The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1855-06-23


The following exquisite sketch, from House
hoH u ords, is probably from the pen of
CHARLES DICKENS:
She must have been very, very beautiful.
when young; for in my childish ewes she had
hardly any imperiectons, and we all know
what acute and unmereiful critics children
are. Her hair was quite white not silvery
nor powdery, bat pure glossy white, resem-
bling spun glass. | have never been able to
make my mind up whether she wore cap, a
hood. or one of those silken head coverings
OF the last century called ca,a>h. What
ever she wore, it became her infinitely. |
incline, on second thoughts more 10 the cal
asa. and think she wore it in lieu of a bonnet,
when She went abroad whicl. was but sell
dom. The portrait have of tie old LADY is.
iEceed, dlmmed by the lapse Of many win
tcrs, and some tears. Her title of the pretty
oil lady was not given TO her lightly. 1t was
bruited many years aeo-when ladies of fash
ion were drunk to in public and gentlemen
OF fashion were drunk in pu,lic-tha. the
pretty Old lady was 4 ''re gnlng tcas;"
y certain grey silk dress which, Is it had
always square creases in II. coniecturcd to
he always new. decorated the person OF the
pretty old lady. She wor, 4 proIu>ion OF
black lace, which must have been priceless
ior it was continually being ncndcd. and its
rrverSon was much coveted by the old lady'>
female friends. Ny aunt jane. who was ire
mendou>' Y OIL. and was a lady. but whose
faculties dccaved somewhat toward the clr>r
OF her HE. was never SO coherent { save on
The >uhiect ct Nav-iav and the sweeps as
when she Spccula,e,l As to who was to have
the lace after the old lady demise But
my aunt Jane died first. and her doubts were
never solved. More tnan this. ! can rcmcm-
Der a ta,-tacc,i oh! gold watch which the prct
tv Old lady wore al her waist a pletLoric
mass Of wheeling gold, Ike an oyster crown
llrh and knowing the time of dav Attached
10 tins she wore some trinket>- not tnc non
sen,irharmS or brcloques that vounc ladies'
wear on t!leir chttei,incs now, bat sensible
substantial Ornament>-a >ion"t-r.nr of her
-randiAihcrs; smelling bottle covered with
silver ,ilaCree and a little coll box in the
form Of a book with clasps. which We wac.,;>h
Youngsters declared To he -. aid l..l,',,
snuii-boN. but which believe now to have
been ponncct boN-thc same, pcrhanS.
which the lord, who was prrtumcd Ike q mil
liner, held 'twixt his tinc"r and thumb uoon
th" battle field and which. ever and anon
he gave to his nose
trust am no: trading on dangerous ground
when say that two of the chief prc.tincsees
Of TIE pretty old lady wee her feet and their
covering. 10 ladies' ewes a round. bows ~
Certainly. Moore we can't refuse: bat to Ia
dies feet a round. hovs. also. if YOU please.
Now the pretty old lady had the prrtties, of
feet, with .hc most delicate of rr,v silk
stockings. the understandings Of the finest
SoitcSt most lu>tronS leather that ever came
from innocent kid. I viii back those tec.(.o
use the parancc Of this horse rac;nr AGE
and those shoes and stockings. against any IN
the kaown world, in ancient and modern ro
nance: against Dorothcrs tiny feet dalblinr
tbr - t.,
in the cool brook against Sara Ia B,ionou>e
swinging in her .!kcn hammock AGAINST DE
GrammontS Miss IIowardS Green stockinrs
against Madam c l'ompadour's golden clocks
and rcl-hcrlch m,fd>: arain>, Nollcr. Taoh-
oni, Corto'>. against Madame Nc.tri>',. -
modelled in wax hv Signor y. y. There are.
such feet as the pretty old la,lv'S now: or
It any such exist, t,lrir po~<c: :>ors don't know
how to treat them The French !ati;e, are
rapidly losing the art OF putting on shoes
and stocking, with taste: and deliberately
declare. in the face OF Europe, that have
no; seen. within the last three months in Pa
the Ball Of the Prctcct of the Seine-twenty
pairs OF irrcproachal,Ic feet The systematic
cally archcd inStep, the gcomctrical ankle and
the gentle curves and undu.ationS. the deli
cate advancement and retrocrcSson of the
foot OF beauty, are all things falling into de
cadence. Inc american overshocs, the ma
ci.inc-madc hosiery, and the trailing drarc-
ries, are completing the ruin Of shoes and
stockings.
The pretty old lady had never been mar
"A gay mana iirst-rate buck. a sparkling
rake; lie had known lords, he had driven
curricIcs, he had worn the finest of fine lin
en-. the most rcspIcndcnt Of Shoe buckles =
he lad once come into the possession OF five
thousand pounds sterling, upon which CAPT
ta,quitc >asting the grovclins doctrineof IN
tercst to the wind-hc had determined TO try
the fascinating experiment of living at the
rate of five thousand year. In tbs expert
ment hc succeeded 10 his hearts content for
the exact lcriod Of one year and one day =
after which he had lived Cat the same rate }
on the credit of his credit after that on his
wits; after that On the certainty of making
so many tricks nightly, at whist; and finally
upon his daughter. For the pretty old lady,
with admirable self a5negation. had seen her
two ugly sisters married; had with some ma
tural tears, refused Capt Cuts, of the line,
whom she loved-bnt who had nothing but
his pay-and had contentedly accepted the