ONE OOLIAS PER ANNUM, INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE,
TOW'AXDA :
Satnrhrtn fllorninn, December 1, 1855.
jlelcctfl* |)octrn.
THE HARVEST HYMN.
r„j(] of tlio rolling year! to Thee
Our *ongs shall rise—whose bounty pour#
In many a goodly gilt, with free
\:i'l literal hand, our autumn stores !
\'u lirst 1 lugs of our stock we slay,
Xo soaring clouds of incense rise,
Put on thine hallowed shrine we lay
OUT grateful hearts in sacrifice.
p,,rne on thy breath the lap of Spring
Was heaped with many a blooming flower :
And Mulling summer joyed to bring
The sunshine and the gentle shower;
And Autumn's rich luxuriance, now,
The ripening >eod, the bursting shell,
The g Men sheaf and laden bough,
Tin fullness of thy bounty tell.
S<> menial throng, in princely doom,
Here wait a titled lord's behest,
But many a fair and peaceful home
Ilath won thy peaceful dove a guest;
Xo graves or palm our fields adorn.
S' i tmrtle shades or orange bowers,
But rustling mead- of golden corn,
And fields of waving grain nre Ours.
Safe '- tliv care the landscape o'er,
our fl ks and herds securely stray ;
Xo tvrant master claims our store—
Xo ruthless robber rends away ;
Xo tierce volcano's withering shower—
No fell simoon with poisonous breath—
Xo burning suns, with baleful power,
Awake the fiery plagues of death.
And here -hall rise our song to Thee,
Where lengthened vales and pasture lie,
And streams go singing wild and lree,
Beneath a blue and smiling sky,
Where ne'er was reared a mortal throne.
Where rowned oppressors never trod,
Here- .it the throne of Heaven alone,
Shall man in reverence how to (ion.
Ctmcatifliial.
[For the Bradford Reporter.]
!Y. B. This is not to be read by any to whom
ths supposed cases do not apply -
MR. EDITOR; There arc many difficulties and
perplexities to which the faithful teacher is
subjected, that are not generally known or
fully appreciated by parents and guardians.—
One of the most fruitful sources of troubles of
this kind, is the permitting of scholars to stay
away from school, a day, or a half day, when
a difficult lesson is to be recited. All lessons
require more or less close study, all arc impor
tant ; hut. some require more labor than oth
ers, and some are more important than others,
and, in most cases, these difficult but more im
portant lessons contiiiu the principles involved
n the succeeding ones. Take now a child who
■iMikes to study hard and long, in order to
'.aster the elements of a science, who hates the
i.oiougli, searching drill of the faithful teach
er, while upon first principles : and, when such
lessons coine along he finds it convenient to stav
homo, or visit some friend, or to run in the
>'reet. To stay at home, perhaps, for a sick
ness so slight, that it would not prevent att.cn
uance at a hall, or party, or theatre, or circus,
r a plat e where two shillings could be made,
Wti if it were necessary to go through mud
and rain to reach those places. A sickness,
V>, -o ephemeral, and so accommodating in its
nature, that it will disappear the very hoar the
which produced it (that is the hard les
ha* passed off. without leaving the patient
J t all reduced in flesh, or in strength. I'er
-1 haps tlie pupil will remain from school a whole
Hav. to do something that could and would,
tinier eth<r eircnmstanccs, be just as well done
an hour before sghool, while he was permit
'u hither lit- in bed, to get the sleep that
should haw had in the early part of the
■"veiling- whin he was in the street, or at the
-iv or porhapv the circus or theatre ; or, is
M play until the last bell has called the
.! tog. tlior. True, the parent does not
4 1 that a difficult lesson was to be recited
"toffimg ; but the child knew it the uight
* " rfi . and had laid his plans accordingly.—
(i ti- the bell is ringing, he suggests to the
that he was wanted for some purpose at
a few minutes, aiui he is sent to perforin
• J hb<>r whatever it may be. When the work
,|p - it lias become so late, that, at the sug
- ot the child, the parent concludes thai
11 a "b as well stay at home the rest of the
•or iiu:t day, as the ease may be. When
•*""-Elected lesson has passed off. he obtains
and starts to school, chuckling to
••a- I"JW he has outwitted his pareuts and
the teacher.
