Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-10-02
FLORA; Oh, THAT FARTH1NG.

the habit OF calling by that name have changed
the prospects Of lifetime, or even brought
life itself to close; and doubt much wheth-
er the same thing would appear equally trivial
to any two persons.
Some time since-I will not say how long
II received letter, and enclosed with it a
post office order for two guineas In the mis-.
sive that sum was alluded to as /" the trile due
to you for so and So" "Trifle indeed ~
thought I. 81 wish was able to speak so
disrespectfully of couple Of guineas' The
fact is, was penniless when the opportune
supply came to hand; but cannot say was
without single coin. had in my posses
sion one farthing, and on it-a trifling matter,
you will say-hangs my present story. That
tarthlng had come among some other change /;
and as one does not often happen to want
that particular coin, it remained long after its
kindred 6rOrns were scattered. Besides,
confess should not have liked to tender q
farthing in payment. Even if that would ex.
actly suffice, should have preferred offering
any other coin. My consciousness of extreme
poverty made me suppose that any locker on
would be able to read my penury, if were
seen to draw farthing from my waistcoat
pocket. A rich man can afford to seem poor,
but really poor one never can.
Thus that farthing remained with me for
months. 1t clung 10 me, as poor friend Of
ten does, long after his wealthier brethren
have departed; and it certainly looked trihe
in comparison with the two sovcreigns and
two Shillings for which lost no time in cx.
changing my bit Of official-looking paper
but the future vindiCatcd its importance, and
taught me its real value. When rose from
my bed that morning, had every prospect of
dining with certain titled parsonage whose
table is proverbially accessible to all, though
only the very poor avail themselves of it
With good appetite to appeaSe, and couple
Of guineas in my pocket, this was not to be
thought Of, l dined, comfortably and substan-
TALLY, and that done leaned back in nv chair
with feeling Of ineffable contentment
Searching in my waistcoat pocket for my
tooth pick, my finger and thumb came in con-
tact with that farthing. drew it from its
hidden place, laid it on my extended palm,
surveyed it, now on this side, now on that,
but with what different look from the rue
ful one with which, two hours sooner had
gazed on the thing, did l regard it. Well,
thought /, | was never before reduced quite
so low, but before absolute want came sup
ply to meet my approaching need l will
keep this farthing while live, as memcnto
to whisper, " Never despair" when am in
clned to murmur at the decree of fortune
adhered to my resolve. Regularly as
changed my waistcoat, the little coin accom-
panied my pencil-case, penknife and tooth
pick, to the corresponding pocket Of the new
garment.
Singularly enough, from the time Of my be-
ing reduced to farthing, fortune ceased to
frown. had not finished the first of the
two guneaS before others came, and still more
followed. 1t seemed that my penniless hour
was the one before the dawnng, and the Ia
bors which precede it were to meet their re-.
ward. found popularity when least ex.
pected il, and soon too, began to consider
two guineas triie. Instead of single gar.
ret near the sky, occupied apartments at the
Albany; and when went to visit my native
place, good gracious how was feed! The
tide had indeed changed. As n boy, what
scrubbing had not endured, and ali arising
from my ambition to become famous as a wri.
ter-that scribbling mania which impellcd Inc
to cap verses instead of doing nv Latin eXcr.
else, and which brought down on me the
wrath, and worse still the cane, of the Rev.
DR.. Snatfies, head master of the grammar
school, and vicar of the parish. Awful most
got the lions share of both. My father lee
turcd me also, and gave me a long list of the
names ofthosc who, preferring the shadow, au-
thorship, to the substance, trade, had died in
poverty after life long endeavor to ascend tho
steps of Fames temple-stcps to them only a
mental treadmill, where, compelled to inccSsant
efforts, they yet rose no higher. "DOnot fancy
yourselfa a genius my dear boy" he would
say; talent you possess-that is, you ap.
preciate and take home to your heart the
good and the beautiful in the works Of others;
but do not mistake this for genius. Genius
creates for talent to appreciate. The latter
give you credit for possessing, the former you
have not Stick to the counting house make
your fortune; and then, if the wish remain,
write verses and tales by the mile"
My sisters cOntemncd my rhymes, perhaps
because addressed none to them but worse,
than all, Flora Snatiles, the object of my idol
airy did the same. Flora was the doctors
youngest and lOveliest daughter, and Just my
own age. But what girl of sixteen, ever
deigned to look at boy of her own years p
Nevertheless, l looked at her fair face, soft
brown eyes, and flowing chestnut curls, and
worshipped Flora, quite forgetting the differ
ence between boy and a young lady.
But what boy poet was ever without di
vinity! So to her, after expcnding an
amount Of toll and thought which no after
work Of mine cost me, | addressed sundry
verses, entitled Lines to Flora. And what
was my reward? met her with her conf
dante, Lucy Jones, the lawyers daughter,
and as they passed, she said, at me, but to
Lucy "Poor, foolish boy, l shall not tell
papa, for should not like to have him whipp-
cd" And she tossed her head, shaking the
glossy curls had been striving to immortal
ize.
There was only one, my gentle mother
who gave my luckless compositions word of
praise. She, bless herl used to soothe my
ruffled vanity, call my verses pretty, and kiss
my forehead with right loving touch but she
bade me obey my father. The end fall was
that, after distinguishing myself for dcfcicn-
cy in Latin at the school examination, and
filling my fathers ledgers with poetical instead
of arithmetical figures, forsook the counting
house, and went to seek my fortune, with a
resolution not to return If unsuccessful. How
different was my coming hOmel
Before leaving my bachelors nest in town,
determined to sink the literary man. and
give myself up, heart and soul, to that home
life on which l had cast longing backward
glances. Authors soon grow old; If they in
tend to succeed they must be sharp sighted,
and man who battles his way upward a hair
breath at time, comes in contact with Suf.