Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-04-09
THE GAZETTE.
SATURDAY MORNING, APRIL Q, 1859.


SATURDAY MORNING, APRIL ., 1859.
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NEW ANECD0TE, ny THE "oPIuM EATER
From De Q iineey new .hslum,. "The Arengsr.
just published BY TH;knor a Ficds.Ii
The little CaraaryeBslIre child int'We are
Seven" who isrepreseated as repeling the
idea of death under an absolute inability to
receive it, had cjhipietsd her eighth year
But this might be, an ambitious exaggera-
ton, such OF aspiring female children are
generally disposed. to practice IT Is more
pn,bable that abe, might 'be in the currency
Of her eighth year. Naturally we must not
exact from Wordsworth any pedantic rigor Of
accuracy in such a case, but assuredly We
have right to presume that his principle, if
tenable at all, must apply to all children
below the age of fre. However, l will say
four In that case the following anecdote
seems to impeach the philosophic truth of
this doctrine. give the memorandum as 1t
was drawn up by myself ut the time:
Ny second child, but eldest daughter, lit
tie NJ, is between two and three weeks
less than two years old; and from the day of
her birth she has been uniformly attended
by Barbara Lewthwaite. We arc now in
since, consequently in the earlier half of
q little bird. am no great ornith0logist.-
perhaps only q tenth-rate one, y says some
too fattering reader. D dear, no, nothing
and tenth rater. Consequently, | cannot
ornithologically describe or classify the bird.
But believe that it belonged to the fami-
-
at least something ending in inch. The
present was less splendid than at first it
seemed. For the bird was wounded; though
not in way that made the wound apparent;
and too sensibly, as the evening wore away,
it dropped. None of US knew what medical
treatment to suggest and all that occurred
was to place it with free access to bird seed
and water At length sunset arrived, which
was thesignal for NJ Is departure to bed.
She came, therefore. as usual, to me, threw
her arms round my neck, and went through
her ordinary routine of prayers; namely, first
the Lords Prayer, and finally the four fol-
lowing lines, Ia Roman Catholic bequest to
the children ofNorthern Engand:)
"Holy Jesus, meek and mild,
Look on me- q little child;
Pity my simplicity;
drAnt tnat may come W tuee.
NJ, as she was moving off bed, whis-
pered to me thatI was 10 '.mend" the bird
with "yoddonum." Having always seen me
taking landanum, and for the purpose las she
was tOld} of growing better in health, reason
ably it struck her that the little bird would
improve under the same regimen. For her
satisfaction, placed little diluted laudanum
near to the bird; and she then departed 10
bed. though with uneasy looks reverting to
her sick little pet. Occupied with some point
of study, it happened that | sat up through
thewhole night and long before seven o'clock
in the morning she had summoned Barbara
to dress her, and soon heard the impatient
little foot descending the stairs to my study.
l had such Jesuistical bulletin ready by
way of report upon the birds health, as
might not seem absolutely despairing, though
not too dangerously sanguine. And as the
morning was one Of heavenly splendor, |
proposed that We should improve the bird
chances by taking it our-ofdoors into the lit
tie orchard at the foot Of. Fairield--our oftiest
Grasmere mountain. Thither moved at once
Barbara Lewthwaite, little NJ, myself
and the poor languishing bird. By that time
in May, many far southern country, perhaps
the birds would be ceasng to sing; but not 50
with us dilatory people in estmoreland.-
Suddenly, as we all stood around the little
perch ON which the bird rested, one thrilling
song, louder than the rest, arose from neigh
boring hedge. Immediately the birds eye,
previously duh, kindled into momentary fire;
the bird rose on its perch. struggled for an
instant, seemed to be expanding itswings,
made one aspiring movement upwards, in do
ing so fell back, and in another moment was
dead. Too certainly and apparently all these
transitions symbolically interpreted themsel-
YES, and to all fus alke the proof of which
was-that man, woman and child spontane-
ously shed tears; q weakness, perhaps but
more natural under tho regular professional
evolution of the scenical stages, than when
simply read as a narrative, for too evident 1t
waste one and all of us, without needing to
communicate by words, sehdt vision had re-
vealed itselfto all alike-to the child under
two years old, not less than to the adults: too
evident it was, that, on this magnificent May
mornining, there had been exhibited, as on
the stage of q theatre--there had PASSED
before theeyes of US all-passed, and was nm
ished--the everlasting mystery of death! 1t
seemed to me that little NJ, by her sud
den burst Of tears, must have read this sadd'
est OF truthS-must nave 1ett tnat the piru
fate was sealed, not less clearly than Barbara
or myself.
RED PEPPER FOR PUNCH.-The Scientific
American recommends as a substitute for hot
whiskey punch Of a cold night, the following:
"Put three or four Jumps of sugar, with half
teaspoonful ofcayenne pepper, in tumbl-
er, and I'll up with hot water when the sugar
is dissolved. drink. 1t is not only pleasant
to the palate, but warns the whole body
more efectually and quicker than spirits
MAYORS OFFICE, April s, lS5a.-An cleo
lHl ton for four Overseers Of the Poor Zone
from each ward,) will be held at the Council
Chamber, on Monaay, the 1lh inst, under the d.
reotion of the following Commissioners: Joseph :.
Stansbury, Thomas Mccormick, and A. d. War
held. The said election to be held between the
hours of ten in the morning aud five in the even
inc: 'ri ~ ". D. MASSEY, Mayor.