hat is the effect of this deceiving of
[urtnt, A.,,1 , S
• < iiu cheating of teacher, upon the who
•if' TIN . 71
j•' n " e into the class to
,f,: 1 e Qfcxt lesson, iu which the principles
- " trd one are iuvolved, he is wholly
' ' " n( '° rstanf i the subject under cou-j
a,'.' n " r tlm simple reason, that, when
'f" the principles upon which the
it*.- was uo * P rfeSen t. If the
4 J uri(> "I* 0 " him the absolute necessity
' U ''' s at every recitation, he
11 . and with great assurance, falls
U tij ' exeu *® for yesterday's alweoee,
l -*'hcr must übmit ; but ie this the
THE BRADFORD REPORTER.
end of the matter ? By no means ; he may
be required to remain after school and recite ;
with this he is dissatisfied, and determines to
worry out the hard, unreasonable master, as
he now thinks he is, and so to carry the cheat
ing operation farther, he concludes that he will
not study that particular lesson at all, seeing
that he is required to stay and recite it, only
to accommodate the master. In fact, he has
no time to look over yesterday's lesson, for
those of to-day presses much harder upon him
than upon the others of his class. The first
principles must therefore be wholly neglected,
or the teacher must take time out of school
hours to give the same instruction as was giv
en to the class ; but with the additional labor
consequent upou hearing a lesson that never
has been studied.
The scholar soon discovers that his class
mates are getting ahead of him, and as the
lessons grow more and more difficult to one
who neglected the first, he soon stays away
again because he does not understand his les
sons. On his return again, he finds matters
worse than before. He soon has a settled dis
like to his teacher—thinks he is cross—unne
cessarily exacting, unwilling to give him pro
per assistance, and partial to the other mem
bers of the class who get along so much better
than he does ; and finally hates to go to that
school. His parents, after talking the whole
matter over with him, without hearing a word
from the teacher, unless he obtruded himself
upon them, conclude that it is of no use to drive
the child to a school where he dislikes the mas
ter ; and he is therefore kept at home, or sent
to some other school, there to re-enact the
same scenes, if the teacher is faithful, and leave
for the street school, where hundreds of the
youth of our village are receiving their only
education.
In this school he loses no lessons, he is pre
sent at every recitation of vulgarity, obscenity,
profanity and blasphemy ; he hears all. learns
all, remembers all, practices all, and when he
graduates, he goes forth to teach all. Now,
where was the root of this evil ? Was the
teacher to blame for requiring perfect lessons ?
For insisting upon the importance of constant
attendance at every recitation, when atten
dance was possible, uot convenient, but POSSI
BLE. I leave these questions for pareuts to
answer.
But, it will be said, are children never really
sick while attending school ? Certainly they
are, frequently, really sick, and when so, should
be most carefully attended to, and their health
should, at all times, be watched over by the
parents with anxious solicitude, and all unne
cessary exposures and irregularities in diet and
hour- of sleep, should be sedulously guarded
against ; but iu the ease of the scholar, we
would have the parents investigate the cause
and degree of the indisposition, as rigidly as
they do iu cases where money or pleasure is to
be the sacrifice for non-attendance.
Parents occasionally, need their children to
do some chores after school time ; but, the
same care in the ra.->e of the scholar, as is ex
ercised in other cases, would make those occa
sions, " like angel's visits, few and far be
tween."
It may be asked again, how do pareuts know
when the most difficult, or the most important
lessons are to be recited ? They do uot know;
hence the impropriety of allowing scholars to
stay out of school a moment, if it can possibly
be avoided. If they do not know which are
the most important, they do know, or they
ought to know, that all are of sufficient im
portance to require the attention of their chil
dren.
