The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-11-06

OF the beautiful city adjacent, is Bone Town I;
and about 1t congregate many drones, that feed
from the hives of the hard workers-many
gamblers, who pitch coppers under the Bulls
Head, or the Lions glare in the daylight, and
at night spot up" for penknives, aud hats,
and hnger-rings, on the counter adjacent to
the red hot stove. There, too, live horse Jock
eys without number, who hold up their heads
according to the height their favorite carries
his tail, and brace themselves up in bright fan
tastic buggies, on Sunday, for a show-off trot
down the level river road, made in "double
quick time, and no mistake" There the "chain
gang" may often be seen, breaking stones, to
mend the road, carrying their ugly, heavy balls
at each remove, and drawing upon themselves
the envious eyes of all the people of Bone
Town. from the dealer in bears meat and
swine's flesh to the whiskered and SLOWLY
dressed jockey, and from the vender of fish and
molasses and malt liquor, to the washerwo-
man, squeezing clothes on the roof, and the
fashionable dress maker" matching and con-
trssting colors at the window.
But, to return more nearly to our story. Ten
o'clock rung over Bone Town, and travelled
through its dense atmosphere to the wooded
hills beyond, and was followed by a sound that
seemed little accordant with the characteristics
of the place the pleasant noise of psalm
singing. On the hillside west of the town
there was built, the year that went before the
opening of our story, small and plain, but
neat and substantial meeting house; and a true
hearted missionary cast in his lot among the
people, to do what his hand found to do, which
was work enough, as you will imagine. The
snow about its white walls seemed to fall purer
than esewhere-a great deal purer than over
the torn coat and bent hat of the drunkard that
leaned against the pump in the open street
placed there, not so much to afford drink to the
farmers tired horses, as to tempt himself, hav
ing once stopped, to drink from the decanters
shining along the counter just within the door
close at hand. The snow fell purer about the
meeting house, and the lights from the cur
tainless windows shone with clearer and
serener glow than from the painted panes of
the Bulls Head" The hymn was finished,
and then fell silence; but who, of all the hum
ming and buzzing multitude in the murky hol-
low where the pumps slyly tempt and the signs
boldly invite to sin, thought of the bensdictionl
We shall presently see.
Down the steps of the pull pit went the preacher,
with firm tread, as one sure of his ground
along the aisle, where the sexton is blowing
out the candles-wrapping his black cloak about
him with one hand, and extending the other to
this one and that one, with kindly and yet
hurried manner, which none noticed, and few
would have understood, if they had
de is a tall, handsome young man, with q
clear eye, and strong purpose in his firm yet
almost smiling mouth. Along the aisle, before
him, there has passed one with a more hurried
step than his-a brown-eyed and rosy-cheeked
young girl, who has brushed away the tears
more than once during the eloquent sermon
that is just finished. A few steps from the door
she stops, and holding her veil half away from
her face, modestly, yet eagerly, surveys the
motley group of men and striplings who line
the path on either side and stare with bold eyes
and smothered jests, as the women pass be-
meath the lamp. They have focked up from
the taverns and the groceries, within the last
ten or fifteen minutes-a few of then to attend
mothers or sisters home, bat the greater part
to look at the "young saints" as they oppro-
briously term the junior ladies of the congre
cation. A moment she stands, but she seems
to see not whom she expected, and, gathering
her futtering ribbons beneath her shawl, she
is advancing to join an old couple who precede
her, when her attention is arrested by the salu-
tation of the clergyman. His tone was so low
and so earnest as to cause the red cheeks to
grow redder under the veil but the voice that
acknowledged his civility was so firm, so almost
cold, as to preclude the likelihood of any ten
der susceptibility on her part; and the little
hand which the young man drew from the folds
of her shawl, and slipped beneath mis- arm,
seemed much to prefer its former resting place;
and the steps with which she made haste down
the hillside path indicated a lively sense of the
storm which, under certain circumstances, it
is quite possible for young women to be uncon-
sciOus of.
We will not follow them too closely, nor fur
Their note manner nor word, except to say that
the young woman, as they passed beneath the
glare of the Lion and the surly pride of the
Bulls Head, walked with slower steps, and peered
at the windows with anxious eyes and a pain
full expression in her gentle face. Into the
turnpike road they turned presently, and pass
ing along the hollow, and by the thousand little
headless mounds, disappeared in the snow and
the shadows of the next hillside. Further we
will not be curious Just now, nor return to the
meeting house where the last light is darkened,
to hear the vulgar comments of the dispensing
mob-not a few of which, we may suppose,
were directed at the handsome clergyman and
the pretty-faced young woman we have indica-
ted. We will leave them making their way
through stormy darkness and mud, splitting out
their wretched sarcasms and vile profanity as
they go, with their tobacco guilds and saliva.
In the portion of Bone Town nearest the city,
the snow was falling upon two tenements that
night, TO which we would more particularly
direct attention. One is Q low brick building,
with a white. washed front, part STABLE, part
meat market, and part dwelling. The black
head of sleek, wellfed horse, is Just now thrust
out of one of the small square windows that
adorn the front of the building-if for purer
sniff of air, he might as well draw it within
again-and through another, psrtly curtained
with q newspaper, clear, comfortable light is
streaming. If you should stand on tiptoe, and
look over the paper curtain, you would discern
a roughly plastered room, some ten by twelve
feet in dimensions, furnished with cot bed,
6 Pine table; some pegs, which serve as a ward
robe; ana some unplaned board shelves, filled
with old books and newspapers; chair OF two,
one of which is made luxurious with leather
cushion; a small cracked glass, in a edpaper
frame; and wooden bench, decorated with water
pail, tin cup, and coffee pot-complete the ap-
Eointments. A coal fire is burning in an iron
CRATE, quite desoi9 cf ornament, and smoke,
black and heavy. putting up the chimney. A
man with iron-gray hair, fccn-howed specta-
Giles, and iron heels to his boots, sits reading
In the Instrumentation chair, beside the pine
table, and before the FIRE. The name of this
person is Ethan Bohman, and the sign over the
door, that is just now stripped with bars Of iron,
announces him dealer in sugarcured hams
and spiced beef. Almost fronting this barred
door there is huge trough, lined with green
moss, ana running over with water from the
canal that cuts the hillside above. There farm
ers are in the habit of stopping their teams,
and here Ethan Boffman, one heel on the green
trough and one on the ground, is in the habit
of Larss:ping for their fat calves, and enforcing
his somewhat peculiar theology. Daily he may
be seen here, sheep and calves, with lolling
tongues, and feet tied together, struggling and
painting about him, while, with the iron-bowed