Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-12-16
New UncOmmercial Samples.
BY CHARLES DICKENS.
ABOARD SHIE.

My Journeys a Uncommercial Traveller
for the firm of Human Interest Brothers
have not slackened since | last reported
Of them, but have kept me continually on
the move | remain in the same idle en-
ployment | never solicit an order, L
never get any commission, | am the roll
ing stone that gathers no moss,-unless
any should by chance be found among
these Samples.
Some half a year ago. | found myself in
my idlest. dreamiest, and least accounta-
bic condition altogether, on board ship, in
the harbor of the city of New York, in
the United States of America. OF all the
good ships afoat, mine was the good
steamship Russia, Captain Cook, Cunard
Line bound for Liverpool What more
could | wish for?
| had nothing to wish for but pros
porous passage. My salad-days, when L
was green Of visage and sea-sick, being
gone with better things land worse,) no
coming event east its shadow before.
might, but few moments previously,
have initiated Sterne, and said, And yet
methinks, Eugenius laying my forefnger
wistfully on his coatsleeve thus and
yet. methinks. Eugenius, it is but sorry
work to part with thee, for what fresh
fields my dear Eugenius .
can be fresher than thou art, and in what
pastures new shall | find Eliza-or call
her, Eugenius, if thou wilt, Annie, i
say | might have done this; but Eugenius
was gone, and l hadn't done it
was resting on a skylight on the hur-
ricane-deck watching the working of the
ship very slowly about, that she might
head for England 1t was high noon on
a most brilliant day in April, and the
beautiful bay was glorious and glowing.
Full many time, on shore there, had |
seen the snow come down, down, down
(itsclf like DOWN. until it lay deep in all
the ways of men, and particularly, it
seemed in my way, for | had not gone
dry-shod many hours for months. Within
two or three days last past had [ watched
the feathery fall setting in with the ardor
of new idea, instead of dragging at the
skirts of worn out winter, and permitting
glimpses of fresh young spring. But a
bright sun and clear sky had melted the
snow in the great crucible of nature, and
it had been poured out again that morn
ing over sea and land, transformed into
myri;sls of gold and silver sparkles.
The ship was fragrant with flowers
Something of the old Mexican passion for
flower. may have gradually passed into
North America, where flowers are luxu.
riously grown and tastefully combined in
the richest profusion; but, be that as ii
may, such gorgeous farewells in flowers
had come on board, that the small officers
cabin on deck, which l tenanted, bloomed
over into the adjacent scuppers, and banks
of other flowers that it couldn't hold
made garden of the unoccupied tables in
the passengers saloon. These delicious
scents of the shore, mingling with the
fresh airs of the sea. made the atmosphere
dreamy, an enchanting one. And so,
with the watch aloft setting all the sails
and with the screw below revolving at a
mighty rate, and occasionally giving the
ship an angry shake for resisting. fell
into my idlest ways and lost myself.
As, for instance, whether it was 1 lying
there, or some other entity even more mys.
terious, was matter l was far too lazy to
look into. What did it signify to me il
it were I-or to the more mysterious en-.
tity-if it were he? Equally as to the
remembrances that drowsily foated by me-
or by him,-why ask when, or where, the
things happened? Was it not enough
that they befell at sometime, somewhere
There was that assisting at the Church