If parents could be induced to go with their
children to school, and to remain through the
day and hear them attempt to recite after an
absence of a day or two, and witness their
trouble and perplexity in endeavoring to keep
along with those who recite every lesson—if
they would perform, for one or two days only,
the extra labor that the teacher has to perform
for their scholars, these annoying and discour
aging absences would soon cease to trouble the
teacher. X.
TAT.T. BiuoorsG. —A sucker specimen, whose
visit to the State Fair gave him liberty to
stretch the truth slightly respecting what lie
saw ou his travels, was detailing to u Hoosier
the immense business done in packing beef iu
the Garden City. Said he, "they kill a mil
ion head a week, and the blood discolors the wa
ter of the lake half a mile from shore." "That's
nothing," replied the I lousier ; " at my uncle's
down iu New Albany, they have a trip ham
mer, driveu by a forty horse power steam en
gine, just to knock the cattle down with ; and
there is so much blood, that with it they drive
a grist mill of six run of burrs, and never stop
ou account of low water."
LOVING SIMPLICITY —Upon the conclusion
of a marriage in a village church, the bride
groom signed the register with " his x mark."
The pretty young bride did the same, and theu
turning to a lady who had known her as the
best scholar in school, whispered to her, while
tears of honest love and admiration stood in
her bright eyes : " Here's a dear fellow, Miss,
but cannot write yet ; he's going to learn of
me, and I would not ihamc him for the
world."
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY AT TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, PA., BY E. O'MEARA GOODRICH.
" REGARDLESS OF DENUNCIATION FRO* ANY QUARTER."
HI istiHatttpus.
The Husking Frolic.
The barn was a vast rustic bower tliat night.
One end was heaped with corn ready for busk
ing ; the floor was neatly swept ; "and over
head the rafters were concealed by heavy gar
lands of white pine, goldeu maple leaves, and
red oak branches, that swept from the roof
downwards like a tent. Butternut leaves
wreathed their clustering gold among the dark
green hemlock, while sumach cones, with flame
colored leaves, shot through the gorgeous for
est branches. The rustic chandelier was in
full blaze, while now and then a candle gleam
ed out through the garlands, starring them to
the roof. Still, the illumination was neither
broad nor bold, but shed a delicious starlight
through the barn, that left much to the im
agination, aud concealed a thousand little
signs of love-making that would huve been ven
tured on more slilv had the light been more
i broad.
But the candles were aided by a host of
sparkling eyes. The air was warm, and rich
laughter and pleasant nonsense, bandied from
group to group amid the rustling of cornhusks
and the dash of golden ears, as they fell from
the heap that swelled larger and larger with
every passing minute.
I nele Nathan's great arm-chair had been
placed in the centre of the barn, just beneath
the hoop of lights. There lie sat ruddy and
smiling, the very impersonation of a ripe liar
vest, with an iron lire shovel fastened in some
mysterious manner across his seat, a large
splint basket between his knees, working away
with an energy that brought the perspiration
like rain to his forehead. Up and down across
the sharp edge of the shovel he drew the slen
der corn, sending a shower of golden kernels
into the basket with every pull of his arm,and
stooping now and then with a well pleased
smile to even down the corn us it rose higher
in his basket.
Our old friend Salina sat at a little distance,
with her fiery tresses rolled in upright putt's
over each temple, and her great horn comb
towering therein like a battlement. A calico
gown with very gay colors straggling over it,
like honey suckles and buttercups on a hill
side, adorned her lathy person, leaving a trim
foot visible on a bundle of stalks just within
range of Uncle Ned's eye. Not that iSalinu in
tended it. or that Uncle Nat had any particu
lar regard for neatly clad feet, but your strong
minded woman has an instinct which is snre
to pluce the few charms sparsely distributed to
the class, in conspicuous relief on all occa
sions.
