The Kenosha telegraph and tribune. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1859-1860, 1859-09-01
From Dickens All the Year Round"1
RoUGHING TT.


and to which, again and again, he endeavored
to convert Mrs. Marbell. But the good woman
MAS not to be convinced. Her nature warred
against Mr.. Marbelps logic; her tenderness re.
piled to his first proposition; her motherly in
"tinct rebutted his second proposition her un-
felgned indignation put down his third PROPOSE
ton. Mr.. Marbfl was cold man; Mr.. Mar
bell was a cold father Mr.. Marbell was a brute
more, Mr.. Marbell preached what he never
practised, what he would never have the cour-
age to apply to his own person. Mr.. Marbell
was as fond as anybody of his slippers by the
hreside, his port feathered with beeswing, his
hot shaving water, and his eider-down quilt.
Then why should dear little Augustus rough
I'll Mrs. Marbell wanted to know this-as, in
deed, according to her husband Mrs. Marbell
wanted to know many things. 1t was the belief
OF Mr. Marbell that to argue with woman was
to exhibit weakness almost objectionable; this,
when Mr.. Marbell found himself in that position
which is popularity described as being in cor
ner.
Mr.. Marbell being, however, the better-half,
could extricate himself from his corner by the
use Of his natural authority If he could not
subdue and conquer Mrs. Marbells reason, he
could command her obedience. Augustus should
rough it aa
The coarsest of porridge was provided for
Master Augustus the hardest bed : nursery
without a fire Au gustus must keep himself
warm 10y exercise exercise would make him
hardy The mother would carefully cover him
with warm clothing, wind a WOODEN comforter
about his throat, enfold his notified legs with
CATERS, protect his little dimpled hands with
gloves; but the father would Indignantly remove
these efeminate guardians against the cold, and
send the boy forth to the east wind, almost
naked. Crying was put down by solitary
confinement; single whimper produced pre-
mature despatch to bed. No sweetmeats no
fruit; no happy admissions to dessert; no visits
to the pantomime; no nursing upon the paren-
tai knee. Winter and summer, in sickness or
health, cold water baths without mercy Angus
tus is to be brought up to fight the world man
fully His flesh is to be hard as any mariner S;
he is to breast the storm with naked bosom to
be content with the coarsest fare and to flourish
upon it. Here are a few of the regulations
which are to govern the physical growth of
Augustus the Camberwell Spartan.
But his mind is to be under iron rule ALSO
His nature is to be as hard as his flesh. With
fearful eyes the mother looks up into Gussy's
face, and pouts her warm mouth to meet his.
She would throw her arms about his neck, nestle
his little head upon her shoulder, examine fond
ly, finger by finger, his infant hands-hands
that, according TO Mr.. Marbell, are to forge
thunder bolts, and, easily as a pattern duke
handles the ribbons, to guide their destines.
And the logic that to Mrs Marbell lay in all
this wealth of love, she would have extended to
her child, to soften the adamantins laws of her
fierce lord-had she lived The darkest day in
Gussy life was that on which his mothers feeble
hands held his young head for the last time,
and drew his fresh mouth to her own poor,
bloodless lips. The boy was left alone in the
world, to bear all the rigor of father with a
theory.
Most veracious is the history of young Gussy.
We saw the miserable little Spartan day by day,
roughing it. On bleak, November mornings,
when the leaden clouds swept past close to the
earth, and an icy rain drove almost horizontally
down our roads; on days of broillng heat when
the milk which the milkman dropped up the
the pavement Kissed, and went angrily away
in vapor; on frosty days, when the tread of
tripping girls upon the ice bound earth rang
unsteady; on sloppy days of dreary thaw, when
the snow had fallen to the thickness of ice
cream, and served up pieds giaces to all who
ventured upon it. Marbel had become fero-
cious in his theory. There was no Mrs Marbell
now to poster him with tender counsel, nor to
put q comforter about Gussy's throat Gussy
was now bound over to him hand and foot--most
fortunately for the boy, there were no foxes
in the neighborhood of Camberwell, or one had
been stuffed under the shirt of Gussy that his
parent might see whether the boy could let the
animal take just one bite at his stomach without
winclng. '4A.aas
1t is hard world" said Mr. Marbell over
his port, speaking with friend, "and men
should harden their children 70 meet it, as we
harden steel, that with a spring it may bear any
weight Now, / have resolved to make my boy
razor-steel, at the very least. He shall be able
TO live where others would die-to flourish
where others would fail. His constitution shall
be equal to the mountain.top or the valley-to
an Arctic expedition, or a secretaryship under
DIR. LIvingstone!''
The brute !" said (sotto voice Rachel, the
maid, who had just appeared, bearing to Mr..
Marbel and his guest plate of olives.
The boy is not clever boy he is even
dull. The better reason, say, for hardening
him. For with moderate abilities only to re-
commend him to the world, how can he make
his standing good if he be not prepared to sup
port incessant buffeting. His wants must be so
humble that he may be able to save-ay, part of
a crust A mountain plant. he must flourish
upon the dry rock. 1, sir, (and Mr.. Marbell
glanced through his glass at the dancing bees
wng) am the architect of my own fortune. /
once swept the office of which am now the
principal. met men on their own ground. /
set my shoulder firmly to my work, and found
that had need of all my strength to conquer.
My boy shall have tougher skin, frmer mus
Gle, than had. He shall learn to rough it." .
MIR. Marbell emptied his glass, and with two
taper fingers dropped his first cool olive into
his mouth. The oracle had spoken.
An east wind was curling the autumn leaves,
and compelling cabmen to draw their horse
cloths tightly about their legs, on the evening
when the oracle had Leld forth from his cosy
temple, with beaehwood fire happily mingled
with sea-coal upon its altar.
Master Gussy was up stairs. He was in bed.
Six o'clock was his bed time. In corner of an
empty room was hard straw palliasse upon
the naked ground two rugs covered it-suff-
Gent, in the opinion of Mr.. Marbell, (below
now, eating his olives) for the covering of a
boy destined to rough it. There the little Spar