Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-05-21

MARY MALoNEY's IDrA OF A LOVER
"What are you singing for'" said L to
Mary Maloncy.
"Oh, | don't know ma'am, without It's
because my heart feels happy"
"Happy, are you, Mary MaloncyE Let
me see you don't own foot OF land IN
the world"
"Foot of land is it, she cried with a
hearty Irish laugh. "Oh, what II hand
ye be after joking why haven't penny,
let alone the land"
"Y.onr mother is deal L."
"God rest her soul, yes" replied Mary
Maloncy, with a touch of genuine pathos,
"may the angels rake her bed in heaven"
"Your brother is still hard case, |
supposed"
"Ah, you may well say that. 1t moth
ing but drink, drink, drink, and beating
his poor wife, that she is, the creature"
"lou have to pay your little sister's
board."
"Sure the bit creature, and she's good
little girl, is Hinny, willingto do whatever
| axes her, l don't grudgc the money what
goes for that
"You haven't many fashionable dresses,
either, Mary Maloney."
Questionable is it? o, yes, | put a
piece ofwhalebonc in my skirt, and me
calico gown looks as big as the great ladies.
But then ye say true, hasn't but two
gown to my back, two shoes to my feet,
and one bonnet to me head, barring the
old hood ye gave me-"
"You haven't any lover, Mary Maloney, u
80 be off wild yc-ketch Mary Maloney
getting lover these days when the hard
times is come. No, no, thank heaven |
amt got that to trouble me yet, nor | don't
want it,"
"What on earth. then, have you got to
make you happy? A drunken brother, a
poor helpless sister, no mother no father no
lover; why where do you get all your hap
piness from?"
"The Lord be praised, Miss, it grows
up in me. Give me bit of sunshine, a
clean fure, plenty of work, and sup at
the right time, and I'm made. That
makes me laugh and sing, and then if deep
trouble comes, why, God helpin me, I'll
try to keep my heart up. Sure it would be
a sad thing if Patrick McGruc should
take it in to his head to come and AK me-
but the Lord willin' I'd try to bear up
under it,"
The last speech upset my gravity. The
idea of looking upon II lover as an atfilctlor
was so droll. But she was evidently sin
cerc, having before the example OF hel
sisters husband and her drunken brother
The CHINESE. In country where the
roses have no fragrance, and the women nc
petticoats where the aborer has no Sab
bath, and the magistrate no sense OF honor
where the roads bear no vehicles, and the
ships no kcels, where old men fly kites
where the needle points to the South anc
the sign of being puzzled is to scratch the
antipoees of the head where the place o
honor is on the left hand, and the seat o
intellect is in the stomach where to take
off your hat is an insolent gesture, and tc
wear white garments is to put yourself IL
mourning-we ought not to be astonlsheC
to find IL litratnre without an alphebe
d'iu NItiOul Il
we add that for countless centuries tn,
government has been in the hands Of STATE
philosophers, and the vernacu ar dialects
have been abandoned to the laboring class
We must not be startled to find the Chinese
language is the most intricate combrous enc
unwieldly vehicle Of thought that ever OBJ
tained among the beoplc.
There are eighteen distinct languages II
China, besides the Court dialect ; and al
though, by beautiful invention, dcscrv
ing of all imitation, tho written Language
is so contrivcd as to denote by the samt
character the sounds of each of the nine
teen different words, all of which it equal
ly represents, this is Of no great use among
| the multitude who cannot read.
There is not man among our Chinese
scholars who can speaka three Of these Ian
guagcs with fuency, and there is not on'
who can safely either writo or interpret al
important State paper without the assls
tance of ''teacher. Hong kong Cor
respondent london Times.