The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-10-21
For the Natiea1 Era.
JASPER: A ROMANCE.
IL. q. /
Hon .J1sDer ko1dS ~ Mother
BY EDWARD s En- FER.

Our reauer must colF,1er tho incident
comprised in the first cha :se, of this true hi
tory, which We have just*.o satisfactorily coz
cluded, as bearing an ass ;adent relation t
the remainder of our story.s-3 ing in some sor
Prolegomens, Introdudpp, Argument .
Z D-el.da ana oo-anatad az. ar;uc iple samiia
to that of the old plays,Anl which Time, o
Fame, or Cover, was mad o come out befor
the curtain, as Chorus, He5ai, or such like, On
recite so much as was nec asry to the perfsc
inteligibility of the fable, hoout to be put i
action. Nor is this an alttseets.er inapproprht
procedure, for the romane,E Of childhood ,r
the properest preludes to t., r,mances of min
hood, and not seldom conse ate I" Experiment
Crucis;" a., indeed, the 6 Suel will reveal hi
of ours to have heen.
Jasper Fleming, our sesro, was born tt
wealth and luxury. Thistlbe worst possible
inheritance for any man, brought with i
many of those evils which n accordance VIII
the universal principle of improvisation pera
ding all Nature, seem inss S.rahle from the ON
dition of fortune. But bq~x combined had lo
spoiled nature generot heightened, frak
impetuous-s birthright .sssst noble, whichhs
had not sacrificed for a. X elaborate messo
pottage held out to him is.yirtue of his sita
ton. -
His mother had been rong time widu
and, partly in accordance with the expressed
desire of her husband, had Gu asper in chare
of Mr.. Classic, to be edue-4ea. Plato Casa
A. NJ, was the ministers5f a quiet county
parish, and had been th1 college friend ad
chum of the elder Flemirsa Jasper becam
member of his bachelor E.usehold about is
thirteenth year, and, from she date of his fs
week, was the Acknowledges master of Il
house. Mr.. Classic loved sain, and was rud
by him. Women and boz. always rule Us ke
Cars, when they know wss~love them. Bu-
and here is the point of d~ference-when tey
have not that assurance, E.ys rebel, WON en- ,e,
come slaves in turn. Hes it was that Jaser
had met our little school sing Ruth Congrte
and had fashioned to his gym liking the lille
romance, whose culminatEEl fdctun prtmkn
scena ultima,) we have cE onicled. He ksw
little of his sweetheart worldly relation
boys only consider whet,S,r the thing ieli
pleases them, and if it sbssl do so, clutch sit,
whether it be in palace OF On dunghesp. ley
have not any minutest urn ,rstanding of tlse
artihcialities which, undeHthe name of sdal
scale, social position, &c y-yo to make uphe
greater half of our relse'e life, and arsGc-
cepted in the world as g1nuine things, eir
false and counterfeit naEsre being careily
draped, painted, and set 60 into imitation of
the real and true. Boys slo not know tsse
forms, or else scorn thea. Why, sir, ,ur
son, In his elegant array, a. ! with those caful-
| ly-washed hands OF his, is cen now makinairt
pies with mean little Tom, hose nanny hps
a cake-and beer shop-yoL Algeron is q us.
tomer-and with ugly, blae; barefoot Sam, 18th
OF whom, ten years hence, 80 will supercilisy
ignore, In utter Inconsistencies of suchlow
existences. Crede erpertcf Let madam, on,
wife, not fret thereat, howev. for the social nse
breeds soon and inevitable and tits his yclh's
comrades, his equals, >aadam, not ragged
Tom, nor black Sam, that will " contaminte'
your Algeron, if he be con5Aminable. LeAin
| 60 on; 80 long as he is &C. tent with dirt ies
he will not think of card and billiardsAnt
brandy, and petits soupeve, and Mile Naine
the /" charming danseuse.,
Jasper knew only that Ruth lived pie
secluded life with her faith a-her motherlep
in the evening shadow o. Mr.. Classic it'd
Church-in retired cottak4 Tar more neaehal
oetentatious; and that thu: father, Mr.. Cher
Congreve, was handsome.elderly man, teru
reserved, impenetrablc, wao pursued Iuie
style of authorship, (whsther for suppoe o
amusement Jasper never troubled himslf {
inquire living among his books and HUerl
writing much-little more. j Jasper knew-.and
as TO his character, nothiSE, for 30 undsnor
strative was he, that the yGNth could not cues
whether his more promins.E characteristic wa
calm content or pass snless misantlrop!
1t suficed the boy to know that Mr.. Oousrev
was gentleman, and aeoEssd very kindly di
posed towards him, without in the least cour
/ ing him. he had at rar, intervals an meas
sort of consciousness that tie author wasbtud!
ing him with very unfls ,santly calm scr'