Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-09-19

From Household Words.
n e x T w z L X

may offer them selves, | will not listen to them e
It | am alive and in good health, let what
will happen. | have fully made my mind up that l
will begin that fve-act comedy next week.
Such is my 6xea determination. l have the
story of nv comedy all settled in my mind.
have, aud have had for som years, the characters
and incidents, even the minutest details, clearly
arranged all that is wanting is Tor me to SIT
down and. with what powers of language | pos,
sess, to put my work on paper. 1 know that
have n ready market for il when Completed, ano
SO, once for all, | am resolved to work in earnest
at It-next week.
Whv shouldn't /? For years I have been pant
ing after literary fame. and have felt sure my true
vocation is dramatic authorship. Here is an OPP
portuuity too long neglected, which, 1t now seiz'
ef upon, may (should I not say must accom-
plish all my wishes. | know my comedy will be
u gSat success. | have few rivals to contend
against now that original works OF standard mer'
IL are so very rare. In fact all leads me to believe
that | may. if | choose, at once attain a very h.ighl
rank amur gt living dramatists. Why should l
then delay my triumph Why, indeed! 1 VIII
begin next week.
Aud now, with every possible encouragement to
DO so, with nothing upon earth to dlssuadc me from
it, | have no doubt the reader fully belleves l
mean to keep my resolution. And SO | do, | pledge
my word most positively. And yet experience is
n cruel teacher. Even now, determined as l feel
upon a course of action, a fear will arse. NO
matter, Listen, reader, to few past experiences OF
next week.
When quite a youth. l spent two years in max
ing mp my mind that | would commence the study
Of the French language-next week. My late
had placed me rs u junior clerk in the counting
house Of Il London merchant who had extensive
aeailugs with Partisan houses. Here, by my IN
lustsy and application (fUr do not let any one sup
uuse by the confession | am about to make that l
lack either of those qualities), l had become a
great fayorite with my employer. There seemed
every certainty of my ultimate promotion to a
much better position in the Office. One thing
alone stood in my way it was my ignorance OF
French, and consequent inability to manage the
continental correspondence. No sooner did tins
tIct dawn upon me than, with the promptness OF
denomination upon which | pride myself, l firmly
resolved to mmence taking lessons IN French
| would begin next week. There was no hurry,
to be sure, for there wa no immediate prospect OF
n change, and | of course, could not expect nd.
vancement till q vacancy arose. Still 1t was only
ucudens to be prepared for anything that might
occur. So | would not delay | wonld begin next
week.
Never was | more serious in making a resolution
NOT even about my five act comedy-than l
was then and yet the next week, and the next
and many next weeks, passed. and | had not be-
gun my French. 1t was not that | had forgotten
my determination. By no means. But something
or other always happened nothing OF consequence
it is true, mere trifes generally-which called Tor
my attention. Well. it was no great matter after
all. What could a few days signify ? l would
get these little matters off my mind at first, and
then | wou Id begin in earnest. And so a month
or two slipped by, and all at once it struck me
that | was no nearer beginning than was when
first | made my resolution. Should |
that moment No, no l laughed at my own sug'
gestion of such precipitate haste. Had l not
strength of mind enough to trust my determine
ton {? Besides, the prospect OF a vancancy was
as remote as ever. | would though positively and
without fail, begin next week. IL was nearly two
upara altar this that the lnpuloOked for yncADcy
did actually Qcur ; and what made the matter
more provoking was the fact that l really did aud
do still believe that the following week l abso
l for i. 'ho'3 have set to work preparing "y''l
A kind old aunt of mine resided once near Isl
ington. 1t was a long way from my lodgings, on
the Surrey Gae, it is true but the old lady had
always been SO kind to me when used to 90, a
mere child, to stay a week with her, l had soch
grateful "reminiscences of the tOfee, hardbake,
and the innumerable other unwholesOme delights
she used 10 treat me with, to say nothing OF the
toys with which | always came home loaded, that
| felt bound in common gratitude to show her some
attention now that | had arrived at mans estate
and had discarded Albert rock for Albert neck
ties, had done with tops and marbles, and confined
my kite.fying to the somewhat costly mode Of
raising ready money, which goes by that name II
the City. Besides, | really loved her for her OWL
sake, for all her curious whims and tancles she
was a good, warnhearted creature. and l knew
that a visit from me would be hailed by the goot
old lady with delight. | made my mind up
would 90 and spend a day with her. When
Well, next week. Some few months back | hear
my poor old aunt was dead. | never had accom-
piished my intended trip to l%slington, and l foun
the little property she had left behind even the gol
watch she had always used TO say was TO be mine
and used to let me have to play with when a baby
had been bequeathed to strangers. did not cal
so very much about the mere pecuniary loss, BIT
it did grie,e me to the heart to think she had cor
ceived that | her tavorite nephew had deser
cd her; which. IN my word, | never did,
| had put off my visit time after time, eve
resolving firmly that it should be paid next wee
until at last "a week came when for my poor Ol
aunt there WAS no next.
In almost every circumstance Of life rext wee
has been my rock ahead; | am fond Of the art
and vet for six whole years | lived in LOndO
without seeing a single exhibition Of the Roy
Academy pictures (by the bye | am told there a
come capital pictures to be seen this year. ha'
not been yet, but am going next week.. Yet e
cry year did | resolve that ! would not run Il
risk of missing them again how was it then th
passing through Trafalgar Square. at least thr
times a week, separated only by Il flight of steI
a stone wall, end a charge of one shilling, ste
ling, from these great woks of art-how was i
say that for sly successive years | Gid miss sect
them ? Simply because | meant to go next wee
und l continued meaning to DO SO, until | pass
again and found the exhibition over.
am a Londoner by birth. yet l have ney
secp ST. Pauls. That is to say, as yet | have n
seen those portions of it which form one OF Il
London sights that country visitors get over e
thcy have been twenty four hours in the gre
metropolis. Its glorious outline AS viewed fro
the river, with its magnificent dome lonking Iii
the Imperial crown upon the head Of London
hare seen Of course. And the interior-at lea
50 much Of it MS is devoted to the purposes Of W,
ship, ! have seen often. But the showpart-t
whispering gallery, the stone gallery. the gold
gaIlesy, clock and bell, geometrical staircase. Ia
thorn, ball, and SO forth, ! have never seen. 4
am | likely to see. until-well. yes. | think Ia
land have thought for many years, I'll have a 10
at them next week.
Is it not so with most things which we thi
we can do at any time-we put them of unct
sciously, until at last we never do them. At a
rate, such is the case with me. | remember ii
when the Royal Italian Opera was in the We
height Of its first glories at Convent Garden i b
the entree for one whole season. Upon the ope