The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-02-20
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
Iaey Morning, February 20, 1857.
MIR. BROWNS GREAT s1,RTCuTNC
PATTY


PARTY.
lon Of the city: who only catch glimpses Of the
cieaf heaTens, through long gashes In the brick
and mortar, which You call streets knovv no,h;na
OF the giories OF country lfe-a life which sh, .
dows, not mere snasches of light and skv but an
which the bright, unbroken images of Nature rest
from summer TO summer, making the ba.rt ~ -, Va.
perpetuslly glad Especially are you ienorsnt oh
miserable Gil OF the glorious incidents of a conn
try winter. With you, q snow storm Ia In soma
sort calamity. fou regard It as q cold pby ale Al
incident of the season, to be endured moi en;oyod
You have heard of sleigh-riding, 1t ia true. and
have formed some faint conception of II. You
recollect that long green and yellow box sat on
runners, in which you and your wfe and dozen
or two of your fellow citizens with whom you W ere
not personally acquainted were dragged by a pair
of hectic boxing horses, for the sum of sxpence
over the sloppy streets, grinding harshly every
half hour over Bare spots-your baby all the while
bawling with the cold. You recollect what mel.
ancholy fun wss-how You and your darling Polly
tried TO lcck anu ed at the endless lines of dismal
houses, with rvuets of sloppy water and melting
snow between and how, tiaaly, You handed over
the shilling for yourselves aud the three cent piece
for little bobby, and went home quite satisfied
with the amusement for one winter. DO you think
tha: you and Polly and Bobby knoto rhat is TO go
sLeichiRgY You hardly think that. You will
never know, if you do think 80, how vastly You
have erred till you come tn the country.
You have probably heard before this of Browns
great sleghing party, which has been the prominent
feature cf the season here. Perhaps you have Per-
haps you have not heard that Emperor Nicholas is
dead, thai Russia and the allies have made peace
You make it point not 10 hear important events
possibly. Nothing but fixed resolution not to
hear them, defiant stopping of your ears can
have prevented you from hearing of Browns
sieghing party Everybody knows Brown. He
Is a man IF universal note. Female favors are
rained down on him, or TO use more seasonsble
word. are showed down on him. Brown is a Co
lionel. Perhaps you never met man who was q
Colonel They are rather scarce. You should see
Brown. then. Do not picture scsr ed veteran,
if you please, with q powder burnt nose and u
bullet shaved head. Those old fa shioned Colonels
were tedious old dogs, worrying man all even
ing with thei: stale tales CT adventure. Fear not
to meet Brown He is q Colonel who has never
had any adventures. In the ~ iukling of an eye,
with tie simple apparatus of sheet of paper and
big SEAL the Governor transmitted him into q
military hero. Browns presence on the "tentpd
field is altogether constructive His active duties
consist in wandering from barroom to bar-roorl
investing fps" in the procurement of prospective
votes for the commander in 0ief-whose military
achievements Brown fondly enuaes Person
ally, Brown is not dangerous man. He ia tall and
stout, and has red beard and frowbing nous.
tache, and looks for all the world like a Russisn
Grenaiier But be is the meekest of the military
He would not hnrt fly much less anything big.
ger-and as for attacking anything of his own size
"A man for insiaGce-he wouldn't think of it,
Ihost peOpie WOuiu not call brown q reading
Il is true he has but few books but they
are select-the works of Sylvanus Cobb, Jr and
the other eminent authors of the day. These he
has mastered Bnt the girls love him There
lies Browns strength. He is the leader of all
dances-he heads little lee cream parties in the
summer, and gets charged, as becomes Colonel
without hnchiDg. He is to be found at all con-
ceris ar d Lectures surrounded by young women
brought there ny his beneyolence. He is the foun
der of pcnics. The rural soiitudes owe Brown
Il h. 0 F1,nrYh IaN, IL
again by summer banqnets, which without Brown
would not have been.
The winter came - Brown had never had
sleighing party. His genius, singular as it NAV
SEEM had wrought out every form of gaiety but
that-he felt his responsibility, and so feeling set
about his work with the prudence of an expert
enced veteran. The first thing he did was to wait
for snow. The snow came. IL fell for long day
and night in great fakes, which filled the high
ways, and then dritted into enormous heaps by
the fence-corners and roadside. Now it was that
Brown proceeded seriously to the accomplishment
of his great task-he made out list of the prac-
ticnbte young men-tbst is to say, of those whe
wore good clothes AID could pay five dollars =.
liece-who were to be approached and invited -
The young men were gathered in-Brown's g room
was illuminated with a camphene lamp-there
was bed I'M on which Brown sat, and a trunk
and q stove, and thu half of a wash stand and the
quarter of chair, represented by leg and one
of the rungs. The practicable young men in the
the wall, listened to Brown. He expounded bis
plant was feasible; he proposed list of girls
who should be invited.
Various efforts were made to black ball different
females, efforts based on personal malice arising
from some remembered "cut " But Brown refus,
el TO erase single name "Gentiemen" sad he
emphatically. this psrtys got to be the party of
the season" unanimous murmur of assent ran
round the room. There a small town some
eight ten mile, distant, with q good hotel and
IN q " no l1yy fsynH
destination of the party.
Mr.. Brown set out to invite the girls. Perhaps
they had heard nothing of the projected party,
hut the cordiaty with which they received
Brown quite miraculous. They actually cali
ed him dear Colonel" though this was mere play
fulness, you know. They were very much sur
prsed hen told the object of bis vist, aud didn't
know at first Whether they could go or not; but
finally concluded that they would
Five o'clock was the hour fixed for starting; but
there was a little delay. At six, however, from
the alley on which the livery stable slood emerged
a great sleigh. drawn by four dashng horses and
freighted with the practicable young men, just set
ting ont to gather in their dears. A supplemental
surplus guests. The whole town gszed in won
derment ss the caravan drove by. Brown stood
up-s great enthusiasm possessed him
"Porkee,' said he, turnipg to little legal friend
of that name, who stood behind Linn, :. .Porkee,
Amt it elegantt
able observation to Leeny, who stood near bm-
Leeny laughed all over. The maidens we're wait
ing anxiousiy for the coming Of the sleighs From
door to door the horses sped on. gathering fresh
female accessions at every stoppage, until at last
everybody was safely packed in. The driver
cracked his whip-the girls made an Intellectual
effort to sipg-Mr. Brown roared out uumeanipg
expressions OF joy. The road lay along the bank
of the broad river, now frozen from shore to shore
and whitened all over with the fallen snow The
night bad just come on, the stars sparkled in the
clear heavens. 1t was e nipping and an eager
hir' The spirits of the company waxed extrava-
santy gay the lively motion of the sleigh seat the
blood dancing through the veins. Now and then
a yagrant arm wandered in the dark around the
Drong vaist and encountered another arm there
" yhich resented the Intrusion But there was no
alk of duels, and so the two great seighs wound
heir ownward ways following the windings of the
iy. r; passing now a Il shted cottage then weeping
lnder the stone srchway of a vast bridge-then un.
Ter long avenues of leafess buttonwoods and
ooplars, past the mountains foot-on, on, a gay
happy, laughing party, until at last they stopped
The struggling street of the little town was about
hem-the hotel, the scene of Browns prospective
glory, was before them the girls were lifted out.
lot handed out in your gingerly city fashion, but
tfted out. bodily, by strong hands, and set upon
heir feet
ihere were great many things to be done be-
fore the party could begin TO dance. There was a
Vexatious arranging of hair, changing of shoes,
washing of faces and other little female nce'ies