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cl.unh: n!i:c!:. tiisaw r.uu.tr nicturctnu?
or mnifuent, or antique, gave a c.v.t of r.t
more dignity to the scene, h connecting the
(jlorioui woik of the Creator with the grate
ful homage of his humble creatures. I rc-
member going there one Sunday morning.
some years ago, and ; being struck w ith the
j rustic simplicity, not only of the church, bill
I ilrf iVim hr"irhr fh ti-r '(- !nl irwlt-frl llw
I love talk ujth old people who remcmM , 1 . ' .. ' ; . ,
her the i evolutionary war, and hear them tell . . , , . . ..
those little stories of domestic heroism, Of ... . - . i.
neromc oi inn story, one pai.in a pew uuac
ho Wi ml !ov;-1( l!t the tl W ifc'a t;i!c
Of I'm hut di, t'M in Iter rumMiiijr m ay,
jViul full linvrfWonV-yi't iro'st nin-,. .
Aiut worthy t( the ear i f Kst'iiin;; t outh,
ilMhirM ab'Mit tlie roiwiiVf ii.tcri fin.
solitary and -patient suffering they, have trcas
iirrtHn thttr incmoricsiaijd whichescapethc
police of the historian. It is from these ru
by an open windoiv which looked into a cor
ner of the burial-ground, where, under more
than a dozen grave stones, reposed the re
rai curomcics, r.iai tve oucn ramcr muc in-i , - , . e . c .. ,. ,
-.-.-,-,-.- -J..-. i mains of all that nortion of the Jamilv. which
I I I 1 It 1 ..!.
cidenta, that Ictus into the true characters
iimstnous moniwno; wh(Ti in puhiic net netore
tl
she had survived. litre lay her parents, her
rlt!r!riTi fin1 nr rrrnnrl.rhiln pn hf ft Jthe
k; ijreat audience of nations Jjut who, in the ,, . , . , . ...
r -7 -f -r- could Teteivc a Bid i mpressi ve lewon ot tht
ohtarv farm-house, or rural village, amonc; . . ., . ., , , ,L
. , , ... inevitable fate of all that breathe ; and here
people too lovely to be any restraint upontheif
-actions or deportment, appear in their night
gown and slippers. The little drama thus
dimply exhibited in the unstudied narrative
cf tailing ag, to me is far more interesting
than pompous details of fallen empires, or
dethroned kings, whose weakness or ambi
tioh, whose follies or crimes, drew down up
on them the ruin they deserved.
Jlesides exhibiting more of the real picture
cf human life than a hundred pompous biog
raphies of dead or living heroes, these tradU
ihe doubtless recrincifeJ herself to Her own
by the cheering hope that she was going t3J
meet more dear friends than the would leave
behind her when she died.
lieing accustomed to visit an old and hos"-
pitable friend, whose mansion is not far from
the place I have been describing, I formed an
acquaintance with the worthy dame, by often
stopping in my rambles to rest myself, and
listen to her stories about Washington and
Putnam, and other revolutionary heroes of
d.l uhrr. t!;c
'.:riCi; r.cvci
tionary narratives combine the simplicity of lcsscr notc- Vor fcar W freclue,)l visits W
truth with the interest of romance, and the
f.eauty of portry, wliich is indebted to this
source for a great portion of its most charm
int? incidents. There is also another advan
tage in this legendary lore, which history sel
clom" possesses : The relators tell what thev
themselves have seen or suffered; and all
excite some little scand.'.l amougsome of my
gossipping readers, I may as well take this
I tit
opportunity to mention, that she had a hus
band at the time of which I am speaking,
who was older than herself. He died a few
years agov&nd all that I remember of him is;;
that he was a little old man, with a head as
must have observed the interest excited by white as thc 8now 00 thc t0Ps of his native
the descriptions or narratives of an eye wit
ness. History is, for the most part, hear-say ;
tradition, like the witness in a court of jus
tice, relates what it has seen, and the impres
sions communicated to the listner, are those
cf the actor or spectatcr himself.
In one of the romantic and sequestered
mountains ; and that, at the age of eighty, he
used to turn out ol a fnisty morning to cut up
a load of wood, by way of exercise.
