New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-10-27
TIL Rosn - NEw goRk.
BY NARY Kyle DALLAS.

~, nv hen CANNED to Tile pages III iBluebeard
fGinaerelia aud The Parents Assistant /" Ma, /
if you had been Edith the FleWef OF FeeAskiili |
wouldn't you have had Malcolm Eitzsmlths in spite /
nf vp1r father and that awful Aunt Agatha t7
!. Goodness gracionsl what do you mean, ehidT' I
exclaimed la establishment. What ore you talking |
aboHtE
on, it is book Hepsiba got from the circulating
library replied Fanny and it is about Edith, the
Flower of Peekskill who must have been beautiful
as my dell, mother; aud her lover, Malcolm tltz-
smith, who was a highwayman, and rode milk |
white charger, and splendid, you can't think
and her aunt was a beldame, and her father was
tyrant, and would let her have him Where we've
read to, they have just fed by moonlight Wouldn't
you have fled il you had been her, mother I"
What stuff have you been reading Il exclaimed.
shall scold Aepsba well for letting You get hold
of such book DON'T you know that it Il very wrong
to disobey your parents, and that highwayman is
oil, no. ma Malcolm Fitzsmith wasn't, said
Fanny, he was splendid And how could you
mind your aunt, if she was bedame-N
Don't use such words, child,a interrupted
Or your father, if he was tyrant = proeeeaea
Bring me the book this minute,H answered,
quite Out of patience and tell Hepslba 70 come
here.n
Fanny. iii get il: it is so interesting Clara mas
read it aloud to u.s. so far. Won't you finish it, ma n
And away she went, returning in few moments |
with paDercoYered volume in her hand.
If was lust such work as had imagined: a conf
bination Of sickly and gross seatmentaftes, bad
Grammar and worse characters--in other words, a
New York novel, The scene OF the history was New
York-tle year, 1858. The characters were high
yayfnen who wore pognards and slOuChed hats, des
pafadoes, and murderers of impressive men and tas
cinating appearanCe-elderly gentlemen whose APP
pearance must, if the description may be supposed
accurate have been truly diaboica and villanous
that had they but shown the tips of their noses in
the street by daylight, the first vgilant policeman
whom they happened to meet would have taken it
upon his own responsibility to secure them in the
nearest station-house-an cratic young lady. of in
sane manners, who wore krtle and a cOronet,
EHeayen knows for what reason D aud who resided
in a castle, with drawbridge, moat, and portculis
attached, somewhere in the vicinity OF Peekskill.
Her father, who could not listen to reason madly
fused permission to her modest request to marry the
gallant hghwayman, Malcolm Fitzsmith, who had
murdered a dozen elderly gentlemen and who re-
sided Witha price upon his head, which was geneT-
ally alluded to as though had been hat 1rban,
somewhere in the vicinity Of Fifth avenue and Four
teenth street, in a state, so said the author, OF
9 voluptuous spendor" The aunt was evidently in
Produced for the purpose of being abused AS her
chief duty appeared to be that Of grinding her teeth
and remarking " Beware n in dark passages, she
was always spoken of as =" hag," beldame," or
g vile scorpion in female guise.n In the end, the
strange discovery was made that, for several ages
peyious to the commencement OF the tale, every one
had been changed at BIRTH for some one else I; and
that the aunt, who must have been several hundred
years old, the chief instrument to this diabOca
work. which she had planned in consequence of
suspicion that she had once been scOAed by distant
connection Discovering that the distant connection
had been changed in the cradle also and consequently
was not connection, the aunt confessed and the
| highwayman was united to the Flower of Peekskll,
having previously set fire to the castle, which for
tunately contained the father, aunt, aud all the vii
| lains and !" fled by moonlight on his mikwhite
4 charger with the amiable young lady, who re-
gaFded the general roast of her family and friends as
1 an act of just retrbution.
Ireprimanded Hepsiba severely for leaving such
4 work in the children's reach but with all my en-
deaYOrs, only succeeded in leaving the false impress
sion that dsapproyed of works OF fiction. novel,
i in Hepsba's mind, was NOVELETTE, more bloOdand-
thunder it contained the better it worth reading
4 She assured me that it was very handsome book,
and had awful interesting things III it'll And when
/ expressed my opinion Of the disgusting affair, she
/ charged me with the undenabe fact that had read
| a book called :" Little DoTt," or some such name,
/ myself, for she had seen me. | obliged to take
quite stand with her and to inform her that unless
4 she could keep her place, she would be obliged to
/ look out for another situation.
4 / was terribly afraid she would take me at my
word for she is an excellent servant, worth any two
others have ever had and should hate to lose her
but one cannot allow onesself to be rodden upon by
ones servant, whatever may be the consequenGe-at
4 least won t. But, dear me if ! had only known
the consequences which were to ensue from the pc,
rusa OF those dreadful books don't know what
should have done.
They had read as it appeared more than one Of the
efflsions, and g The Flower of Peekskin was among
Of highwaymeni elopements and cruel parents, and
scenes from these tales were enacted in the garden or
the attic whenever they found an opportunity.
There was vacant lot in the rear Of our block,
and gate from each garden led into this spot which
/ was dedicated to coal ashes and refuse cabbage
leaves. had been out to do some shopping one at
ternoon, and had just returned as it was growing
dark. Being in hurry, the thought struck me that
I would run in through the garden way, aud thus
avoid the detention of waiting to be let in at the
street door. Obedient to this Thought, | gathered
my skirts about me and entered the lot About half
way between the entrance and our gate stands the
stump ofan old tree, and behind it crouehcd a form
which could not at first distinguish, aud doubted
whether 1t were boy or dog, While fingered rather
dreadng to pass and almost decided to so around to
the front door, little fellow whose parents lived in
the end honse, ran out OF the gate, with his apron,
evidently filled with something precious held be-
tween both hands, AS be passed the stump, the con.
ceaed figure sprang to It's feet, and seized him around
the waist, with the words stand and deliver!
on my oh my !! cried the little boy, Who are
you z-let me go"
!" won't, answered the first IN my Dick voice.
declare It actually took my breath away to HEARTH
+" won't, I'LL you stand aud deliver am high.
Wayman, and want those apples or your life, Billy
Hdmunds!