The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1855-04-07

Ni'sc' y. w fI-I, ILt NI(S HFNISON,
DUDLEY =. HALL, |. ID. GILkEY.
December, 1854.
TIE SEVEN POOR TRAVELLERS.
From The txtra Christmas No. of Hpus,hcM U;y,ls.
CONpUC CTED BY CHARLES DICkENS.
THE FIFTH POOR TRAVELLER
do You know-thc journcyman watch
maker from Geneva began-do YOU know
those long straight lines of French country.
over which have often walked? DO YOU
know those rivers so long so uniform in
breadth, so duly gray in hue. that in despair
at their regularity, vou momcntariv libel ma
tnre As being only grand canal commissioner
after all Do YOU know the long funercal
rows of poplars, or dreary parallclosrams of
osiers, that fringe those river banks; the long
white roads, hcdgclc>s. but. oh. so dismalv
,litchiul the long low stone walls: the lone
farnhou>es, wthouta spark Of the robust,
Irafv. cheerful life of the English homc>tcal>:
the long fields. scarce evergreen. but of an
ashen tone. YEARLY furrowed. as though the
earth had grown old and was beginning to
show the crows foot the long intrrminab!c
grey French landscape? The >kv Itself
seemed longer than it ought to be and the
clouds stretch awav TO- goodness knows VIII ire.
in long low banks. As if the heavens la! been
ruled with parallel II "A vehicle passed
vott tt is onf wotufi ionv diligence, length
tncd yellow uglncss long drawn out, with a
seemingly endless team of horses. and lone.
sitting cloud of dust behind it, driver for
the whce'erS with whip seven times as long
AS II ought to be; and position for the lead
ere with boots long enough for seven Icacuers.
His oaths are long: the horses names are
long; their tails are so long that they are
obliged to have them tied up with straw
The stages are long. the journey long. the
fares long-the whole longitudinal carriage
leaves long melancholy jingle of bells bc-
hind it,
Yes: French scenery j. very lengthy 50
| settled in my mind at least as walked with
Ion. strides along 'hc white French road. A
longer mc-my shallow walked before me.
bending ITS back and dropped its arms and
an"nariznS its elongated LEGS like ,lrow>v
rompaS>r>. The shallow looked tired: felt
so. had been oppressed by length all dav
] had passed a Ion. proccssion-som some hund-
reds OF boys IN gray great coats and red
trowsers soldiers. had found their guns
and bayoncts 700 long, their coats dispropor-
tiona;c.y lengthy; the moustaches of their
officers. ridiculouslv elongated There was
no end Of thcm-their rolling drums, bac-
gage wagons, and led horses. | had passed
a team of bullocks plouyhin. they looked
as long as the lane that had no turning. A
long man followed them smoking a LONG pipe
A wretchcd pig saw too-a lonc, lean, brist
ly. lany-lecged monstrosity. without even a
curly tail, for his tail was long and pendant.
a miserable pig, ha!f.snouted grey hound.
halt-abashed weazel, whole hoc. and an cv
sore to me, was long way from home.
had the spleen, wanted something short
not to drink, but short break in the lorr
landscape, house, knoll, clump Of trees
-anything to relieve this long pursatorv.
Whenever feel inclined to take a more
than ordinary dismal view of things, I find i,
exped,ent to take a pipe Of tobacco instead
As wanted to rest, however, as we'll a,
smoke, hal to walk another long mile
When desired house, in front thereof was
huge felled tree, and on the tree I sat and
lighted my pipe. The day was of no partic-
ular character whatever: neither wet nor
dry, cold nor hot-neither sprinsy, summery
autumna!, nor win:ry.
The house was sitting opposite, Nigh,
have been one of public entertainment for !,
was cabaret # there had been any public in
the neighborhood to be entertained. which
4
(myself exceptcd) considered doubtful
1t seemed to me as if Bacchus, rovino abou,
on the loose, had dropped a straw tub here
on the solitary road, and no longer COMING
that way, the tub itself had gone to decay
had berome unhoopcd, mouldy, leakv. Id.-
clare that, saving certain fancitul resemb.
lance to the barrel on which the god of wine
is generally supposed to take horse exercise
the house had no more shape than lumn ot
cheese that one might dis hap-hazard from a
soft, double Gloucester. The windows v.r.
patched and the doorway hal evidently boen
made subsequently to the erection Of tbe
building, and looked like an excre,cence .s
it was. The top Of the house had been mol.
ted with mud, thatch, tile, and slate. ratber
than rooted; and top room jutted out liz.
orally from one Of the walls, supported be-
meath by crazy uprights, like poor relation
clinsing to a genteel kindsman nearly a.
poor. The walls had been plastered once
but the platter bad peeled Of in places, and