As Salina sat perched on the base of the
corn-stalk, tearing away vigorously at the husks,
she cast an admiring glance now aud then on
the old man as his head rose aud fell to the
motion of his hands, but that glance was quick
ly withdrawn with a defiant toss of the head,
for L nele Nat's eyes never once turned on the
trim foot with its calf-skin shoe, much less on
its owuer, who began to be a little exaspera
ted, as maidens of her class will be wheu their
best points are overlooked.
" Humph !" muttered the maiden, looking
down at her calico ; " one might as well have
come with a linsev woolsev frock on for what
any body cares." In order to relieve these
exasperated feelings, Salina seized an car of
com by the dead silk and rent away the en
tire husk at once ; when lo ! a long, plump
ear appeared, the very thing that half a do
zen of the prettiest girls on the stalk-heap, had
been searcliiug and wishing for all the even
ing.
The discovery was hailed with a shout. Thv
possession of a red ear, according to the estab
lished usage of all husking parties entitled
every gentleman present to a kiss from the
holder.
The barn rang again with the clamor of
voices and the shouts of merry laughter. There
was a general crashing down of ears upon the
corn heap. The roguish girls that had failed
in finding the red ear, abandoned work and
began dancing over the stalk heap, clappiug
their hands like inad things, and sending shout
after shout of merry laughter that went ring
ing cheerily among the starlit evergeens over
head.
But the young men, after the first wild shout,
remained unusually silent, looking sheepishly
on each other with a shy unwillingness to com
mence duty. No one seemed urgent to lie first,
and this very awkwardness set the girls off like
mad again.
There sat Salina, amid the merry din, brand
ishing the red ear in her hand, with a grim
smile upon her mouth, prepared for a desperate
defence.
" W hat's the matter ? why don't von begin
cried a pretty black eyed piece of mischief from
the top of the stalk heap ; " why, before this
time, I thought you would have beeu snatching
kisses by handsful."
" I'd like to see tlieiu try, that's all !" said j
the strong minded female, sweeping a glance of
scornful defiance over the young men.
" Now Joseph Nash, are von goingto stand
that ?" cried the pretty piece of mischief to a
handsome young fellow that had haunted her
neighborhood all the evening, " afraid to fight
for a kiss, arc you V
" No, not exactly," said Joseph, rolling back
bis wristbands and settling himself in his clothes;
" it's the after-clap, if I shouldn't happen to
please," lie added in a whisper that brought
his lips so close to the cheek of his fair tormen
tor, that he absolutely gathered toll from its
peachy bloom before starting on his pilgrimage,
a toll that brought the glow still more richly
to her face.
The maiden, laughing till the tears sparkled
in her eyes, pushed him towards Salina in re
venge.
But Salina lost no time in placing herself on
the defensive. She started up, flung the bun
dle of stalks on which she had been seated at
the head of Iter assailant, kicked up a tornado
of loose husks with her trim foot, and stood
brandishing her red car furiously, as if it had
been a dagger in the hand of Lady Macbeth,
rather than inoffensive food for chicken;.
" Keep your distance, Joe Nash ; keep clear
of me, now I tell you ; I ain't afraid of the
face of man ; so back out of this while you
have a chance ; you can't kiss me, I tell you,
without you are stronger than I be, and I know
you are !"
"1 shan't—shan't I?" answered Joe, who
was reinforced by half a dozen langhing young
sters, all eager for a frolic ; " well, I never did
take a stump from a gal in my life, so here
goes for that kiss."
Joe bounded forward as he spoke, and made
a snatch at Salina with his great hands ; but,
with the quickness of a deer, she sprang aside,
leaving her black silk apron in his grusp. An
other plunge, aud down came the car of corn
across his head, rolling a shower of red kernels
among his thick brown hair.
