The hydraulic press., 1860-12-29

DEAR PREss:-Now do not fly off at a tangent
and misinterpret my meaning-for Uncle Web
ster gives several definitions of the little four
lettered word with which this epistle is initial
lied, and use the noun.
/ was sitting in my little X 8 the other even
ing, listening to the fierce blasts without, as
| they sweptpast with de(a)fant air, and a great
bluster-a regular secession blow-may the
reign of both be short-frightening poor nerv-
Gus creatures nearly out of our wits, and wond-
ering how long we were to be embargoed, and
whether, "to use an expression more striking
/ than classic" cid Boreas would ever "dry up"
or at least grant an armistice until after the
pirati en- of the holidays, and SO give us an op-
portunity of ventilating ourselves, as becomes a
/ Chistian people, and-what do you think
about it Come now you newspaporial prog
nosticators, who give us weekly-what we
/ already know--a statement of the weather past
how it has shone, and sweltered and scorched,
and rained, and blowed and snowed-cant you
! give us some little linking into the future
But as l was going to say at the outset, was
| sitting, the other evening, in brown study-as
Paddy would have it, dreaming with my eyes wide
open-and indulging in pleasant fancies, while
thought went skipping from one stepping stone
to another, and peering away down in the deep
waters of the past, for something buried there.
| And what think you was brought to the surface
A jolly old-time sleigh! Not one of your modern,
city "Great Eastern" kind, where there ara
seats for the whole world and its family, and am
pie room for the rest of mankind, but one of the
antique style, with seat just large enough for
two, in compressed state. Suppose you step
in, wrap the large, warm buffalo skin around
your shoulders, thrust your feet into the straw,
gather up the reins, and touch the dark equine
quadruped gently with the whip. The tiny bells
ring out overture (perhaps another overture
will be listened to before you return) and away
YOU go-your heads and shoulders slanting up
from the seat like the letter V-for laughing
eyes are watching you you depart, and teas
ing tongues viii be wagging at your expense on
your return.
The crisp psnow squeaks under the polished
runners, the feet-moving feet of the horse oc-
casionally throw out from the road the broken
ice, and it slides off on the smooth undisturbed
surface Of the snow with musical, metallic ring.
The air is filed with nintesimal particles-the
dust of snow-and it lights upon your cheeks
with an almost imperceptible lightness.
And now you have arrived at curve in the
road which hides you from human habitation
the letter V is reversed, thus: A. The equine
animal slackens his pace; the tiny bells lower
their voices are they listening We think not.
Some bellies listen 20 what they have no right to
hear-sleigh bells never do. The sleigh glides
smoothly and softly along-so does somebody S
tongue, and teco somebody's are supremely happy.
Equine his pace. A bridge is seen
through the heavy mist, (lIen,.-It has always
been matter of mystery to me, why young folks,
when they go sleighing, always cross bridges, if
any there be to cross,-while cid folks always
avoid them.) The bridge is reached, and the lips
that were softly murmnring few moments ago,
are again busy, but not with mere words this
time. There is slight altercation going on in
buffalo skim and somebody appears little fur
ried, and then sighs. Wherefore? Perhaps she
is thinking Of the Bridge of Sighs, and perhaps,
who take sleigh rides, and are inveigled into
crossing bridges, are always tolled-Hookc-d.
Blessings on the old-fashioned sleigh May
the road it travels be always smooth, and its oc-
cupants as pure and unspotted, as free from
earth-stains as the white snow over which it
glides. NJ.