Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1858-06-05
IMPRESSIONS OF VERMONT.

lmfbEoolUNS OF VERmONT.
Messrs. Rudd & Carleton of New York hav
recently published little volume, enttlc
Following the Drum" by Mrs. Viele, which
playful jotting- down of the experiences of
New York belle, Of no small celebrity as wit
who married an officer of our Army and has ha,
year or more of campaigning-in Texas ant
upon the Frontier. But before marching to th
Frontier she accompanies her commanding of
ficer to do duty on Recruiting station, and sh,
gives the following spicy chapter of her impres
sons Of Vermont
. "Io one whose life has been passed in thu
bustling, noisy din of large city, where every
body that you meetin the crowded streets seem,
eagerly bent on the pursuit of some object that
must be attained, possible, before nghtfall
where either hope, or disappointment, or harass.
ing care is stamped on almost every face-therc
Is novel charmin a sudden change to rural life
delicious serenity in the atmosphere of coun.
try village, repose in the calm movements of
ITS inhabitants the shaded, unpaved streets
tcool IN the heat of midsummer y the neat green
court-yards, and nicely trimmed fower-beds
| trom which the smell of pinks, and daisies. and
! cottage roses seems to breathe out sweet sim
plicty') that is almost incredible.
Sew signs of life or animation are to be seen
IN those quiet cottage homes. Occasionally,
perhaps, at the back door of the vine shaded
piazza, placid old lady, seatedin her low rock
lng-chair shelling peas, stopped for a moment by
the sight of a hummng-bird too daring in its
demonstrations to the roses, or a stray fowl in
the fiower-beds. These will be the events OF the
day to her, in her quiet, uncventful existence.
We smile at its quaint simplicity, but perhaps a
sigh OF regret is mingled for moment with our
smile
81 supposed that Burlington was one of those
SIMPLE, unexcting little places, as in time it
proved to be- but the first impressions were
ANYTHING but calm or soothing. as early on the
following morning looked from the windows
OF the True American, through greenish pane
OF glass, and through still more refracting
misty rain. Under these depressing influences
l saw what appeared to be the most miserable
Of one horse towns
"a square enclosed by a whitewashed wooden
railing, rendered disagreeable gray bv the
rain, ornamented with pole in the centre sur
mounted by one Of the numerous and widely
dillused coiBHres Of the goddess of liberty, and
surrounded by the principal stores Of the place
this formed the view outside, occasionally ami
mated by one of the damp, moist population,
picking his way over the grass-grown brick
pavements.
"The inside of the hotel was degree more
insuterabe, and by way of rendering my gloom
more pitabe, the wel-meaning landlady pro-
yided several 'Lady's Books for nv amuse-
mcnt' the contents ofswhich, however. were
such reflection upon even the limited capac-
ties of ladies that they gave only fresh cause
for aggravation. gentleman travelling for
pleasure, who arrived there the second day after
we did, was taken i'll and died in the room next
to mine. which incident, although perhaps tend
ing to produce salutary mental influence, was
IN no way cheering to depressed spirits.
after fair test of week, spent in rehec-
tons of the most gloomy nature on the ills of
life in general, and those of life in Burlington
in particular, it was decided that life at the True
American uncomfortable and hv GOOD lncL .
town.
at was everything that could be desired the
velvet lawn in front was green and closely sha-
ven, rose vines clung gracefully around the
porch, and not even Il cynic could have magin-
ed love contemplating leap from the latticed
window, another grim visitor with his hand
on the old-fashioned knocker. In the rear was
a well enclosed with trillis-work, whose moss
covered buckets looked cool and tempting, sug-
gesting, however, to practical mind that new
ones must be Immediately obtained, in spite of
the romantic charm thrown by the poet around
The moss-coyered bucket that hung in the we'll
"The only drawback to taking immediate
possession of this attractive spot was the fact of
its being quite devoid of furniture; but we were
told that this deficiency could be speedily rem
cded, by cleverish sort of fellow named Noble
Lovely, (which was literally his cognomen. y
He was Immediately applied to, and after an in
credible space Of time spent in asking questions,
he cast his eyes around upon his household gods.
and said We'll, meow, what would YOU think
of a secondhand red plush sofy, and a yellow
chanie spittoon to begin withp This proposal
was beyond human endurance and as these ar
ticles were not considered absolutely indispen-
sable in an unpretending y,enage, it was deemed
advisable to withdraw, which induced Mr. Love
ly to speedily make the necessary arrangements !;
and, to the technical Yankee expression,
the bargain was closed to the inexpressible
delight of the shrewd and mot over) Noble
Lovely, who realized quite little considerable,
in consequence From the first imbibed a
strong dislike to this class do not think these
feelings were entirely without foundation.
''ln fact may candidly confess, that | never
could feel the necessary degree of enthusiasm in
reference to our New England brethren, or their
fundamental principles of the innate depravity
of the pope, intense sympathy for that colored
army or martyrs south Of Mason and Dixon's
line, or the infallibilty of the pilgrim fathers
On the contrary, conceive the pope may be an
cNcelltHt ROou man tnat tnoSe SUFFERING anu
bleeding bondsmen may hare an occasional ray
ofsunshine on their dreary path of life and that
the way in which the heroes of Plymouth Rock
burned Quakers and eccentric old ladies was, to
say the least, unamable.
ave all, however, have our prejudices, in
common with them, and suppose, would hard
| ly be human without them.
"Six months, comprising the severest of the
year, were passed in Burlington in ardent ell
deavors to add to the United States forces as
many deserters from the ranks of her majesty
of England, as could persuade the recruiting
sergeant they We're regularly discharged, and the
doctor that they were 'able bodied
"Theywere reckless set of men, generally un-
der five-and-twenty years of age-a collection
probably, of black sheep from as many different
families some of them well-educated, and un-
doubtedly of highly respectable parentage.
can give them the highest diploma for gallantry
"ln fact there seems to be something in uni
form that calls forth this quality in its wearer il
the highest degree. Apply uniform to man
and like a mustard plaster, it seems to draw al
that is infiammable to the surface"