The daily clarion. [volume] (Meridian, Miss.) 1863-1866, 1866-02-17
THE DAILY CLARION
sally Holt and the nearh Of Jobn
BY THOMAS HOOD.

son OF the half-yearly dividends and twice
at the intermediate quarters, to make her
slender observation-disclosures calls at my
aunt Shackerly's a very plain, very demure
maiden, about forty, and makes her way
down to the kitchen, or upward to nv
cousins chamber, as may happen. Her com
ing Is not to do chairwork or neediework
10 tell fortunes; to beg, steal or borrow
She does not come for old clothes or for new
Her simple errand is love-pure, strong
dIsinterested born love passing the love ol
women-at least for women
1t i not often servitude heoets mucb
Kindness between two relations hers. how
ever, grew from that ungeniaI soil. For the
Whole family OF the ShackerIys she has a
strong feudal attachment-but her particJl-
lar regard dwe!ls with Charlotte, the latest
OF the clan. Her she dotcs upon-her she
iionhies-and takes upon her longing, lovely
lap.
"a, let not the Obiivious attention of the
worthy Dominic Sampson to the tall boy
BortTdm be called an unnatural working
have seen my cousin, good feeder and
well grown into womanhOod, sitting-two
heads taller than her dry nurse-On the
knees Of the simple hearted Sally Holt
have seen the huge presentation orange.
unwrapP'd from the homely specified 'ker-
chief aII thrust with importanate tender
ness into the bashtul MaJ7idgeqbIe hand.
My Cousins heart is not 50 artiGciaIlv com
posed, as to let her scoru this humble aifec-
ton, thought she is puzzled sometimes with
what KIND OF look to receive these honest
but awkward endearments. IhaYe seen her
FAC quiyerlng with half laugh.
1t Is one OF Sally's staple hopes that some
day or other, when Miss Charlotte keeps
house, she viii live with her as a servant.
aud this expectation makes her particular
and earnest to a fault in her inquiries about
her 5weethearts, aud offers, and the matri-
inoliHl chances; questions which | have
seen my cousin listen to with half cry.
Perhaps Sally looks upon this confidence
as her right, an return for those secrets
which, by joint force Of iguorancq and afcc-
ton, she could not help reposing in the
bosom other foster mistre. S. Nature, uukind
10 her rs to D0gberry, denied TO her that
knowledge Of reading and writing which
comes to some by instinct. strong priu-
cIple of religion made 1t q DANGLING uoiut
with her 10 learn to read, that she miobt
study III her Bible, bat in spite of all fhc
|hslp OF my cousin, and rs ardent a desire for
learning rs ever dwelt in scholar. poor Sally
hover mastered A-Bab. Her mind, sinuI. as
her heart, was unequal to any more diff-
;ult combinations. Writing was worse to
| her than conjuriug. My cousin was her
tmauucnsIs and from the vague. uDac-
.couutable mistrust of ignorance the in
. liter took the pains always to COMPARE tho
verbal message with the transcript bv count
ug the number Of the words.
/ would give up all the tender epistIes of
lrs. Arthur CroOke, to have read one of
|'aliy.s epistles; but, they were amatory.
lIu lhyLel1Le hept sacred for plain as she /
vas Sallle Holt had a lover
There is an unpretending plainncss in /
ome faces that has its CHAIRMAN unaffec- .
ed ugHness, Thousand times more be-
itching than these would-be looks that
either satisfy the critical sense nor leave
. nc matter OF beauty at once 10 the imag-
nation We like better to make a new face |
IAN to mend an old one Sally had not
ne good feature, except those which John
tyIoit made Tor her In his dreams and
| Judge from one token her partial fancy
as equally auswcrable for his charms !
ne precious look-nO, not look. but |
tther a remnant of very short, very coarse
cry yellow hair, the clippings of a mil
| AIRY crop. for John was a c orDoraI-
ood The foremost item amongst her treas
res 10 her they were curls-golden, Hy
'Flan and cherished long after the parent
'dd was Ialu low, with many more, on the |
cody plains Of Salamanca
remember wildly at this moment the
stacy OF her grief at the receipt of the
tai news. She was standing near the
easer with dish, just cleaned. in her
1Ater hand. Ninety-nine women in a hum
rcd would have dropped the dish Many
ould have flung themselves after it on the
oor, but Sally put it up, orderly, on the
leii. he tail of John Hayloft could rot
lduce the fall of the crockery She felt
le pIoW Notwithstanding, and as soon as
lie had emptied her hands, began to give
| ay To her emotions in her own manner.
|nction vents itself III various modes.
'Lh Inherent tempcraments some rage |
III Others compose themselves like mon
hehtS. some weep, some sleep, some
ose ABOUT death aud others poetize on it.
any take to bottle or to a rope Some
to Margatc. or Bath
Sally did none of these kinds. She neither
.llvelied, travelled, maddened, nor ranted,
pr cIuted, nor hung. nor fuddled herself
only rocked herself in the kitchen chair!
The action was not adequate to her relief
ne got up-took fresh chair-then anoth-
and auothcr-and auother-tll she had
ctlod all the chairs in the kitchen.
HE thing WAS tickling To both sympathies (
was pathetical to behold her grief; Iudi-
Gus that She knew no better how to grieve.
might have been thought that she was in
act OF enjoyment, but for an intermitting
dear dear! Passion could not wiring
ore from her in the way of exclamation, .
an the toothache. Her lamentations We're
ways the same even in tone. BY and by, 3
e pulled out the-the cropped yellow,
united, scrubby hair, then she fell to fOck-
g-then . dear! Q dear and tkcn DE
lpo
II was an odd sort of elegy, ard yet, sim
as 1t was, thought it was Worth a thou
nd OF Lord Littletons!
|"Heyday, Sally what is ne matter z
IS very natural inquiry Hnh my aunt
ben she came down into ne kitchen; and IL
Ale did not make it Win her tongue, at -
asa it was asked veY IhteHiSlbiy by her
es Now sally I'D but one way of adj
aSsia4, uer mistress, and she used it here
was the same with which she would have
led for a hotday, except that the water G,
od in her eyes.
If you .'icase, ma'am," said she rising M 4
N herehalr, and making her old courtesy.
yo41 please, ma'am it's John HavIott is
ana then She began rocking again as
lei was baby that wanted Jogging to -
y aunt was posed She would fain have M
ioFted the mourner, but her mode of We
wing was so ont of the common way that <
diu nor know how to begin. To the vio- -
She might have brought soothing; to the D.
1ondlng, texts of patience and resigna- A.
TO the hysterical, sal volatile; she might '
asked the sentimental for the story of
woes. A good scolding is useful with
sluggish GRIFFIN some cases a cordial
therS-a job
sally had only screamed, or beloved, or
ca or gone stupid, or raved or said a
CT, or iloped about, it would have been
10 zeal with her. Bnt with woman
only rocked in her chair
nat the devil could my aunt do 3 7
ny, nothlng-and she did it as well as
ould.
THE RO