But Joe had secured his hold, and after an
other dash, that broke her ear of corn in twain,
fcsalina was left defenceless, with nothing but
her two hands to fight with ; but she plied
these with great vigor, leaving long crimson
marks upon her assailant's checks with everv
blow, till, in very self-defence, he was com
pelled to lessen the distance between her face
and his, thus receiving her assault upon bis
shoulders.
To this day it is doubtful if Joe Nash really
did gather the fruits of his victory. If he did,
no satisfactory report was made to the eager
ring of listeners ; und Salina stalked away
from him with an air of ineffable disdain, us
if her defeat had been deprived of its just re
ward.
EASTERN SAGACITY. —The Saltan of TVadai
(laudeh, pretending to fly, had marched round
in the rear of the Forian army, and inter
posed between them and their country. They
believed, however, that he was utterly routed,
and loudly expressed their joy. One vizier
remained silent, and on being asked by his
master why lie did not share in the general
jov, replied that he did not believe in this
easy victory, and offered to prove that the en
emy's army was even then marching towards
them.
" How wilt thou do this said the sultan.
" Bring me a she cainel," replied the vizier,
" with a man that knows how to milk 1"
The camel was brought and well washed,
and the milk was drawn into a clean bowl,
and placed, with a man to guard it, on the top
of the sultan's tent. Next morning the vizier
caused the bowl to be brought to him, ami
found the milk quite black. So he went to
the saltan and said :
" Master, they are coming down upon us,
and have marched all night. !"
" How dost thou know that ?"
" Look at this blackened milk !"
" In what way has it become black ?"
'• The dust raised by the feet of the horses
has been carried by the wind !"
Some laughed at this explanation, but others
believed it, and looked out auxiously toward
the west. In a short time the manes of the
hostile cavalry were seen shaking in the east
ern horizon Then followed the battle in
which the Forian Sultan was slain.
BtrJ" A gentleman travelling through the
most suckerish portion of the sucker state, put
np at a log cabin in the " timber," where no
visitors of the kind have ever entered before.
The old man of the cabin had a daughter, who
thought she must' fix up' for the stranger,and
look ' like folks.' Accordingly she sat down
at the dinner tabic, arrayed in her best bib
and tucker, and putting on her newest airs of
gentility. Some corn dodgers were on the ta
ble, and she was " walking into" these as a
sucker girl only can. By-and-by, she cauie
across a hair in one of the dodgers, and pulling
it out between her two finders, exclaimed,
" M other, here's a liar !" " Hush-sh girl, it's
only corn silk." " V-e a-s ! I say, c-o-r-n silk
to you, with a ml on it."
To DIVEST CALVES OF VERMIN. —Tt often
happens that calves become covered with ver
min, causing them to lose flesh and look very
dull. To clean the calf is a very disagreeable
piece of work ; but if the following receipt is
adhered to. they will become clean with a very
little trouble. Give the calf a tablespoon fail
of brimstone for three mornings in succession ;
if one trial does not completely rid the calf,
the second will never fail. 1 have tried it se
veral times, and once has been enough in each
instance.
Let a bachelor get a scratch upon his
face, and it is said he has been in an awful
fight ; but when a married man appears with
two black eyes, a swollen face, and a severe
headache, il is only said that he hus fallen in
to a little " love spat."
AN EXCELLENT REASON.—A lady walking,
a few days since, on one of the wharves in New-
York, asked a sailor whom she met, why a
ship was called "she ?" The son of Neptune
replied that it was " because the rigging costs
more than the hull!"
The individual who tried to clear Lis
his conscience with an egg, is now endeavoring
to raisc'his spirits with yeast. If he fails in
this, it is his deliberate intention to blow out
Lis brains with a bellows, aud sink calmly iuto
the anus of a young lady.
A FEELING UF.l'l.Y. —Milton was asked liy
a frtend. whether he would instruct his daugh
ters in the different languages, to which he re
plied :
" No, sir, one tongue is sufficient for a wo
man."
The Bucks County Intelligencer calls
Shanghais " travelingrorncribs." Very truth
ful designation.
