Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-05-08
MONTPELIER, VERMONT, THURSDAY,


strange land e" she inquired self reproachtully.
Greatly to her relief volunteered t6 90 in pur-
suit OF the wanderer, and taking cross path
over the fields, soon overlook him. He had lust
been rejected at the house of our nearest neigh
Dor, and was standing in state of dubious per-
plexity in the street His looks quite justified
my mothers suspicious He was an olive-com-
plexioned Italian, with an eye like a live coal
such face as perchance looks ont on the tray
eer in the passes of Abruzo-one of those ban
dit faces which Salvador has painted With
some difficulty gave him to understand my er-
rand, when he overwhelmed me with thanks,
and joyfully followed me back. He took his
seat with us at the supper table and when we
were all seated around the hearth that autumnal
evening, he told US, partly by words and partly
by gestures the story of his life and misfortunes
amused us with descriptions of the grape
gatherings and festivals of his sunny cline, edi-
fled my mother with recipe for making bread
of chestnuts and in the morning, when,
after breakfast, his dark, sullen face lighted up
and fierce eye moistened with grateful emotion,
as in his own silvery Tuscan accent, he poured
out his thanks, we marvelled at the fears which
had SO nearly closed our door against him and,
as he departed, we all felt that he had left with
us the blessing of the poor
1t was not often that, as in the above instance
my mothers prudence got the better of her
charity The regular old stragglers " regarded
her as an unfailing friend and the sight of her
plain cap was to them an assurance of forth
coming creature comforts. There was indeed
tribe of lazy strolers, having their place of rem
devious in the town of Darlington, N. H., whose
low vices had placed them even beyond the pale
of her benevolence. They were not unconscious
of their evil reputation, and experience had
taught them the necessity Of concealing, under
well contrived disguises their true character
They came to us in all shapes, and with all ap-
pearanccs save the true one, with most miserable
stories of mishap and Sickness and all the " ills
which flesh is heir to-" 1t was particularly
vexations to discover, when too late, that our
sympathies and charities had been expended On
such graceless .vagabonds as the GO Darlington
beggars." An old withered hag, known by the
appelation of " Hipping Pat, the wise wo-
man of her tribe-was in the habit of visiting
us, with her hopeful grandson, who had "gift
for preaching" as we'll as many other things
not exactly comparable with holy orders He
sometimes brought with him crow, shrewd,
knavish looking bird, who, when in the humor
for it, could talk like Barnaby Ridges raven.
He used to say he could " do nothin' at exhort-
in without white Handkerchief on his neck and
money in his pocket; ~ fact going far to con-
firm the opinion of the Bishop Of Exeter and
the Puseyites generally, that there can be no
priest without tithes and surplices.
These people have for several generations lived
distinct from the great mass of the community
like the gypsies OF Egypt, whom in many re-
spccts they closely resemble. They have the
same settled aversion to labor and the same dis
position to avail themselves of the fruits of tht
industry of others. They love wild, out o
door life, sing songs, tell fortunes, and have al
instructive hatred of " missionaries and colo
water"
"The proper study of mankind is man" ant
according to my view, no phase of our common
humanity is altogether unworthy Of investiga
ton. Acting upon this belief two or thre
summers ago when making, in company with IN.
sister, little excursion into the hill country O
New Hampshire, I turned my horses head to
ward harrington for the purpose of seeing thes
semi civilized strolers in their own home, an
returning, once for all, their numerous visits
Taking leave of our hospitable cousins in Oh
Lee, with about as much solemnty as we ma
suppose Major Laing parted with his friend
when he set out in search of desert-girdled Tin
buctoo, we drove several miles over Ioug
road, passed the " Devils Den " uumolestet
crossed fearful little streamlet, noisily maxim
its way into valley where it turned lonely
half ruinous mill, and climbing a steep hill b.
yond, saw before US wide sandy level, skirte
on the west and north by low scraggy hills, an
dotted here and there with dwarf pitch pine
In the centre of this desolate region were solr
twenty or thirty small dwellings grouped t.
gether as irregularly as Hottentot krael III
fenced, unguarded, open to all comers and g
ers, stood the city of the beggars-no wall
paling between the ragged cabins to remind Oh
of the jealous distinctions of property. tt
great idea of its founders seemed doubly visib
in its unappropriatcd freedom. Was not tt
whole round world their own, and should tn,
l haggle about boundaries and title deeds! F
them, on distant plains, ripened golden harves
: for them, in far off workshops, busy han
| were toilng; for them, if they had the grace
note it, the broad earth put on her garnturc
beauty and over them hung the silent myste
Of heaven and its stars. That comfortable pl
5 losophy which modern Transcendentalsm h
but feebly shadowed forth-that poetic Agral
D anism, which gives all to each, and each to
s is the real life of this city of Unwork.
+ each of its dingy dwellers might not be inapl
o applied the language Of one, who | trust "
n pardon me for quoting her beautiful poem
o this connection
" "0therhands may grasp the field Forest
% preud proprietors in pomp may shines
is Thou art weahier-al the world is thine !"
10 | p,,t looL fbo 81 L. n
y weather cometh out of the north" The wi
10 has blown away the mists on the gilded sp
g of John street glimmers beam of SUNSHINE.
IL And there is the sky again, hard, blue and ct
in its eternal purity, not whit the worse
IN the storm. In the beautiful Present. the p
r is no longer needed. Reverently and gratefu
Left its volume be laid osida and whom ono;p ,