The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-11-20

He thinks of the choking that came up to
his throat, and of the resolve he made as he
drove away. He has confused recollection of
the red and yellow leaves raining down upon
him as he came through the woods by the creek,
and of meeting some gaily -dressed people ri
ss they PASSED. making gdh hs s sHas
road; and he feels now, as he did then, that it
was his old hat they laughed at. He remem.
bers nothing more, till he found himself stop
ping before Ethan Boffman's low white-washed
meat market, dwelling, and stable-his horses
drinking from the green trough. Memory
grows revived now, for it was here that all his
halfformed resolves were pushed to the point
of execution. The heart-burning of the morn
ing had cooled away, and left his heart harder
than it had ever been till then. Very plainly
he sees how cool and clean David Wardell sp-
peared, as he sat under the awning at his door,
reading the morning paper; and he feels how
kind his smile seemed, as he sauntered across
the street for a nearer view of his best horse.
He can recall every word he said, as he opened
the mouth of the horse, examined his eyes, and
lifted one foot and another-concluding by the
inquiry whether he would trade for frst-rate
family groceries-twisting the horses tail about
his hand as he did so, and offering himself a
cigar. He remembers how pleasant it then
seemed to him to really o,en a horse, or any
thing else that he could do with as he pleased
He sees Ethan Boffman, looking well-dressed
uncomfortable, as he comes forth from his
meat-stall-his spectscles in his hand, and a
blue-covered pamphlet partly in and partly out
of one vest pocket; sees him set new we'll
fitting boot on the green trough, as he inquiries
whether neighbor Highway has any good fat
calves to sell-calves six or eight weeks old,
that have from the first had all the milk of the
mother COW. He remembers, too, the Jingle
and thrill that stirred his young manhood, as
Mr. Boffman inquired whether he knew an hon.
est young countryman who wanted to come to
town and make his fortune-chance words
selfish and common-but, to Charley, holding
charm aud prophecy, Frightening as Mr..
Boffman went on to say he wanted such a
youth would pay him literally, and meantime
give him an opportunity of learning to transact
III
could trust to buy for him-a Judge of healthy
country meat, either on foot or in the quarter
honest of course, and that he supposed almost
any countryman would be.
He remembers how his cheek flushed, partly
at the felt degradation, and partly with antici-
pated pride of independence, as he modestly
offered himself. Ay, he is the boy who heard
Mr.. Boffman say, as he hitched along the green
trough and shook hands with him, ~ consider
myself ye-y fortunate, young man." he is the
same boy in whose hand Ethan Boffman then
placed the blue covered pamphlet, asking him
to repeat the wish to his father that he would
read it very carefully-the pencilled passages
especially. He remembers seeing frail old
gentleman, who drove his light shining buggy
within a quacttAr of an inch of his wheels, and
whose white neckcloth futtered Sc.,;. him as
the ground slid beneath the feet of his high
headed, short-tailed bay. He remembers, too,
of seeing the old knife-grinder sitting on
stone beside the canal bridge, and trying the
edge of his pocketknife with a hair. By al
this he knows very well that he is Charle
Highway, even without recalling how his sis
ter leaned against the old brindle COW an,
cried, when in the milk yard he told her he wa ,
going to town to live; or the words of his me /,
ther, "There are worse things in the work,
| than hard work; you had better wait q while,
my son, and think of it." There is no need h.,
should recall these, nor his fathers look e
gloomy displeasure as he heard the new plai /,
or the angry energy with which he took the id .
axe, and went straight to the woods
His eyes are growing dim as he thinks of Il .
rainy morning when he said, or tried to So /,
| "Good bye," while his mother told him to =
| and do right, and remember the little good 81 e
had taught him, if any; and his sister sal 1,
! "Come home, Charley, often, and bring all 20 r
shirts to me- know just the way you Ii e
them" He says 90 Lord" again, and thin is
he will walk home the next Saturday. a ID
stay till Misunderstanding a new dress to is
sister, perhaps; he is quite sure he has NOR ~
! enough and he has not been home for t'Jo