)&r A printer down South offers to sell
his whole establishment for a clean shirt and
a meal of victuals. Ho says he has lived on
promises till his whiskers have stopped grow
ing.
RECIPE FOR A MODERN BONNET.
Two scraps of foundation, some fragments of la<-,
A shower of French rose-buds to droop o'er the face,
Fine ribbons and feathers, with crape and illusion,
Then mix and derange them in graceful confusion ;
Inveigle some fairy, out roaming for pleasure,
And beg the slight favor of taking her measure,
Ihe length and the breadth of her dear little pate,
And hasten a miniature frame to create ;
Thcu pour as above, a bright mixture upon it,
Aud, lo ! you possess " situ A LOVE OK A BOSS A
&TAY WHKRK YOU ARE. —In THE West we
lmve met with persons possessed for a mania of
clearing land. As long as their farms afford
unlimited opportunities for chopping down
huge trees and burning up huge logs, they
work away with the ardor of passion ; but the
moment they have made their farms tillable
ami their houses iuhabitable, they take uo fur
ther interest in them whatever, and are eager
to sell out and pluuge deeper into the woods
to ply ugain the axe and the brand. Thus
the country is cleared rapidly : but the blood
of the people is fevered, and the passion for
change continues after the good done by it bus
been accomplished.
Then necessity for a rapid clearing of land
has ceased. We have cleared faster than we
have appropriated. The Eastern and Middle
States present an expanse, almost unbroken,
of half cultivated land,dotted with unattractive
homes. A large number—probable a rnajori
uy—of those who occupy those homes are, at
least, willing, if they are not desirous, to sell
their farms and try their fortunes in a newer
region. They know that the burden of life is
heavy to be borne where they are ; they hope
it will be lighter somewhere else. They for
get that the life of no honest man is easy.
Tiiev omit from their calculations ail the un
seen and spiritual advantages of a permanent
residence. They overlook the fact that the
real nut riment of a tree or a man flows in from
the minute tendrils of the root, scarcely visi
ble to the vjtt, which a removal rudely tears
away. They have neglected to make their
homes charming, by planting tiie ornamental
shrub, the shading tree, the beautiful flower.
They have not enlisted in their corps of co-ope
rators the next to-omnipotent aid of Science
nor bound themselves to the Ileitis they till by
the interest of varied, intelligent Experiment.
They do not know that new lands, though
they give a large increase, yet draw large trib
ute from the men who go to live upon then).
The forest and the prairie do not yield without
a struggle, nor without imparting some of their
wildness to their conquerors. It is a game of
(live and Take between civilized man and wild
nature.
The most of men over twenty-five years of
age. who have good footing upon their native
soil, we believe the advice is good. Stay where
you are, and determine to stay as long as life
lasts! Persevering toil, guided by thinking
head and ennobled by a worthy purpose, Kill
reduce the mortgage by degrees, and beautify
the old home and fertilize the sterile field, and
drain the too fertile marsh, aud convert stones
into stone fence, and make the farm the pride
of the township and the delight of its owner.
Stay where you are, and try it ! There are those
who should remove—the young, the strong,
the uueapituled the one-too-many in a family,
lint, if possible, such should remove but once,
seeking not a stopping place, but a permanent
home in which, and around which, ail is best
in their natures may gather und centre. — Life
Illustrated.
FATTEN SWINE EARI.T. — Many farmers de
ter fattening their swine till the winter season,
so as to kill lliem the last of January or the
first of February, and sometimes later. The
reason given for this course is that the late
season affords more leisure for threshing and
grinding corn and grain, and more time for at
tending to feeding. This is not, however, the
economy, as a general thing.
The temperature of all warm blooded ani
mals is. at most times, higher than that of the
surrounding atmosphere, and a constant con
sumption of fat in the body is required to keep
np this elevation of temperature. The amount
of heat given off from the surface of tlie body
depends upon the retentive coldness of the air.'