My chief pleasure in the society of this
aged dame, consisted in hearing her talk oi
the great names that frequented her home "in
the war time." I would Rive much if I car-
scenes that abound along the banks of the ried in my memory some, even remote, recol
Jliulson, resided, a few years ago, an old wo- lection of how Washington walked, and look
nun, who, though above four score, had re- ed, and smiled, and danced, for he was ac
taintd all her faculties, and especially, the customed, during his arduous struggle for,
'faculty of speech. The house jn whicjvbhe . Acfreedonn i of his country, to relax, from his
Yved had been the quarters of General Put- weight of overwhelming cares, by often going
nam during that gloomy winter in which our down a sprightly country dance. I am ac
army lay in the highlands, and had often been quainted with a lady who was frequently his
honored with.the presence of Washington. partner, and whom I look upon with peculiar
Having nothing remarkable in its appearance, veneration on that account, since to have been
it is hardly worth a description. It was a in habits of social intimacy with that man, is,
Jarge farm-house, that having never been con- in my mind, to give 'dignity to his surviving
taminated by paint, retained a truly quaker cotemporanes. Nay, I freely confess I have
like simplicity, and was so little an object of sometimes found in my heart to envy even
respe ct to the tenants of the farm-yard, that the worn-out, ragged, and crippled soldier of
the chicktr&jxyildJ)GctrjtmQny in Q!MgjnUhte pride.
' "vima'"picjcing up thc crumbs that fell frbmihe with which he ' basleI''oTbivihTou"gKVT6r
good man's table. It was "of considerable the liberties of his country, by the side of
ienp;th, one story high, and its whole appear- George Washington. Having once in my
ancc accorded with the homely, careless sim- life had an opportunity of visiting Mount
plicity which still characterizes the establish- Vernon, since the death of him whose pres
mcnt of im honest, independent American ence has consecrated every spot around, and
farmer. given to the very trees and blades of grass a
Before the door ran a mountain-brook, nameless value, I paid particular respect to
which, in its rapid course towards the river, the old German gardener, who boasted of
had ploughed a deep ravine, whose sides having raised cauliflowers for the General,
were covered wiih grass, and skirted by a anJ g( ou f the carriage at the park gate,
row of English cherry-trees, almost a century on purpose to shake hands with thc gray
Old. Here hundreds ofchirpmg hiFds came 1 headed old negro who opens ltoecause he
to steal cherries, and sing their merry madri
gals luidis.tu.rbed, for the old lady , had more
than she wanted, and so ha4 her neighbors,"
so that there was enough for birds and all.
Utlow the house the brook became a torrent,
"and forced its way amon-immense masses of
tvcks, shadovved with dark hemlocks . and
solemn pines, with now and then a wild flow,
er trembling on the brink cf the steep, and by
a succession of, cascades, -t length tumbled
into the river, forming a little cove of alders,
and all the tribes of shrubbery that love the
fresh water side. "
The yihole landscape was shut in by lofty
mountains-wtjnfiy and waving, like all our
mountains, at whose-foot rolled the majestic
stream, which was seen hero and there like a
cluster --tytlc lakes, reposing-in the cpoi
.shadows of the hills. Within about a halt
mile cf the house, was a smcubr laakirur
told me he remembered master George when
he was a little boy.
. Such being the nature of my -feelings on
this subject, I used, to listen with silent inter
est ta the rambling-traditiona of. tlMs-fijiwlo
the Highlands. Her family, I ought to have
mentioned,, had been, for -more than half-a
century, the tenants of a gentleman vhp join
ed the royal standard at the coramencemen
of die troubles, and forfeited his estate in con
sequence. Though warmly attached to the
cause of freedom, it was natural for the good
dame to lament, as she often did, the wprthy
landlord, who had always been sociable at
the house, and treated her and hers with
those little attentions which cost nothing to
those above, yet are so gratifying to those
beneath. She would occasionally sneer at the
upstart pride of those who'had succeeded
ad'i'iiiT to Ui? peiioa .. r-
hfgaifth; service till the lord of the manor
made-hii appearance. In thort, shs ttill
cherished in her heart, unknown to herself,
a latent spark of toryisn, and while she
missed no opportunity of telling a story to
the credit of Washingtoncould never be
brought to use any other Prayer lioc:than
one given her by the old landlord, which con
tained all the prayers for ting George and the
royal family. '
JJut, for all this, Washington her hero.
