Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1858-11-12


mend them only pretty face, and certalr
feminine witeheries of manners, which the
consciousness of beauty gave them, while
a eentleman had never looked at me, bst te
think how shockinglY botheIy my parents
must both have been. My poor mother.
am afraid in those days I hardly did her jus.
tice because she had gisrA me the features
of my father, with her owl fund nature
While on her own face was sweet and fov.
able, my fathers character was energetic
and commanding. had freeted myself sick
over this unavoidable state Of affEfss, and
was unable to work. SO my employers who
was afraid would be left on his haffds to
board and care for, called Physieias who
recon hded perfect quiet and country aif.
/ could have struck him with rage and indig-
nation; he might as well have prescribed a
journey 10 the naoon3 il was an insult 10
poverty and sickness. But | only turned
my face to the wall and Clinched my hands
under the bedclothes and as my mistress
whispered that bis fee was three dollars,
drew my purse from under my pillow and
poured the boarded change into his extended
hand, there was just two dollars and when
he was assured that it was the last cent
had in the world, he generously threw of
the wanting dollar and bowed himself out
followed by anything but blessings from me.
My mistress husband was ut heart kind,
good man, and would have done many acts
of fbeneyolence had not his amazon of a wife
been at his elbow and always given him a
pinch, and whispering in his ear snow don't
make fool of yourself" whenever his bet
ter nature had the mastery. As soon as he
found out that | was really in and that his
vile was determined to send me off 10 some
Indifferent place, never really understood
where, he wrote to an uncle of mine, living
some fifteen miles from the city, who came
for me Immediately, with a wagon full of
half grown boys and girls, my cousins he
said, t'who wanted TO come to town to trade
a little" ] did not like the looks of my
new-fonnd relatives much, but ANYTHING
rather than dependence on that hard shop
keeper. and sickness in that low, close room.
O, how delightful that ride was in the early
summer day. leaned back in the seat
and watched the clouds as they lazily wan
dered overhead, and inhaled the fragrance Of
the new mown hay, and the growing clover.
listened TO the birds as they twittered in
the hedge in an ecslacy of delight while
tears ran down my cheeks, and my soul grew
tranquil as breathed in health and strength
from the pure air. 1t was not day to load
with those trite epithets which have been
exhausted on natnre, for the summer stood
forth in all its fullness as though il had Just
come perfect from the Almight US hand, the
first Of creation. The far reaching sky
hung above clear and blue. the trees shook
their leaves in remulous gsadness, as the
sun flooded wab golden light the happy earth
in its splendors.
That evening as ! sat in the. large farm
kitchen thinking that the next worse situa-
tion in life to a small sewing room, was being
ia the corner of aNktchen with arrow of
Dutchmen between you and We light. a little
boy some ten or twelve years old came into
the room and seated himself on low stool,
and with his elbow resting on his knee and
his head upon his hand, gazed out of the open
window upon the summer sky, crowded with
its thousand stars. Another cousin, | right
ly conjectured, for it was my uncle's young
est child; but he was made of other clay than
his bcisterous, ,heathenish brothers and sisters.
L
though his face was very childish with its
curly, brown hair, and delicate features that
made you think of other things than boyish
pranks and children's toys in his presence.
His head was very large, and his forehead
full, and the bright, blue eye poured with a
calm, steady light that seemed piercing be-
yond the common things of life. L saw all
of this at glance, and wondered how the
family could continue their idle gossip, and
meaningless jests in his presence; but he
seemed unnoticed a he sat alone and apart
gazing out into the night, while tears started
in his eyes and slowly crept down his cheeks.
My own were so dimmed that did not see
when the little fellow left, but his seat was
empty as l looked up again, and stepping
out of the door saw him sitting on large
stone, his hands clasped around his knees
and his face turned heavenward. "What is
it my boy, what do you see?" l asked, lay
ing my hand upon his head.
'.Oh, cousin Martha" ESQ some one had
told him of me), 81 see SO many things
lands, and trees, and flowers, and mountains,
such as there is in Italy, and sometimes" /"
he added, turning his full, clear eye upon
me. as his voice sank into whisper, 81 see
angels flying up and down and across, and
if lcok "a great while | rise nearer to them;
yes, cousin, perhaps you don't believe it, but
60 farther and farther away until the an
gels and stars are all around me and then it
is so beautiful, and when some one shakes
me the angels and stars all fly away and
am on earth again. o, Martha, will you
teach ME sorile of the things you know, and
tell me about great men, and all of the beau
tiful things yon read! Father says you have
been to such a great school and that you
know everything"
And did teach him through all that de-
lightful summer. taught him from books
while be, child as he was, taught me from
nature and the fullness OF his own soul. He
was alone in the family, sensitive, inteliec'
tual, emothiouul nature among coarse organ
izations 10 whom the whole course OF life
consisted OF work, food and sleep, aud the
end Of all was money getting. He was q
poetic charmer and everything possessed fol
him peculiar beatty unseen by othe rs.-
The hoe dropped from his thin hand as q
flower peeped up by the side of his foot ant
he was down on his knees gazing into the
heart of the flower, seeing, know no
what, but lost to this world until a SHARP
reprimand for neglecting his work broke
the spell. If he was placed upon a herst
to guide the plough, the song of flying
bird, or the piles of snowy clouds sailing ir
fantastic shapes across the face of HEAVIER
would cause his little arms to drop listlesI
by his side, and the beast woold trample un
checked upon the young blades of corn un
til the dreamy driver was pulled from hi.
horse by his father, who never failed to ad
minister box on the ear accompanied with 1
violent shake while the child would look NJ
with bewlldered expression as though thu
horse. and clouds, and sunlight, and shaking
| were in misty confusion in his brain. tbs