In cold weather then, more heat producing ele
ments, that is, more fat—is required to sustain
the animal than in warm weather : so that
the same amount of food there will be less stir- '
plus fat left to increase the bulk of the ani- J
mal. To illustrate ; Suppose that in Septem
ber aud October an animal eats 15 lbs of corn
per day, but requires only 10 lbs per day to
supply the loss of heat, there will then be left
5 lbs. of corn, or 33 per cent., to incriase the
bulk of the animal. Hut in January and Feb
ruary, owing to the increased coldness of the at
mosphere, the animal will require at least one
fifth more food—that is twelve lbs. of corn—
to keep up the natural warmth of the body.
This leaves but 3 lbs. out of 15, or 30 per
cent., to increase the weight. On this account
alone it is quite evident that early fattening is
more profitable.
The same reason suggests the importance of
keeping fattening animals, especially, in warm
pens or stalls us little exposed to cold as may
be.
A W EIGHTY Ann EVENT. -A Ye hear a good
ileal about the war being necessary to preserve
the balance of power, which is, no doubt, the
case : but there is another balance—and a
pretty powerful balance it is—which is likely
to be destroyed rather than preserved by the
existing state of things. There is not a State
in Eur<q>c which will not find its balance—if
it happens to have any in its treasnry—seri
ously jeopardized by the hostilities which have
broken out.— Punch.
KISSING. —One of the Deacons in Edward
Dey's church asked him if he usually kissed
the bride at weddings.
" Always," was the reply.
" And how do von manage when the happy
pair are negroes ?" was the deacon's questiou.
"In all such cases," replied Mr. Dey, " the
uaty of kissing is appointed to the deacons."
VOL. XV r.—-XO. 25.
[Fruiu the " Widuw Be Jolt Paper 4," edited Nul.}
Bedott.
He was a wonderful hand to moralize, hus
band was, 'specially after lie begun to ei-jpj
poor health. He made an observation once,
w lien lie was in otio of his poor turns, that I
shall never forget the longest day I live. He
says to me ono winter eveniu' as we was sittin'
by the fire, I was kitten' (I was always a won
derful great knitter) and he was asmokin' (he
was a master hand to smoke, though the du>
; tor used to tell him he'd be better off to let
tobaeker alone ; when lie was well he used to
take his pipe and smoke a spell after he'd got
the chores done up, and when he wasn't well
used to smoke the biggest part o' the time.)
W ell, he took his pipe out of his mouth and
turned toward me, and I knowed soraethin'
was coniin', for he had a partikelar way of
lookin' round when lie was gwine to say any
thing oncommon. Well, he says to me, sayi
he, "Silly," (my name was Prissilly naterally,
but he generally called me Siiiv, 'eartse 'twas
handier, you know.) Well, he says to me', "says
he, " Silly," and he looked pretty sollem, I tell
you, lie had a sollem countenance naterally
and after lie got to bo a deacon 'twas more so,
but since he'd lost ltis health he looked sollem
er than ever, and certainly you wouldent won
der at it if vou knew how much ho underwent
He was troubled with a wonderful pain in his
chest, and awazin' weakness in the spine of his
back, besides the pleurisy in his side, and hav
in' the ager a considerable part of the time,
and bein' broke of his rest o' nights 'cause ha
was so put to't for breath when he laid down.
Why it's an unaccountable fact that when the
man died lie ha-leut ,-eeu a well dav in fif'eeti
year, though when he was married and for live
or six year after I shoiildent desire to see a
rtiggeder man than what he was.
lint the time I'm speaker of he'd been out
o' health nigh upon ten year ; and, O dear
sakes ! how he had altered since the firt time
I ever see liiin ! That was to a quiUiu' to
Squire Smith's, a spell afore Sally was married.
