Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-12-26
Glnife aatisreltauy.
From the sixpenny [London) Magazine.
PEARSON, THE LABORER.

L.
Miles away from the great metropolis,
where the now seldom -traversed coach
road to Portsmouth gently ascends the
long range of hills dividing Surrey from
Sussex ,-theeye ranges over scene wild,
waste, and yet beautiful. Acres and
acres of land, never yet brought into
cultivation, but left to their natural
growth of heather and the juicy whor-
tleberry, are alone visible; except where,
in the distance, few clumps of trees, or
the spire of barnlille church, marks
the locale of a village. But a weary
stretch of the barren -noorland lies be-
tween the looker-on and these GASES and
few care to quit the beaten track and
learn in what aspects life presents itself
in these isolated spots. Occasionally a
railway touches upon them, and then if
the land be good, and the farmers enter
prising, small station-tenanted by a
| forlorn clerk and misanthropical porter
lis erected, and the produce of the farms
carried to the London markets. But the
railway traffic is principally confined to
such goods as wagon loads of carrots,
tons of hay, and potatoes, while passen-
gers are few and far between.
| To one of these Out-of-the-world villa
ges, on an afternoon in sprlng,-not
| genial spring, but wet, cold, and gusty,
as the capricious season will sometimes
be to its close,-a young female in deep
mourning took ticket by the $50 train
from Waterloo. The dingy third-class
carriage was nearly full when she enter
ed it, and party Ofsoldiers on their way
back to camp, were smoking furiously,
despite railway regulations, in which
they were emulated by some workmen
en- route for country job. The civilians
and military had fraternized already,
and were talking loudly, in language not
ofthe choicest, TO the intense amusement
of a couple efsilly giggling women, moth
ing loath to make their acquaintance
But the newcomer, with that selt-pOsses-
sion and quiet dignity which is instantly
recognized, even by the rudest, passed
OH to distant corner, where respecta-
bly-dressed young man, engrossed in q
book, civilly made way for her to seat
herself.
A little while, and the noisest of the
party were gone. The soldiers, with
many hearty good-by, had leapsd out
the workmen had gathered up their bun
dies and baskets of tools and stumped
away, and there were none left in the
carriage when it reached Halsum station
save the silent couple in the farthest cor
her. There, though mutually strangers,
both of them Alighted, and both of them
struck off down the same narrow lane,
not the one leading to the centre of the
village, where the few shops, and the
surgeons house. and the principal inn
were congregated; but to the upper end,
near the church, and pretty parsonage,
and the timbered ruinous building which,
despite the clergyman's remonstrsnces,
the wealthy farmers persisted in consid-
eringquite good enough fora school-house
for laborers' children.
Not far from the church there were q
few decent cottages, standing in. the
midst of fair-sized gardens; and at the
first and best of these the young woman,
who, with her brisk movements, had
outwalked her fellow-pedestrian now
halted. He had been lettering to peer
beneath the hedge-rows, and along the
banks, for the latest Siolets and the rare
orchids which sometimes rewarded his
search and when he overlook her, she
was parleyiRg at the door of the cottage
with the deaf woman who inhabited il, |
and looking distressed and surprised at |
the answers her queries received.
Pearson, John Pearson? No, he do
MT live here now. Eth? where's he gone? |
Lor' child, dunno. I'm most a stran-