She had a picture of hmi hung up jast below
her best lookinjfglassrand whenever she
.... m
looked that way, it reminded her oi some
thing the Eencral.saU
of .those doleful times, when the foot of an
enemy passed almost every threshold in the
land. She would look at thepiclurc wilh tKe
affection of a mother, and exclaim ' AhLhe
tt'as agood inan. - I remember he used V
come over sometimes, nay, very oiten, to uuk
ocr matters with General Putnam, who had
his quarters here. If ever man loved his
country, it was General Washington. I could
tell,tyit I am old, and lose my memory every
day I .could tell of his perplexities, his
watching, cares, and sufferings of mind andl
body, which I believe he never let any one-
see but myself ; and I shall never forget his
kindness when I lost my youngest son. My
boy was quite a hero among' the young men
of the hills, and night after night used to go
out with parties of militia, beating up the
plundering Tugcrs that came from below, and
carried away every thing they could find, to
the ruin of many of our poor people, who
staid-be tween-.the-lines -becauselhcyw ere
old, and knew not where else to go."
One "night it was thc 20th of January
can recollect that in the dead of night, my
son and his little troop were surprised in turn,
by a party frpm below, while warming them
selves in a house, which the enemv surround-
d in dead silence, and then set on lire, In
attempting to escape, they were all butchered
by the Tagcrsy who hacked them down, though
they begged for quarter. The next day, while
was put at a neighbor's house, my sons
body was brought home by some people who
new him ; and when I returned there I saw
it, with the blood frozen in thej;ashes, with
which he was covered. -
I don't remember what became of me, till
found myself sitting in our old arm chair,
and the General standing just by, with his hat
in one hand, and the other resting on the back
of the chair. Mother' said he. when he
saw I was come to myself1 Mother' and
the word made me so proud I almost forgot
what had happened 1 Mother you have
given a son to your country a brave man
to .Jus God. GoLDQir ta.yoajqpm,X$iJl
see every thing done.' I went. Tor no one
could say nay to him when he soothed or
commanded, and they buried my boy like a
soldier. The troons 6 red. while thz General
himself stood, over the grave, and the pride
of a mother almost overcame her affection.
fime, hardships, and more sorrows, that suc
ceeded each other for years afterwards, drove
away the bitterness of this sad accident, al
though when the floor was washed, or the sun
shone bright upon it, we could sec thc stain
oi blood where the body had lain. I can talk
ofthese things now, for when I think of the
: '' 'cthi:'. could insure success to a per
H. Voinji on important Iniiincs.i more ilfet.
i! lly than throwing ;u old shoe after l im
l . I. - I -. t . t . - 1111,
vmicu c s.ii u. s uouse. ii a younger niter
were married before the elder ones', th: bt-
terhoulddance at hcrwcdJin without shoe,
otherwise they will never ytt husbands. To ;
find a horseshoe is deemed lucky, and it ii
st ill- more so, if si be preserved, end nailed
upon, thc door as it thus prevents witchcraft, J
In. England,-. and ;more particularly Ja ;
Wales, according to Pennant, it is a good r
omefij if the sun, shines on a married couple,
or if it rains when a corps is burying.. AC
cording to thc old distich, .
T- HH7 w the brM thft the tnn Mncn on, "
JllippyuUiccorpw.UuaUieralnrtinion.' V
The unlucky omens in Enirlarid are. in --
one magpyc, aadthea rabr but to fill a mW-"
yjs; is a itiiiuic,iui3iuTiune. ii is tiso un
lucky to kill a swallowor moferf'th?""
hQM?m3rtcn. If, on a journey, a sow cros-i-
JelfUhe road, the person, if he cannot pass itt
must-riae round about, otherwise bad luck
wm aucim nis journey, it a lover presents
death of my son, I remember also that he
died in the service of his country, and .hi
country slather followed him to his grave'
SALMAGUNDI.
. rrrr !S"rsS$9$99
On iYuxvws.