I'd no idee then that Sid Smith was a gwinti
to be married to Sam Pendergrass. She'd been
keepin' company with Mose Hcwlitt fcr better
n a year, and everybody said that was a set
tled tiling, and lo and behold ! all of a sudden
she up and took Sam Pendergrass. Well, that
was the first time 1 ever see my husband, and
if anyliody'd a told me then that, I should a
said—but lawful sakes I I ino.-t forgot. I was
gwine to tell you what he said to ine that eve
nin', and when a body begins to tell a thing, I
believe in fiuishin' on't >ome time or other. —
Some folks have away of talkiu' round and
round and round forever more and never corn
in' to the pint. Now there's Miss Jinkins, sbo
was Poll Bingham afore she was married, sho
is the teejusest individooal to teil a story that
ever I see in all my born days. But I was a
gwine to tell you what my husband said. Ho
said to me, says he, " Silly." pays I " What ?"
1 dident say "What, llczekicr !'' for I dident
like his name. The first time I ever hoard it
I near killed myself a laflin. " Ilezckier Be
dott." says I, " well I would give up if I had
sich a name," but then you know 1 had no
more idee o' marryin' the feller, than yon have
this luinnit o' marryin' the governor. 1 'uposo
you think it's curus we named our oldest son
llezekier. Well, we done it to please father
and mother Bedott, it's father Bcdott's name,
and he and mother Bedott used to think thai
names had ought to go down from.gineration
to gineration. But we always called him Ivier,
you know. Speaking of Kiel*, he is a blessiu',
ain't lie ? and 1 ain't the only one that thinks
so. I guess. Now don't you tell nobody that
I said so. but between you and me I rather
guess that if Kezier Winkle thinks she isgwino
to ketch Kicr Bedott she is a Icetle out of her
reckouia'. But 1 v.vs going to tell what hus
band said. lie sayv t <> me, says lie, "Silly,"
I says, says I, "What?" If I dident say
" what," when he said " Silly," he'd a kept on
saving " Silly," from time to eternity.
lie always did. because, you know, he want
ed me to pay partickeler attention, and I gine
rallv did ; no woman was ever more attentive
to her husband than what I was. Well, he
says tome, says he," Silly." Says I "What?"
though I'd no idee what he was gwine to say;
dident know but what 'twas something about
his sufiferins, though he wa'nt ant to complain,
but he frequently used to remark that he would
n't wish his worst enemy to suffer one minut
as he did ail the time, but tlmt can't be called
gruinbliu'—think it can ? Why, I've seeu him
in sitivations when, you'd a thought no mortal
eouhl a helped gruinbliu', but he dident. Ho
and me went once in the de-ad of winter in n
one boss slay out to Boonvillc to sec a sistcrof
hisen. You know that the snow is amazin'
deep in that section of the kentry. Well, the
boss got stuck in one <>' thorn are flambengast
ed snow banks, and there we sot, onablc to
stir, and to cap all, while we was a sittin' there,
husband was took with a dreadful crick in his
hack. Now that was what 1 call a jre,tic/i
--mcnt, don't you ? Most uieu would a svuire,
but husband dident. He only said "consarn
it."' llow did lie git out. did you ask ? Why
lie might a been sittin' there to this day, as fur
as 1 know, cf there hadent a happened to cum
ilong a mess of men in a double tesin and they
liysted us out. But 1 was gwine to tell you
that observation of hiscu. Say? he to me, says
he " Sillv," (1 could see by theligfet of the lire,
there dident happen to he no candle hurnin' if
I don't disrenicmher, though tnv meauory is
some ruther finrgitful, but 1 know we wa'nt apt,
to burn candles exeoptin' wheu we had compu
ny) 1 could see by the liglit that his mind was
onconunon solemnized. Says he to me, says
lie, "Silly." I says to him, says I, " What?''
lie saws to me, says he, " We're all poor crit
tersJT
The reason why man uas made after
everything else, was because, if he had been
created first, he would have annoyed the Al
mighty by enlesa suggestions of improvement.
toS* - VIRTUE makes a ntan on earth famous,
in his grave illustrious, and iu Hcavca iium r
--tal.