The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-10-08


the close of one of her exploring expeditions,
she announced the discovery of new field Of
labor large clump of blneberry bushes in
"the swamp" only half mile distant and in
the same breath signifed her intention of taking
possession at once, with besiegipg army of
one-mysef. protested fsebly and hopelessly.
like berries, but the Uis inerffs is q very strong
point in my character; and when one has berries
enough in the house to last twenty -four hours,
can see no earthly reason for mouing. Parental
expostulation Joined its forces TO mine represent
ing the unwonted depth of water in the swamp;
all of which was received with an incredulous
smile; and we went--Yes, we went. Do you know
what hassock is9 Well, Gin the country" it is
little mound in a swamp, covered with long,
thick grass, sometimes overgrown with bushes.
All around the hassock is low, Doggy ground.
The hassocks are sometimes far apart, and some
times not so far. Well, that day found the
hassccks were little islands, and the swamp knee
deep in water. gazed aghast, but Grande went
forward with the calm equanimity of great
mind set on great end, and not to be bafffsd
by small obstacles. followed in melancholy
manner, plunging and tumbling. The medns
operandi is this: we will suppose / am standing
on hassock covered only with grass. / see,
near by, hassock with bush eight feet high
on it, and a dozen berries. l look anxiously to
see if there is room enough on the hassock for
my feet, and decide that there is; then measure
the distance, to see if can leap so far, and de-
eide that l can. / leap. succeed in effecting
o landing; and, clinging fast to the bush with
one hand, in order to maintain my position, l
pick what l can convulsively grasp with the
other, having the basket fastened to my belt.
All! my classical friend, Hoe opus hic labor estl
Those rascals of mosquitoes, too, know that they
hox kta oAr Al G. at
savage ferocity that is horribly exasperating.
In this particular case, grew desperate, mad.
dened, reckless. Ihad on no hoops, and my rub.
Der boots were sticky, and my old raw silk dress
was sticky too, and the one would get tram
melled in the other; and
81 Maud Muller on a summers day
Raked the meadow sweet with hay;
Beneath her torn hat glowed the wealth
of simple beauty and rustic health
sung one Of our master singers; and he might
have struck the Tyre with truer and more pa.
thetic, if less graceful, note:
G. H., desperately jumping for stump,
Jumped into the ditch and went down ko-slump;
Beneath her Torn hat glowed the anger
The very natural result of such sam-bang GER
Shade of Whittieri forgive me! will do
penance for it by and by, but must have my
fun out now.) My cup was full, when, seeing
me in these "doleful Dumps" Grande said, qui
city, "Gail, aren't you glad you came?" and
went on composedly with her picking. Then
put my foot down-that is, put it down as
far as was judicious; for one being already
"stuck in the mud" it would have been ex-
tremely illjudged to plant the other too tena-
ciously-and said / would stay no longer
Moreover, began to grow fial, and conscien-
tious, and pleaded parenta! commands. Grande
was not to be moved. For once, was unAnch-
ing. We parted. I brought away pint of
mournfullooking berries. Ali how afterwards
she walked in exultant with two quarts, and pro
ceeded at once to transform them into pies,
whereof she stoutly affirms shall not have .
morsel beyond the one piece that will comprise
my pint.
take wicked delight in recording the fact
that Grande was kept awake whole night by
a raging toothache-the result of her long soak.
ing in swamp water. 1t has been difficult, how.
ever, to keep out of the water this summer. 1t
has rsined necessarily for six weeks. under
stand that all the children born since April are
scaly, and web.footed. / dou't vouch for that
fact. By rain, you will understand, don't
mean any of your little, weak, weeping, timid,
apologize, lack adaisical affairs, but real 81
mon-Pure, pell NELL double.fsted, knock down.
Last Thursday night, for instance, do you re.
member what a tempest there was? Perhaps
there wasn't any where you were. In fact, there
wasn't any where | was, but there was every
reason to suppose one was coming; and the pre-
mohitory symptoms are to me vastly more i'm
pressive than the "in medias res" like the
weird, pald darkness, the convnlsive gasps of
the wind, the chasms, and seams, and riffs of
the piled, angry clouds; but when it has all ex.
banded into one great, gray cloud, it becomes
commonplace. The day before, too, was day
to be remembered-a very panorama of beauty.
In the morning, the rain came down frantic and
furious; then it died away in gentle showers.
Little, cool, unpretending drops twinkled down
through the grape.viues, and fringed all the
blinds with silver; then the clouds suddenly
rolled up and sauntered over the hills, and far
away" out of sight, and, in the clear sunshine,
the intense blue sky and the deep green earth
looked as if they had been washed, and rinsed,
and clear starched, and ironed, and put ont to
air. But Nature, most fastidious of washer
women, was not quite satisfied; 80 she sent the
clouds round again, and
.swind, the grand old harper, smote
His thunder harp of pinesn
and we had "Harry-cane." II remember it,
alas too well; for, in trying to shut an attic
window, to keep the roof foom blowing of, my
clean muslin dress was wet quite through. /
don't mind soiling dress after it has been worn
two or three days; but to doit at the first blush,
cuts me to the hearty Then the clouds rolled
themselves up and trotted off again, and II
'Far in the west
In vermilion and gold, sank the sun 10 his restn
All! but this earth of ours is worth her weight
in gold, for all her faults. Il have kind of per
sonai love for her: Such dear, good mother
she seems to us all such great, round, green,
rich, ripe, mellow, luxuriant, dewy, dreamy,
liquid, moon-lit earth. Never before was there
such a wealth of beauty in landscape and sky-
scape-such fullness of outline, and richness Of
coloring-such sunset, and starlight, and ever.
changing freshness Of life.
But, after all, one does not like to stop in
the house all the while, particularly in the coun.
try and last week, after had been in doors
three days, began to be tired-or, rather,
finished being tired-I had tried great variety
of employments. recruited piles of stockings
whose exhausted vitality had reprosched me
for many weeks. l made q. picture-book for
the amusement Of an individual six feet long.
/ undertook to accomplish dress for myself,
and your heart would have bled to see the cruel
manner In which that innocent muslin was cut
and slashed by my rash fingers In the first
place, there had been a large piece cut off one |
end, for "patterns;' but did not notice II till
l had cut the breadths, 90 of course one was
mach shorter than the others; but thought / !
could take that for the front one, and went |
bravely on to the next. After that was sew |
cred, found bad cut in the crease made by
folding, instead of the one had made myself |
for the purpose; 60 had to sew great piece |
on to the bottom of it. Then drumming MP"
the breadths, sewed two together at the sides, |
forming nice bag, instead of taking third. |
And in this way the. dress went on slowly to |
glorious completion. But is it any wonder if I |
conceived sudden disgust for mantua, making? !
At the end of the third day, when the sun |