The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-08-09

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s .Sy PeoPle wno nved uoSa ~ ounylS, ana
.sousn ne mao o'len sslo tnas as soon as ne could
anOfu " he must take nef anu Dalsy Us ne fOndly
called his little child 10 see his mother and his
sisters, that time bad never come yet, nor seemed
likely TO do SO and the sewing. machine, which
had been present from her mother inlaw upon
her marriage, was the only visible link subsisting
| between the Hartleys and herself.
| The sewing machine! Yes, she had welcomed Il
as useful and expensive gilt; but she had been
compelled TO sit at it often since, during hot
dusty days when she had been painting for breath
of fresh air, and cold dark ones during which she
had scarcely dared use as much fuel as would
able her TO work 10 comfort, that she had come TO
hate the sound CT s untlrng needle, and the touch
| OF It's patient treadles
II as she freuully thought TO herself II she
| ever bad any material worth making up, for which
10 use the horrid thing. II might be different; bat
as II was-and she twitched the worn skirt Of her
alpaca dress impatienty TO one side, as II the sight
OF II, even by those dull embers, was dlstasteful
to her.
But she could scarcely remember what il was 10
possess pretty or becoming dress and her baby
was never what she calied) "ft to be SEEM" As
| for an entertaining book, or few fresh flowers
or fruits, she had almost forgotten what such
things were; and it was hard 1T certainly was
hard-to spend ones life without single luxury
or pleasure.
And as the thought OF these inevitable hardships
pressed upon Meg Hsrtley's mind tears began to
gather In her eyes, and roll slowly down her cheeks
II was thus that the past had lost its power to
make her grateful for the present, and that she
could permit the dread memory OF blows and
curses TO be overwhelmed by the existing dscon-
Tort OF having TO eat salt buttor and wssr uniasn'
lonaole gsrm penis was very iooIsn Q. nsr-
worse imam Ioohsn, was wrong-and yet II was
natural; although the assertion speaks poorly Tor
human nature s..
How often, ln our snort span OF Ire, nave we
seen huge billow advancing to meet us-oomins
onwaros with resistiess force, and threatening TO
overwhelm our little bark!
How tremulous have we watched its rapid pro-
gTess-how we have dreamed OF IL, wept over II,
for weeks before it reached US; Snd whilst call
ing on the Master Mariner for aid In our perplex-
ity, have yet, 10 our minds, felt perfectly con.
vnced that even bis help must be unavailing, and
that we never could survive the shock! At lastit
when, 10! it broke within few yards of our
boat and, passing unter. instead Of over it, gave
the frail structure an impetus which sent IL riding
calamity above its foaming crest once more into
smooth water.
For few hours perhaps, we could scarcely
mention our deverance without tears and for
few days, or weeks according to our disposition,
any allusiOn to the danger we had so unexpect
edy passed called forth expressions OF the deep
est gratitude.
Well and what then? The huge bilow was
| far out of sight; we had almost forgotten what
il looked like when so near the interest of the
| topic faded, and we began to grumble
because the weather was not quite favorable to
our snort or that we sometimes brought up
| seaweed in our nets instead of fish
Meg Hartley WAS no better aud no worse
| than the generality of her fellow. creatures.
| There are but few of us who know how to
| make the best of this life; how TO extract the
| sweets which every phase of it, in some sort,
| contains and how to cast the inevita ole bitter
| away She needed lesson 10 be read TO her
| upon eontentment; and heavy one was adj
| vancing with toe gloom. .r .-ff nib
She had scarcely realized that she was cry
ing, when the approaching sound OF an infants
| wall, and rude knock al tue door, caused ner
to rouse herself, and brush a way the tears which
| stood upon her cheeks.
| eli you please, m" said the uncouth tones
| of her sole attendant, an awkward girl from her
| husbands National School, " | think as how tue
| child wants yer; and If yern taks her, can
he about getting up the tea-things ID time for
master"
altering her position as she listiessly held out
her arms for the infant; and 10 another moment
it was Graded on her bosom, and drawing It's
| nourishment from the springs OF her own eX'
| istenee.
The child, not much above Twelve month
old, was teething; and there was something in
the touch of those feverlsh lips, and the harm
less energy with which the NIUE not mana clutcneo
moment would, nave aPpeaied very Po"eHury
TO It's molhefs leeh1gs. :. - h,-,o. ,,,,
But Margaret hartley was 10 no hnnior tna'
evening even to sympathlze with niue DAISY
She took the child almost impanently. and nav,
ing given u the breast resumed heI occupauo9 Vi
gazing in the IRE whilst her thoughts returned 70
the same channel as before.
Inc gri from lne Nationa ~ na' rs o'u u
dered up and down stars three OF -FOUR tllnes-l1
the course Of which preregrinations had managed
TO convey the tea things saiey u their desunsto
and to spread the table win the unlnVlung loAi OF
yesterdays BAKING, the siso OIL SAT- puster III us
dinner plate, and the pennywortn OF nulu from
which the mllkman dared 10 taAe MS name, nov
demanded OF her mistress Whetnet she sn1u9
light the gas, make up the nre' OF take 'ne chlo
again.
To all OF which inquiries Meg Haruey oniy lret'
fully replied in the negative telling the grl ID go
down stairs and stop there I'LL she was caHeo TOT
And then the parior door was slammed, aud the
rough shod feet shutfied back TO the lower re-
gions and the discontented woman was iet'
musing in the dusk, and save for the baby on heI
breast, alone.
How long she remained thus, she could never
say, for the occurrence by which her meditatOns
were interrupted was SO terrifying as 10 drive az
calculation Of time out of her mind. Il might