc
is tired, and has az his command nice feath-
or bed and a blanket; and brandy and water
is pleasant thing to quench thirst"
"You are happily constituted" | said
eyes, ali except tho legs"
81 don't think | very well understand you !;
your ways of thinking are new to me-"
"As to the frst,p he said, 81 don't under,
stand myself. Timothy Shue and Timothy
Shine are on pretty good terms, bat they ale
not much acquainted with each other; and as
for my way of thinking, [ don't think at ALL
When was q boy, nv attention was arrested
one day by seeing dog tied to pest with
stronghold, and, as any dog of spirit natural
IL would be- he was discontented, and whined
and howied, pulling now this way and now
that; but he gained rot q whit for his pains,
and at length chokcd to death in the effort to
90 farther than he could and resolved then
thatI would not strive with impossibiities"
"Bnt it is only BIZ asking what i, possible to
be known, that we learn what is impossible"
"Our greatest wisdom hath this extent, no
more: we arc here to-day, and gone to-mor-
row; the rest God knowetb, we must trust"
Aud then as if ashamed Of the earnestness and
seriousness with which he had spoken, he sdd-
cd: /" In other words, we come up like hop
per grass, and are cut down Ike sparrow
grass"
| looked puzzled, sorrowful perhaps, ard he
continued: well, am a strange fellow,
admit it. If had not been created, wonder
who would have lived in my plece--some other
creature must have been made, for am q link
in the chain of things; and if another had been
made, perhaps it would have been me. But
am pulling my cord too far-suppose we eat a
sandwich, or something of that sort"
| know not how it was, for though we had
little intellectual sympathy, Timothy's influ-
euce upon me was most happy. Ambition and
discomfort and pining could not stay with him
long-the genial sunniness that Oyersprcad
his homely common sense, drove away the
shadows.
lie had no vision for the dark side Of life;
no phantoms came to his chamber. He had
money enough for all mis- needs, and something
to spare low ard then; how be came by it, |
don't know; and whether be had friends Or
home, don't know, perhaps not more than he
found everywhere. He seemed neither to have
hope nor fear, took lazly hold Of the best end
Of things as they came.
When other sources Of amusement failed,
he resorted to his flute, of which he seemed
never to weary. And still the preparation for
iour great festivity went on; farmers were seen,
day by day, driving to e "a their market
wagons, filled in part wi.n potatoes or oats,
or whatever else shey had to dispose Of and
carrying with them their daughters and wives,
to purchase fnery for the great occasion; and
new gowns, and bonnete, and ribands, and
RIFLES, were brought home, and discussed, ard
made up as best euited rustic notions of adorn-
ment. The young men were active, too, and
many q one rocked to town on the top of load
Of sweet-scepted hay, and returned with new
fur hat, and waistccat Of black satin, which
he was sure to say he would not have pur
chased but FOR the urgency Of mother or sister
he would be sorry to have them ashamed OF
Dim and he supposed, too, he must have
ilstio money in his pocket; accidents might
occur.
The weather became matter Of unusual
interest; and ado you think we shall have
rain 2" was propounded with as much interest
es DO you think we shall have war;" would
have been Old men put on their spectacles, and
consulted the almanac as an oracle young men
said they didn't know nor care much about it.
They rather hoped it would rain, some Of them;
they would be glad to have some excuse for
absenting themselves; but the young ladies
made no disguise Of their interest; it will be SO
provoking, they said, il can't wear my new
bonnet. However, they were not really afraid
OF rain; and no progncstics could have in
duced feGr; it would be pleasant, they knew
It would; and the new calico dress was turned
inside out and outside in a dozen times day,
and every vister was asked how she liked it,
ard told how much it cost by the yard, and
hcw many yards were in il, and that it's owner
might have got another with a little larger
leaf, and brighter ground, if she had had
two or three shliiipgs more; bat that she did
not know, after all, as she would have liked
anything better than what she had, and the
vislter was sure TO think nothing could be pref
tier, and to carry away with her a small piece
to exhibit at home, to compare with her own,
and to wash with soft soap and broke
water," to test the colors. and afterwards to
patch in her quilt which she didn't expect she
should ever want. All about the neighbor-
hood bits of calico and ginghem were seen
drying on the rosebushes; new caps were
bleaching on the grass, and all the out door
ovens wore aglow By six o'clock in the morn
ing, FOR two or three days in advance of the
day. Pigs and chickens, ducks and geese,
and turkeys and lambs, were baked, and roast
ed, and boiled, and boys slipped under barns,
and about sosffolos and roosss with greater
celebrity than Cyrus Of old, in search of new
hens nests, and great yellow and speckIed
pumpkins were seen piled about every door, in
token of the pies that were to be. Apples and
peaches and pears were thought almost too
common to be used on so nice al occasion, and
only those who had fruit Of very superior
quality ventured to offer it, Pound cakes and
ginger cakes, cup cakes and loaf cakes, made
all the air delicious; every plump arm was
bare, and the beating of eggs and the pound
ing of spices made almost every house musi-
CAL
When it was known that Mr.. Richards was
to have tent on the ground, and that he had
actually contributed some lowered Garnet for