Daily American organ., 1856-03-13
From the American Union.
Why Sn0dgrass Laughed.
BY ALIouIs.

Twas clear laugh #
Twas a ringing laugh
Twas a laugh which made ihe air resound
Twas such laugh az a man might indulge in
when pleased with himself and all the world be-
side. ~
good solid, honest laugh of which an Alder
man might have been proud.
A laugh which came from the heart; not silly
simpering smile.
Not laugh choked when half born.
Not scornful laugh, nor smile of derision.
Not a "laugh in the sleeve" like that which
Reynard INDUCED in when he prevailed upon the
raven to sing. like that of the serpent, when he
beguled good mother Eve; but full heavy musi-
cal laugh, such as st. Patrick might have given
vent to when he shut up the the last great snake
in the iron-bound box, and sunk him beneath the
waves. EEe Hb.
Yes twas laugh. Ha e
An undoubted, palpable, evident laugh.
But nhy did Mr. Snodgrass laugh
Perhaps at any one Of thousand laughable
things which might happen evesy day at some of
the amusing inc dents which are apparent in any
great thoroughfare, and are noticed by every per-
son who possesses sense Of what is ludicrous in
life.
Perhaps some individual was pursuing runaway
hat.
The hat stops suddenly, and instead of putting
his head in it. as he ought to do, he overtakes 1t 80
unexpectedly, that he places his tooth il, as he
ought not to do; and In consequence, turns q bran
new five dollar beaver into |" shocking bad 'un,"
in an incredible short space Of time. s
Or, perhaps, some exquisitely perfumed, be-
starched parsonage, dandy Of the first water,
while endeavOring to raise his hat upon meeting
some lady acquaintance, treads upon glare of ice
hidden by the light snow.
Inadvertently he raised his heels instead of his
beaver, and on account of the disagyeeable mis-
take, gets hist" upon the dirty sidewalk, net to
speak Of the damage done to his feelings, especial
ly If he be the least sensitive upon the point of
seating himself before so large company.
1t may be that some young lady is passing
building, from the roof of which the snow Is now
being shovelled Striking suddenly into the street
1t alarms her.
She jumps for doorway, and waits for fifteen
minutes, in the vain hope that the avalanche will
cease.
She wonders why it slides for so long time,
and not until she is twice told the cause does she
venture out at the imminent risk Of spelling her
best bonnet" and even then does not perfectly
comprehend that she might have stopped for
hour before the snow would have ceased descend
ing. s.
At either of these incidents Mr.. Snodgrass
might have been amused; but neither Of them
chanced in this CASE to be the cause of his laugh
for he was not in the street M
Peradventure he was riding in an omnibus.
Some old lady having, by tremendous expendi-
tnre Of strength, pulled the strap as far down as
it win 60 continues vigorously jerking It. because
the vehicle does not instantly come to stand STILL
laborine all the while under the idea that she is
holding in the horses.
Such thing is extremely edifying, but Mr.. Snod
grass was laughing at nothing Of the sort, because
he was not In an omnibus.
On the contrary, he seated before blazing
fire. In his own parlor
He might then have laughed at some bon mot
of q friend sitting near him.
Not 30. He was alone
He laughed, perhaps at some joke of which he
was reading-of some mirth-excting anecdote in
the Pickwick Papers" or " Harry Lorrequer"
But he was not reading.
He might have been thinking, and have laughed
at his thoughts.
1t might have been because, while quietly seat
ed in his cosy bachelor apartments, there came to
his mind the remembrance of the sober, detected
countenance of friend whom he had met that
morping-one who was wading through life's trou-
bled waters in the happy possession Of a wife who
could boast of " nine small children, and one at
the breast" And he might have laughed at bis
freedom from such blessed martyrdom
Perhaps 1T was because he had lately purchased
at low price a lot Of choice cigars: or that his
horse, at the last trot' had beaten his compel
tor by half a length; or tSk railroad stocks were
rising; or having eaten good supper he might
have felt particularly happy; or he might have
laughed to drive away the blues"
Or, perhaps, from the depth of the memory.
there came yelling up through the crystal waters.
tinging his thoughts with :" colour de rose," some
pleasing incident Of childhood's happy hours when
al was bright and beautiful, and life seemed ike
never ceasing summer day when the dark clouds
of sorrow and misfortune had not yet arisen from
thsir ocean bed to wet With scalding tears his rug
ged pathway through the world
At any or al Of these he might have laughed,
but which II vi" will not venture to say, sathough
should hazard guess,r it would be that he
laughed for the sAne reason that have written
this: tE
Bscan a, he <,,If EL< ~