Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-02-01
"REMINISCENCES OF DICKENS
FIRST VISIT TO AMERICA.

.
A gentleman who, when a baby, wa,
unconsciously immortalized in Charles
Dickens Notes of his trip to st. Louis
was met yesterday by republican report
er. 1t was the gentlemans birthday
and that circumstance led to the dis.
closure of facts comparatively little known
regarding the identity of character des.
cribed in the American Notes" of the
| great novelist.
The pretty little scene on board the
boat between louisville and ST. Louis,
as printed in the "Notes. was one OF
the most charming and soul-felt pictures
of character and emotion that ever warm
ed the heart in fact or fiction, and
Fors ter said that of all the writings OF
Dickens, it was Lord Jeffreys favorite
passage.
In letter to Forster, dated on board
the boat, 1912. Dickens gives the story,
which for freshness excells the printed
accounts in the notes, and it's publication
will be new to many. II runs as fol
| lows:
There was a woman on board with a
little baby: and both little woman and
little child were cheerful, good looking,
bright eyed and fair to see. The little
woman had been passing long time
with a sick mother in New York, and had
left her home in st. Louis, in that con-
dition in which ladies who love their lords
desire to be. The baby had been born in
her mothers house, and she had not seen
her husband to whom she was now re-
turning for 2 months. Well, to be
sure, there never was little woman so
full of hopes and tenderness and love and
anxiety, as this little woman was, and all
the livelong day, wondering whether he
would be at the wharf, and whether be
had got her letter and whether if she sent
the baby on shore by somebody else,
he would know it meeting it IN the
street, which, seeing that he had never
set eyes upon it in his life, was not very
Elely in the abstract, but was probable
enough to the young mother. She was
such an artless creature, and was IN such
sunny, beaming, hopeful state, and let
out all this matter clinging close abou,
her heart, so freely that all the other lady
passengers entered into the spirit of 1t as
much as she: and the captain who had
heard all about it from his wife was
wondrously shy, promise you-inquir-
ing every time we met at the table
whether she had expected anybody tc
NEE, her at St. Louis, and supposing she
wouldn't want to 90 ashore the night we
reached it, and cutting many other dry
Jokes which convulsed all the hearers, but
especially the ladies'. There was one
little, wien, dried-apPle woman am"ng
those who took occasion to doubt the con-
stancy of husbands under such circum-
stances of bereavement, and there wa:
another lady, with lap dog old enough
to moralize on the lightness of human at
fections. and yet not so old that she could
not help nursing the baby now and then
or laughing with the rest when the little
woman called it by his fathers name and
asked il all manner of fantastic question:
concerning him in the JOY of her heart
Il was something of blow to the little
woman that when we were within 2C
miles Of our destination it became clearly
necessary to put the baby TO bed, but SHE
90. over that with the same good humor
tied n little handkerchief over her head
and came out into the gallery with the
rest. Then, such an oracle as she became
in reference to the localities, and such
facetiousness was displayed by the mar
ried ladies, and such sympathy was showr
by the single ones; and such peals o
lauphter as the little woman heresel
who would just as soon cried greeteC
every jest with.
AT last there were the lights of St
Louis and here was the wharf, and there
were the steps; and the little woman
covering her face with her hands anC
laughing or seeming to laugh more thar
ever. ran into her own cabin and shu
herself up tight.
| have no doubt that in the charming
inconsistency of such excitement she stop
ned her ears lest she should hear hin
asking for her; but | didn't see her do 1t
Then a great crowd of people rushed o'
board, though the boat was not yet mad
fast, and was staggering among the othe
boats to find a landing place; and every
body looked for the husband, and nobod
saw him, when all of sudden right Il
the midst of them-God knows how sh
got there-there was little woman hug
ging with both arms, around the neck @
a ne.looking fellow. And in momen
afterward, there she was again draggin
him through the small door of her cabi
to look at the baby as he lay ASLEEP
, What a good thing it is to know that
, many of us would have been quite down
hearted and sorry if that husband had nc
come"
II will be a surprise to many IN d
Louis to know who were the parties
feeling touched by the pen of Dickens
The baby alluded to, which has sine
grown up to manhood, is Chas. r. Gal
rison, Esq. The little woman tn
|, mother of Chas. X. Garrison, died abou
six years ago. Her name was ANN
Move Garrison, and her father, kichar
Noye, was a native of Plymouth, ,Englan'
He was Methodist preacher, and reside
, for MANY wears in Buffalo, n. Y, whel