The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-04-26
CUR COUSIN.

Our cousin was dashing young love OF SIX
teen, who had come into the country to sacri-
fee week or two among the rural population.
1t was a gay morning In June, whep we sat to-
gether under a mapletree-we III our home
spun, and she in "full dress" giving thrilling
account of an unfortunate breach which some
country-girls had made, the night before, IN the
rules of etiquette: At length, the tale being
ended" Come, COUSIN" said we, "suppose we
90 into the garden and inhale the odoriferous
breezes arising from the cucumber-vines."
"Ah Monsieur, with pleasure" said she, at the
same time throwing herself on our arm with all
the freedom in the world. After sweeping up
and down the alleys for while, "Cousin," said
we, gravely, "what do you call the distant ver-
dure twining about yon poles, and hanging
about the top in graceful festoons?" "That,"
said she, "nust be a species of evergreen. l
think it is the polyanthus." "Pole-beans, you
mean, rather" said we, composedly: "the
beans grow in those fiat things called pods, and
which in their green state may be eaten, beans
and all; in that case, they are called string
BEANS" "And what are those green, round
things, stuck up on sticks?" asked she, inno-
Gently. "Those are called cabbages," we repli-
ed; ia term not unfrequently associated with
pork cooked with which, they are said to con-
stitute most excellent dish. And those round,
would you characterize those?" continued we.
81 think they are called turnips," she replied
I" are they not?" "They bear a resemblance
to them,' we answered, "though they are usu-
ally called onions, we believe. They sometimes
emit an unpleasant ordor, and should never be
eaten before going into young ladies' society,""
"They never are in New York" said she;
indeed, they are never eaten there at ALL"
"AhI" we replied. Having gone through the
vegetable and floral kingdoms, in the latter of
which poppy and hollyhock were pronounced
respectively a snow-drop and primrose, we stroll
ed up to an enormous bunch of fennel, stand
ing in the corner of the garden. "Here," be-
gan we, emphatically, sis one of the most beau
tiful plants in the whole herbiferous kingdom.
Observe the stalks-how round and regular
and the leaves-how exquistely delicate! and
all terminating in those delicious little seeds so
prevalent in tea-cakes!" AT this she caught
hold of bunch, and, in her effort to pull it off,
shook down huge fennel-worm upon her bro
cade. "Why, cousin" said we, admiringly,
"what a beautiful little creature is crawling on
your Dress" "What is it?" said she, looking
about "a charming little fennel-worm." "a
what! worm? murder! where is it? get it off! !"
She began shaking her dress, and, backing
across some carrot-beds, finally tripped in a
row of bush beans, and fell into huge goose.
berry-bush. "Sir!" said she, energetically
~ shall never forgive you for this-.never! ="
I" Becalm yourself COUSIN" said we, quietly.
"SuAfer not passion to preside over reason. Let
not the innocent suffer for the sins of the guilty.
for then the rule Of justice is made null. Let
US seek rather to rescue you from this perilous
position, without doing violence to your tioun-
ces. In that case, however, they shall be con-
verted into kite-tails, where, you must acknowl
edge, they will serve an equally useful and or.
namental purpose" ooh, you mean thing"
said she, impatiently, "do be STILL" AT last,
with some difficulty, the dress was disentangled
without harm, except rent of about yard in
the fifth tier of this superfuous foliage, which
we suggested could be easily repaired by cutting
a strip from the bottom. "And now, dear cous-
in,' said we, "let us go into the kitchen, and
regale ourselves with dish of cold ham, and
when You feel disposed to ridicue country-girls
again, call to mind the young lady who mistook
polo-beans for polyanthuses, and who, through
fear of fennelworm, trampled down three
carrotbeds, and fell into gooseberry-bush."