Year: 1873

FROM Tie recently puoI!eheu Ine OF
the Rev. Samuel j. Nay we take the
following anacdote.


During his college life he was fire.
quently invited by the father of one of
his classmates, who was the chief man.
ager of the middlesex canal, TO- wafer
party il. the vicinity. On one of which
occasions he was introduced to Daniel
Webster, when a whimsical occurrence
took place.


On our return from Woburn We stop
ped at a beautiful point on the shore of
Spot Pond SO soon as the ladies came
upon the margin of the little lake. they
espied unaccountable numbers of lilies,
whose fragrance is so refreshing. Each
and all exclaimed how they longed to
have them. But they were too far off
to be reached by any means but boat
or raft. But where could the one be
found or the material for the other be
collected The more the probability
of getting them seemed to recede, the
more earnest became the desires of the
young ladies to be possessed of the beau
tifull flowers, and the more touching
their expressions Of disappointment


at length Mr.. Webster exclaimed,
"Uh, that 1 were as young as l was a
few years agos would ransack the
shore of the pond until l found some
boat or boards by which 10 reach and
gather those lilies" No sooner were
the words out of his mouth than the
young men bounded off at the top of
their speed to find what he intimated
ought to be sought after Nearly all
went. [ stood very demurely, enduring
as we'll as l could the glances of most
contemptuous surprise at my want of
gallantry. l stood until my fellows
were too far gone to see what | meant to
do, when l waded out and collected ali
that could bring in of the lovely temp
tiers. Shouts of applause cheered me on
and when | reached the shore, soaked
with water from my waistcoat pockets
downward, and presented to each of the
ladies one or more of the flowers they
had so much desired, their thanks were
profuse, and to me quite as grateful as
the fragrance of the lilies, mixed as they
were. with tender expressions of anxiety
lest my gallantry should cost me some
severe sickness. The gentlemen were
not backward in commanding the exploit
and Mr.. Webster was louder than all of
them in my praise. "Ah, sir" said |,
"the ladies owe these lilies less to my
gallantry than to your eloauence. l
could not stand unmoved by your ap
peal" "Never BEFORE" he exclaimed
"never before have gained lily by my
eloquence." "No, SIR rejoined, "but
it has often been crowned with laurels."


Ali this, of course, prolonged some
what the merriment, until we saw the
young men returning along the shore of
the lake, dragging an old dory which
they had found about a quarter of mile
off. Immediately all the company ar
ranged themselves to welcome the poor
fellows, every lady with lily in her
bosom or on her head, and every gentle
man swinging one in his hand So soon
as my comrades got near enough to espy
the flowers, they dropped the rope of the
boat, ana pushed forward to be assured
the appearance was reality And when
they saw that the lilies had indeed been
taken from the pond, and found that they
had "gotten only their labor for their
palms," while they in their hearts gener-
ously exalted with me in my triumph,
they threatened me with all sorts of re-
taliations if l were not protected by the
presence of the fair sex.