""TlVC'fil1owinj jimuKinir 'article' vi-'at wi'itLrn ni 'lino-fa n,!
stnd ulltules only to the vulgar prejudices of (irtaf 3rit
laiiT. but it rhif rerhind the redor of nie liicky oruni
luctysin, -orvhichhe has hton told to takc jabti
for we arc not w ithout our gtssips, -.,--, -
In the days when the belief in omens flour
ished m Lngland, the following wbe deemed
lucky ; it on setting out on a journey a sow
wiui pjgs were met, tne journey would be
successful; to meet two magwe's portended
marriage ; three, a successfuiJodrney V four,
Pted-g6od news :mo five, that the per
son would soon be it the company of the
great. Iin dressing,! a persOti"sh6uld " put
his stockings on wrong side out, it was a sip-n
an--
a knife or any thing sharp to his mistress, it
portends that their loves will be cut asunder,
unless he take a pin,' or some other trlflThcrtTr
article In exchange. To find a knife or razor f
I. .1!-. .
ponenus uisappomtmeni : a piece 01 coal,
starting from the fire, of a hollow form ,por
tends death. To spill thc salt, or lay the knife
and forlracross each other at table, is very
ominous :' if there be in company thirteen
ii..! .1.. .1... .i
nitH.ii it vicu me ucvn s uucn, some mis
fortune will befall one of them. . The noiso
of thc small insect called a death-watch, fore
tells death ; and the screech-owl at midnight. :
some terrible misfortune. '
If the cheek burns, or the ear tingles, it is
a sign that some person is talking of one ; and -the
coming of strangers is foretold by' what j
is called 4 a thief in the candle.' Friday is1
a.n unlucky day to be married, and yellow is
an ominous colour for -an -unmarried woman
to wear ; in plucking a ' a merry thought,' thc
person who gets the largest share will be mart
nea oeiore tne otner. . , ;
In the Highlands omens are numerous it
U unlucky to stumble at the threshold,1 or to
be obliged to return for any thing forgot. To
step over a gun pr a fishing-rod, spoils sport.
If, when the servant is making a bed, she hap
pens to sneeie, the sleep of the person who
is to he in it will be disturbed, unless a littis
of the straw (with which most beds in thc
Highlands were, till very lately, tilled; is ta
ken out, and thrown into the fire. If a black
cloud, on New Year's eve, is seen, it portends
some dreadful; calamity, either to tne count
try, or to-the-person over whose estate of
house it appears.. The day oMhe week on
which the thiwlfMay falls is deemedun
lucky throughout the ycaf. Friday is consid
ered as unluckjrfonnany things, especially
for digging peat, or taking an account of the
sheep or cattle on the farm. Under the per
suasion, that what ever is done during the
waxmc of the moon crows, and whatever is
done during her waning decreases and with
ers, they cut the tuff which they intend for
fences, and which?of course, they wish to
grow, when the. moot is on the Increase j but
the turf which they'lntend for fuel, they cut
dry speedily. it a nouse taice nre curing inc
increase of the moon, it denotes prosperity.;
if durinc her wane; poverty. In the island
of Mull, the first day of every quarter is dee
med fortunate ; andTuesday is the most lucky
day for sowing theircorn. The lucky omens
in the Highlands areor hany, and in gen
eral they are thc same as thole in other coun
tries : one, however, seems peculiar to them,
it is deemed luciceT'aowIn the
Orkneys, Friday,1 which in most other places
is reckonrdwimfortunate day-forthis puri:
pose, is generally. chosen ior marriage ; next
to it, Thursday is fixed upon ; and the time
when- thnHofn?waxins thcrmosf fortu
nate. When an Orkney fisherman is setting
off from the storey lie takc3 especial care to
turn his boatjn theldircctica of. the sun's10!
tion j If ha
pect good luckf In the lowlands of Scot
land; good or b
is'thoughtrt'epend greatly upon the person
who is fifht seen on New-Vear' morning, or
thcrnrsVfow as'it- is called the 4ut,
foot' be that of a friend, and fortunate bersoir,
tne suoseouent. vear wiu oe ionunaie. ..... v -
der thi idea.as soon as ever twelve b
at night announces the commencement o tn
New-Year, rris customary even in Edin
burgh, to secure a lucky first foot' to one
of good luck ; but the .luck"' ; would he ch
friends, even though it should be necessary
to enter their chamber when they are iast
asleep. v
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. THE D.4.VJJ1ES TO TUH L.iltfE$.
While folly 's slirine altrjicU the frtiiy
Blaine not the bcjiux w!o worship there';
If poil for you 'took meaner stapes, .
ha vender we. descend to pes
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